Page 32 of The Sunny Side (Rojo 2nd Generation: Rojo Police Department #3)

B RAWLEY

I sighed at the thought of what Mom’s spoiling was going to do to Cupcake’s stomach, especially since the dog was carsick and currently making a mess on the blanket in the back seat, but saw it as a blessing in disguise.

With Clancy out of her seatbelt and squeezed between our seats, she didn’t see all the cars, trucks, and motorcycles we passed on the gravel road leading to my parents’ house.

Once we were parked around the side in the same spot I'd been using since I got my license at sixteen, the house blocked the view toward the road, so Clancy had no idea what was waiting inside.

“Okay! She didn’t throw up, but it was a close call,” Clancy said as she twisted her way back into her seat. She gasped as she looked around and said, “This place is even more beautiful than the pictures.”

“You can’t capture it in a photo no matter how hard you try,” I said proudly as I opened my door.

I stood next to the truck and breathed in the clean air like I did every time I came to visit.

Even though it was a short drive to their house from mine, it seemed like it should be miles away.

The entire topography was different here, and it seemed like the air was fresher just because there was more space to breathe.

“I grew up here and still think it’s beautiful. ”

“It is,” Clancy said as she looked toward Dad’s old cabin.

Even though it was in the backyard of the home they’d built when I was an infant, the cabin had become their little retreat.

It still had the same furniture in the main room that it had when they got together, but the bedroom had become Mom’s yoga studio and where Dad hid when the house got too loud and rowdy. “I can’t wait to explore out here.”

“I’ll take you exploring some other time.

Right now, we’ve gotta get inside. I’m sure Mom and Dad are waiting on us,” I told her before I shut my door and walked around to open hers.

Once she was standing in front of me, I gave her a quick kiss and then opened the back door to let Max jump out and pick up Cupcake to hand to Clancy.

“Don’t let Cupcake run around out here. She’s the perfect size for some of the birds of prey and critters that roam around the canyon. ”

Clancy’s eyes widened as she took the area in with an entirely new outlook, and I laughed when she pulled Cupcake closer to her chest. “Somehow it’s not nearly as magical as I first thought.”

“They sell vests we can put on her that will protect her from birds, but she still needs to stay close in case of other predators. If it makes you feel any better, I don’t let Max roam either.

” Max, eager to get into the house but well trained enough to be able to contain himself, yipped at the mention of his name before he sat down and waited for me to attach his leash.

Once I clipped it on, I scratched behind his ears and warned, “I don’t care how much cheese and shit she offers you, Max, try to restrain yourself, okay? ”

Max didn’t hear a word I said. He knew there was a woman nearby who would stand at the open refrigerator door and feed him snacks to his heart’s content, so I didn’t matter anymore.

My guess was that when Clancy and I had children, a thought that didn’t fluster me nearly as much as it had her, they’d feel the same about coming here.

Hell, I was almost thirty and had been out on my own for years, but I still got excited at the thought of coming home, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

“Do I look okay?” Clancy asked as we started walking up the path that wound around the cabin to the main house. “Your mom won’t think I’m underdressed?”

“Honey, you could have chosen that outfit from my mom’s closet. She’s going to think you look great.”

“I’m trying to embrace the T-shirt and jeans lifestyle, but it’s an adjustment.”

“You’re doing great,” I assured her as we walked around the corner. I smiled when she stopped short at the sight in front of her and then grinned when our families and a few friends yelled, “Congratulations!”

“Oh my goodness,” Clancy choked out as her eyes filled with tears. “This is . . . All these people . . . and they . . . ”

“They’re here to congratulate you on your new job, sweetheart.”

“You did this?” Clancy asked.

“I’ll do anything to make you happy. Planning a quick party to celebrate your success is the least I can do.” I took Cupcake and then nudged her ahead of me as I said, “Go greet your adoring public, babe. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

“I love you,” Clancy said as she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“Love you too.”

◆◆◆

“I thought I might find you out here,” I said as I stepped up onto the huge rock where I’d spent so much time with my dad over the years.

I would say that we’d had many conversations here, but anyone that knew my father would call me out on my lie.

He was a man of few words, but when he did talk, he said what mattered and I paid attention.

I sat down beside him before I said, “Sorry I brought so many people into your canyon. It started out small and kind of snowballed after Mom got involved.”

Dad chuckled before he said, “That’s how it always happens.”

“At least it’s a school night so everyone will be leaving soon,” I said, trying to console him.

“It seems like you’ve found a woman just as perfect for you as your mom is for me.”

“I think so.”

“I like her. She fits.”

“With the family?”

“Yes, and with you. She’s okay in a crowd and seems to enjoy it, but she’s content to stay home where it’s quiet too.”

“I love that about her.”

“I won the lottery when I met your mom, and I became the luckiest man in the world when she decided to keep me around. Looks like you’re a winner too.”

