Page 88 of Ride Me Reckless

Tessa covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. I pushed the screen door open and leaned a shoulder against the frame. “Well, ma’am, I do my best,” I called out.

Dalia gave me a regal nod. “Don’t get cocky.”

Callie laughed. “She’s definitely sharper today than I’ve seen her in a while. It's kind of amazing.”

Tessa stepped outside and joined her on the porch. “The doctor said the new meds might help stabilize her memory. But I think being home is doing more than the pills.”

“Home and love,” Callie added, giving me a look. “She’s got both now.”

I joined them on the porch.“You’re sayin’ I’m the secret ingredient?”

Dalia held her coffee aloft like a toast. “You’re something, all right. But I wouldn’t call you an ingredient.”

I caught Tessa’s eye as she beamed at her mama. Callie was right. It wasn’t just the medicine. It was the porch, the coffee, the company. The little rituals that made people feel like themselves again.

And for the first time since we brought her back, I let myself believe she was indeed improving.

I checked my watch—9:22.

Tessa was still out on the porch, cradling the last sips of her tea while Callie and Dalia shared a quiet laugh over the muffins. As much as I wanted to linger and watch her smile in the morning light, we had someplace to be. I just hoped Art wouldn’t call needing my input on the bulls while I was getting my first look at my kid.

I rapped my knuckles against the doorframe. “Alright, mama-to-be. We should probably get this show on the road.”

Tessa glanced over her shoulder, her grin lazy and warm. “Bossy this early? You must really want to see that baby again.”

I chuckled. “I do. But mostly, I don’t want to be late and give them a reason to mark us down as a ‘no-show’.”

She grabbed her purse, kissed Dalia on the cheek, gently squeezed Callie’s shoulder, and joined me at the truck. The sky was wide and soft above us, early fall colors brushing the trees like a sigh.

Once we pulled onto the highway, a peaceful quiet settled in. Tessa rested one hand on her bump, absently smoothing her thumb across it.

“It’s wild,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road. “Thinking about how different everything’s gonna be.”

She turned to me with a soft smile. “I know. But I’m not in a hurry to change what’s working. Mama is happy. I’m not waking up in a cold sweat from worry anymore. The three of us—we’re finally finding our footing.”

“I get it,” I said, nodding. “I really do.”

I reached over and let my hand settle over hers. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned into it.

“But sooner or later…” I added, “it’s not just gonna be the three of us.”

She looked out the window for a beat, then back at me with something steady in her eyes. “One step at a time, right?”

“Right.”

I gently squeezed her fingers and then added, “Maybe in between those steps, we should talk about planning a wedding.”

She let out a dramatic groan. “My idea of a dream wedding went out the window a long time ago.”

I smirked. “Good. That means you’ll be thrilled with whatever half-decent plan I cook up.”

Her laugh softened the air between us, and I focused on the road ahead, already wondering what the next step might look like.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Double Blessing

Tessa