Page 46 of An Endless Memory

“No, but he wasn’t a nice daddy.”

Fuck Eliot’s parents too. I went to the doorway of the bedroom so Eliot knew I could hear. He was in the rocking chair with Kellan asleep on his chest. Cali had coloring books piled on her bed, and she was surrounded by markers. His gaze flipped to mine. I gave him a small smile, and his eyes heated.

For a heartbeat, I could pretend this moment was real if only to show myself why I had walked away from the marriage with Carter and told him I wanted full custody of the kids. He’d been painfully ready to give up all of his rights.

“My brother Cody mostly raised us,” Eliot continued, holding my gaze. “He was a kid himself, but he did a good job. Don’t ever tell him I said that.”

Cali nodded solemnly.

He rocked slowly. The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Did you catch up on some sleep?”

My body was getting programmed by him. I got sleep because he was around, and I, therefore, felt good. Just seeing him made me more rested. “Only thanks to you. Again.”

“Don’t mention it. You ready to entertain?”

I let out a slow exhale. I’d be more worked up if Eliot wasn’t here. Last night, we’d read over the trust paperwork. It might not have been prudent to trust Linda sight unseen, but she’d told the truth.

“I’m going to clean up, and then I can take Kellan. He’ll help me get hamburgers ready.” I crossed my arms. “You don’t have to be there if you don’t want to.”

“If you know one thing about me, it’s that I don’t abandon ship.”

“Is that how you ended up managing the ranch?”

He rocked, slow and steady, his expression neutral. Kellan was starting to wiggle. “Someone had to manage it, otherwise Barns would’ve run everyone off. He got worse over the years.”

“Who’s Barns?” Cali asked.

“The guy who was supposed to be my father, but he was more of a boss.”

She wrinkled her nose like she didn’t care for the sound of that at all. I didn’t either.

No wonder Cali had taken to him. Yes, she craved attention and validation from adults in her life, thanks to her birth mom and Carter. But Eliot had understood her right away.

I was starting to understand Eliot too. He was a guy who wouldn’t leave a frantic mom hanging when she had to marry someone. He did what had to be done. He gave of himself because it was what he thought was the right thing to do. It was the one thing his parents hadn’t done for him.

I went into the bathroom, mulling over my thoughts. He was helping me because he was my husband and that was what spouses did. He probably wanted to be a better one than his dad. It was all so clear. Any hints of romance were nothing but my fantasies, misinterpreting his generous actions.

Eliot

“Need a hand?” Alder walked over to the grill with a can of sparkling water in his hand. He was dressed down today, in crisp jeans and a polo, looking more like his dad.

The fact that I’d gotten the old grill Lily found in the garage working was a miracle, but I wasn’t about to tolerate stovetop burgers when there was a grill with a heartbeat in the vicinity.

I transferred a burger to a higher rack to keep it warm while the last few finished. “I’ve got it, but you can find out who wants cheese and who doesn’t.”

“Can’t they just put it on themselves?” Confusion entered his gaze.

“I have a system.”

He continued to stare at me, but I didn’t sense resistance.

“My family gets together a lot,” I explained, only because he wasn’t being an ass. He mostly seemed lost at not being in charge.

The Dukes were a lot less overpowering today than yesterday. Violet brought cases of sparkling water. Poppy—they were not twins, but they were only ten months apart—had come bearing chips. Clover supplied the dip. Jasper joked about filling his trunk with beer and got a stern warning glare from his mom. I still wasn’t sure if he was joking, but he produced a new cooler with ice that he must’ve just purchased.

People were gathered on the concrete pad in front of the old shop. Various plastic chairs Lily had found in the garage and shop had been hosed off and dried. Cali was the only kid running around, but she had plenty of aunts and uncles to entertain her. So familiar but so different to what I was used to.

“The grill is kinda my thing,” I continued. My brothers knew not to touch the grill unless I handed over the tongs. “I have a process.”

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