“I am. I love her.”

“I can tell.”

“I’m going to make her my wife.” Dad just nodded, so I asked, “Can I marry her out here on the rock where you married Mom?”

“Of course.”

“That means there will be a bunch of people in your canyon.”

“I’ll suffer through it for you,” Dad assured me. “Once.”

“Oh, she’s my forever. Believe me when I tell you I’ll only pack your canyon one time.”

“Too late. I can’t even count how many times you already have.”

“When?”

“Birthday parties. Scout parties. A billion screaming kids spending the night all the time. Graduation party. Badge ceremony for the police department.”

I burst out laughing before I agreed, “You’re right. I’ve crowded your space a few times.”

“There will be more.”

“You never know. I may crowd it with grandchildren one day. What do you think about that, old man?”

“I like babies. They don’t talk much.”

“It’s gonna be a while before we get there, but hopefully, not too long. I guess we’ll see.”

“It may not seem like it at the time, but even when they’re a surprise, children are worth it in the end. You were quite a surprise, but we loved you from the instant we found out you were on your way. We love you even more now that you’re out on your own.”

I laughed again before I nudged my dad with my shoulder and said, “You know you and mom missed us after we moved out.”

“We got over it pretty quickly.”

“Do you mind if I join you?” I heard Clancy ask from somewhere behind us. Dad and I turned around, and I put my hand out to welcome her onto the rock. “I’ve been eager to see the view from this rock I’ve heard so much about.”

“This is where I fell in love with Little Bear’s mom,” Dad explained, shocking me since he wasn’t usually one to initiate conversation. What didn’t surprise me was how he laughed before he said, “As a matter of fact, the boy was probably conceived here too.”

“Oh, good God,” I muttered as I leaned my head back and stared at the darkening sky.

Clancy giggled before she said, “I told Brawley that the pictures in his house don’t do this place justice.”

“There’s no way they can,” Dad assured her before he pointed out into the canyon and whispered, “You can’t see this in pictures.”

“Oh, wow,” Clancy whispered in awe. “Is that a mountain goat?”

“It’s a Barbary sheep,” Dad explained. “They’re not native to Texas.

They were brought in years ago for exotic hunting on private land and then released to graze.

Their numbers grew so much that they were allowed to be hunted.

I’ll let them stay for a while, but they’re invasive and will fuck things up for the mule deer and other wildlife.

If they become a problem, we’ll have a cookout. ”

“Well. . . .” Clancy cleared her throat as she pushed her glasses up and said, “I’ve never eaten Barbary sheep before, but . . . I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

Dad chuckled before he said, “They make great jerky and burgers. Stew’s pretty good too.”

“Delicious,” I assured her.

“Do you hunt very often?” Clancy asked my dad.

“Only when someone or something is in my canyon that doesn’t belong.”

Clancy swallowed hard before she said, “That makes sense.” She looked at me with wide eyes before she asked, “Do you hunt too?”

“Mom taught me how to use a crossbow when I was a kid, and I’ve helped dad thin out some of the wildlife over the years. We only kill what we can eat, though.” When Dad chuckled darkly, I added, “At least I do.”

“That’s a relief,” Clancy mumbled.

“Are you vegan or something?” Dad asked with an eyebrow raised in concern.

“No, I’m just not the kind of wife who is gonna welcome my husband with open arms if he brings home a dead something or other and expects me to butcher it.”

Dad barked out a laugh, disturbing some birds nearby. Clancy gasped as she watched them take flight and then smiled at me before she said, “Now, if you butcher it, I’ll cook it, but I draw the line at having taxidermied animals in my house.”

“Back up a second,” I ordered with a frown. “I do believe I just heard you refer to yourself as my wife.”

“Don’t rush me,” Clancy retorted.

Dad nudged her with his elbow before he said, “I like you, kid.”

“Thank you, Bear. I like you too.”

“Did you figure out your bookshelf situation yet?” Dad asked.

“I found some on the IKEA website that I think will work,” Clancy told him, not knowing she’d just pushed one of dad’s buttons.

“Fuck that. Figure out where you want them, and I’ll take care of it. No sense in buying someone’s version of wood and then trying to decipher the coded diagrams just so you can have an uneven wonky piece of shit that’s gonna break in a couple of years.”

“Yessir,” Clancy said before she looked over at me with wide eyes. When I smiled at her, she asked, “How are you with wood, Brawley?”

Dad snorted and said, “I’ll go ahead and make myself scarce so he can answer that loaded question without my delicate ears having to hear his response or, God forbid, having to see something that’ll haunt me until I die.”

Clancy’s jaw dropped open in shock when she realized what she’d asked and what dad had implied, but I just laughed and put my arm over her shoulders before I pulled her closer.

“I’ll remind you how good I am at working with wood later, sweetheart. Right now, let’s just enjoy the view.”