Page 47 of Sweet Escape (Whispering Oaks Ranch #1)

They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, but I never gave it much thought until now.

I don’t know that I’ll ever be in a place to forgive Jake and Amber for what they put me through, but at least I found out before I tethered myself to him more permanently.

I’m grateful he never slid a ring onto my finger, and I’m even more relieved to know it’s not his baby I’m carrying.

Wilder

Laughter drifts into the barn from somewhere nearby, two voices I could recognize in my sleep.

One is a high-pitched giggle and the other is a lighter, more resonant tone.

I peer toward the pasture where Emmy Lou and Olivia are sitting on one of Mama’s handmade quilts outside the fence, the horses grazing just beyond the gate.

I snap a quick photo on my phone. I want to memorize this view and keep it forever.

Emmy squeals, her little hands clapping gleefully as Olivia places a daisy crown on her head.

“You too, Livie!” Emmy says, glancing at the pile of daisies between them.

Mesmerized, I lean against the doorway, crossing my arms over my chest. Liv smiles, then effortlessly crafts a matching crown for her own head.

I thought she was beautiful before, but the way she looks at my daughter leaves me speechless.

She tilts her head to the side, listening intently to whatever haphazard sentences my daughter’s able to string together like it’s the best story she’s ever heard.

It’s clear Emmy’s smitten, too, and I can’t say I blame her. Olivia is something special.

“Daddy too?” Emmy asks.

Olivia giggles softly. “Think your daddy would take his hat off for us? ”

Emmy scrunches up her nose and shakes her head.

Olivia boops her and says, “I bet he’d do anything for you, Emmy girl.”

Olivia weaves together a third flower crown while Emmy plucks the petals from the leftover daisies.

When she’s done, she lays it on the quilt, leaning back on her hands as she glances out over the ranch.

I know she loves the views here—she’s told me as much—but it’s nothing compared to the one I’m staring at.

I’ve been standing here for far too long already, but I can’t seem to look away.

It’s like the first hint of sunshine after a lifetime of storms.

Emmy crawls into Olivia’s lap and rests her head against her shoulder, her little hand twirling a lock of golden hair.

Without hesitation, Olivia returns the embrace, her hand gliding over Emmy’s back in a painfully sweet gesture that looks as natural as breathing.

Emmy closes her eyes and sighs. When Olivia turns her head and places a chaste kiss against her temple, I can’t stand back and watch anymore.

I wordlessly sink beside them and pull off my hat.

Olivia smiles softly. “I was wondering how long you were gonna stand there.”

“You saw me?”

“No. I felt you.”

Emmy’s eyes blink open as she nuzzles against Olivia’s shoulder. She glances at me with a small smile. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey, baby girl. This for me?” I ask, holding up the flower crown.

She nods sleepily, and I place it on my head. “What do you think?”

“Pretty,” she says through a yawn.

I peer over Emmy’s head. Olivia’s got the most beautiful smile spreading across her face.

“Hear that?” I say. “I’m pretty.”

Olivia purses her lips to stifle her laughter. “Didn’t need the flower crown for t hat,” she whispers. I watch the joy disappear from her face as she stares out into the distance, still cradling my daughter in her arms. “Do you think we can do this?”

“Do what?”

“This whole parenting thing. I don’t know the first thing about babies. Or any of it really.”

“Liv, look at you. The best part of my day is watching you with Emmy Lou.”

“That’s different. She’s not?—”

“Yours? You’re the closest thing she’s had to a mom in a long time.

” I rake a hand over my beard and release a sharp exhale.

“That’s the funny thing about parenting.

You figure things out as you go. Sure, there are a few hard and fast rules: try your best not to drop them, make sure they’re fed and changed, and never let Griffin babysit for more than an hour at a time.

But for the most part, it’s a learning experience.

We’ll make mistakes—a lot of them if my experience with Emmy is anything to go by—but we’ll always try to fix them, and that’s what matters. ”

“How do you always know the exact right thing to say?”

“Intuition, maybe. Or maybe I just know your heart. The fact that you’re worried about fucking up is a good sign, Liv. Gracie is lucky to have you as a mom.”

A line of tears forms along her lashes, and her cheeks pinch together like she’s trying to hold in her emotions, something I’ve noticed she does a lot of.

“Don’t hide from me,” I murmur, stroking a thumb over her cheekbone. “Who taught you to make yourself smaller? Who made you think you had to keep it all locked up inside?”

She shakes her head. “Nobody. I just—it’s easier not to feel. Feelings are complicated and messy.”

“They’re also the way we connect. They can be ugly and painful and beauti ful and comforting all at once if you let them.”

“Do you let them?” Her question saps the air from my lungs. How she manages to see past the bullshit into the very heart of me is a goddamn mystery, but she does. Fuck , she does.

Emmy shifts, her tiny palm resting on Olivia’s cheek. The awestruck look in Olivia’s eyes tells me she’s overwhelmed and on the verge of losing the battle with her emotions.

“Do you need me to take her?” I ask.

“Just one more second,” she says, palming the back of Emmy’s head, holding onto her a little tighter. She kisses her hair, then nods at me.

I stand and lift Emmy out of her arms, then offer Olivia my hand. She takes it, and my heart hammers inside my chest. It’s a short walk back to the big house where I lay Emmy to rest in the spare room, then gesture for Liv to follow me out to the porch.

We settle on the steps like we did that first day, listening to the distant sound of horses whinnying, only this time there’s no distance between us.

She lays her head on my shoulder, the familiar scent of wildflowers washing over me as something like quiet understanding passes between us—two damaged people finding their way to one another.

Her fingers link with mine, and in that moment, I’m certain of exactly two things: I’m falling in love for the second time in my life, and I’m absolutely terrified of losing them.