Page 41 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

“No. It was a bit of a stretch to tell you that I was adopted, but …”

“You were smart to not give too much away.”

“Yeah. It was Booker’s idea.”

“I like the sound of this kid.”

Shayna grinned. “He really is awesome. He had it tough after his mom died. And as much as I love having Davin and Alexis in my life, I love it even more for Booker. He’s eighteen now, so he could be out on his own, but he’s not ready. He’s not a kid, he had to grow up too fast in some respects, but in other ways he needs parents at this point in his life. They’re making all the difference in the world for him.”

Ty glanced over at her. “Mind if I ask you something?”

She laughed. “We should probably both quit asking that. It’s like you said, we can ask each other anything, that’s kind of the point, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to push too hard – ask something that might upset you.”

“You mean about my parents?”

“Yeah.”

She blew out a sigh.

“See, that right there,” said Ty. “I don’t want to make you talk about anything that you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind telling you, but you have to be okay if I get a little upset. It doesn’t mean anything, and you don’t need to do anything to help. It is what it is, but it still hurts when I go there.”

“So, only go there if you want to.”

“I want to – I want you to know about them. My mom passed a few years ago. We were close. It was just the two of us after my dad ...”

Ty glanced over at her, and she had to swallow.

“Gah! I hate this. I don’t know why I’m getting all emotional, it’s …”

Ty reached across the console and took her hand. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

“I really do. I want you to know. I’m … Okay, deep breath and spit it out, Shay. I told you that my dad was a military man. He served in the first Gulf War. He struggled after he came home, and … he killed himself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry that I’m making a big deal about it. Whenever I’ve had to tell people before I haven’t gotten all emotional like this.”

He squeezed her hand. “Maybe it’s because with me, you know you can.”

She held onto his hand a little tighter. “Maybe so.”

“How old were you?”

“Nine.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, it was hard. Especially because I knew that he didn’t just die – he killed himself. I felt like I wasn’t enough to make him want to stay.”

“Aw, Shay!”

She blew out a sigh. “I know, right? I was just a little kid. I didn’t get it.”

“And that’s why you want to be a therapist?”

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