Page 69 of Every Beat of My Heart

“It doesn’t sound like he’s missing anything.” Then Violet lowered her voice and held my gaze. “But now you have a shot at true happiness. Don’t screw it up.”

CHAPTER 15

JAMESON

I had work to do on the farm, so I asked Claire if they could just meet us for dinner. I’d told her to come over whenever she wanted. Dinner would be early afternoon for Izzy. But now I wished I’d offered to pick her up.

I worked around the farm in the morning, tagging the rest of the trees and cutting a few for the lot. Tomorrow, the season would begin in earnest. But the forecasters were calling for a bit of winter weather this evening. It was so early in the year; I wasn’t worried about it sticking around if snow or ice fell.

I was hoping for snow and ice so I could sleep in tomorrow morning. Maybe I’d even get some extra time with Claire and Owen.

I showered in my apartment above the garage and dressed in one of my softest long-sleeve shirts in navy blue and a newer pair of jeans with boots. I wanted to look good for Claire even if it was just a family get-together. It was not a date even if I wanted it to be so much more.

I’d been tense since our kiss and the subsequent orgasms over the phone. My desire for her hadn’t waned. It had only intensified. I just hoped my brothers didn’t pick up on it and give me a hard time.

I headed into the main house, disappointed when I didn’t see Claire’s car among the trucks and Teddy’s cruiser.

“Your girl still coming?” Wes said when I walked into the kitchen where Teddy, Cole, and Aiden were drinking beers. Fiona was peeling potatoes, and Daphne was sprinkling breadcrumbs over a casserole dish of mac and cheese.

Instead of saying she wasn’t my girl, I grabbed a beer from the fridge. I was going to need it to get through this day. I wasn’t sure why I thought it was a good idea for Claire to come. “She’s coming.”

Wes raised a brow, but before he could say anything, Teddy raised his phone in the air. “Ryder just texted to say that Stacy doesn’t want him bringing Faith for a visit after all. She wants them to stay and visit with her family.”

“He’s always with her family,” I said tightly.

“When is he going to wake up and see what his wife is doing?” Wes asked.

Teddy dropped his phone on the counter. “You mean keeping him and their daughter away from our side of the family?”

“You’ve never been married. It’s all about compromise,” Dad said from where he sat at the small kitchen table, coloring with Izzy.

Izzy looked up, concern etched on her face. “Faith isn’t coming?”

“Not this time,” Teddy said.

“I wanted to see her,” Izzy whined, and Cole moved to her, touching her shoulder. “You will. Maybe we can drive to their house to visit one day.”

“Really?” Izzy asked, and Cole nodded.

“Whatever you want.”

“I don’t know if Stacy would welcome us,” Daphne said quietly to just us.

“I hope Ryder comes to his senses eventually.”

Fiona gave us a pointed look. “They’ve only ever had one child. Either Stacy only wanted one, or Ryder didn’t want to bring another child into that situation. Don’t think he doesn’t know what’s going on. He might be protecting Faith. Not wanting to tear apart their family.”

“So he’s going to stay with someone he doesn’t like just to keep their family intact?” I asked.

“People do it all the time. Your kids come first,” Daphne said.

Unfortunately, Daphne didn’t have that with Izzy’s dad, but she was right. I wondered if that’s why Claire stayed with Eric for so long. She didn’t want to hurt Owen. I had a feeling they were better off alone. It didn’t sound like Eric put much effort into either of their relationships.

The doorbell rang, and my heart rate increased. “I’ll get it.”

“Go get your girl,” Wes said before going into a rendition of “Kissing in a Tree” while Teddy made kissing noises.

“You’re so immature,” I shot back over my shoulder. I hoped they behaved better when Claire and Owen came inside.

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