Page 90 of One Lucky Cowboy

“I didn’t know there was a deal when I asked her to stay,” he argued. She glared at him.

“I’m not mad about that. I’m mad you think you have to feel guilty for finding someone who makes you happy.” He opened his mouth to reply, but his mom held a hand up. “And there is no such thing as bad timing.” Damn. She had his number. “If you like her, you get to like her, end of story. There may be some things you have to work out, but when your dream comes along, you don’t get to ask it to wait till things are easier. You work at it all and be thankful you got what you always wanted.”

“I didn’t know I wanted any of this,” he choked out. “I mean, I didn’t think I ever wanted to be a father until I didn’t have any other choice.”

“Ah, but you did have a choice. The boy lived without you for fifteen years and has a life in Austin with his grandfather. You could’ve sent money, maybe gone up on a weekend or two to see him, but you chose to be a dad.”

Jax whistled, rocking back on his heels. “I never thought of it that way.”

“And as for Jill”—Jax braced himself—“you both have had horrible things happen to you, but I’ve seen the way you look at each other, support each other. Life isn’t ever going to be perfect or roll out the red carpet for your dreams. In fact, it often looks more like a dirt path than anything else. But if you find the person you want to walk the dirt road with, it can be an incredible adventure.”

“She’s not wrong,” Bennett said. “I mean, look at me and Maggie. It wasn’t even a dirt road but a scramble up the side of the Matterhorn to get back to each other, and we both lost so much in the interim. But it was worth it.”

Jax threw up his hands. “Okay, okay. I hear you both. But like it or not, she’s going to have to wait until I find out about Ren. He needs me more right now.” He glanced down the hall, sending up whatever form of a prayer he could that the reason he hadn’t heard anything was because they were fixing his son. But Jill was there, too, in the back of his heart and mind like she had been since they first met. “Besides, who’s to say she’ll even give me a chance to clean up the mess I made with her?”

“She tell you to shove off?” Bennett asked.

“Are you dead yet?” his mom added.

Jax shook his head no to both.

“Then there’s a chance,” they replied in unison.

“You two should take your act on the road,” he grumbled, but hope worked hard to get to the surface of his thoughts. He’d tackle problem one first, but then the gloves were off, and he was gonna fight for Jill until she told him to shove off, as Bennett so eloquently put it.

The doors to the ER opened, and all three of them whipped their heads to see who it was.

A doctor in a white coat strode up to them, and Jax tensed until the woman smiled.

“You’re Renato’s father?”

Jax nodded. “How is he?”

“He’s going to be fine. He cracked two ribs and had some internal bleeding, but we got it under control.” Jax exhaled a breath he’d been holding since the fall. “He also severely sprained his right ankle, so he should stay off his feet for a few weeks until that heals. But overall, he was very lucky. He’ll be sore for a few months, but he’ll be back to being a teenage boy in no time.”

Jax shook her hand. “Thank you. Can I see him?”

“Sure. Just one of you at a time, though.”

His mom put her hand on his back. “We’ll head back in a bit, son. Let me just get my suitcases home then I’ll come trade you out so you can go shower. You smell like horses.”

Jax laughed. He didn’t care if he smelled like he’d rolled in manure. Ren was okay.

“I was gonna say something, but Mom beat me to it,” Bennett teased, hugging him again.

Jax wasn’t sure what prompted this new show of affection, but he didn’t mind it.

“Glad the kid’s okay. Keep me posted.”

“Same with Maggie. Okay, lead the way,” Jax told the physician. But before they could go anywhere, a booming voice called out over the lobby.

“Where is my grandson?” Jax’s skin erupted in chills. He knew that voice.

“Mr. Kellerman?” he asked.

Renato Senior shot him a glance from under bushy, furrowed eyebrows and just like that, Jax was transported back fifteen years in the past. They’d talked on the phone through lawyers to handle Ren’s visit but hadn’t laid eyes on each other in almost two decades. The towering man was still strong, still built like he could be a linebacker. He wore jeans, a button-down shirt and sport jacket over it, the uniform of the Texas wealthy. Damned if Renato didn’t look the exact same, albeit a little gray along the temple.

“Jax?” he asked. His eyes narrowed. “You grew up.”

---