Page 39 of Timeless: Encore

And we do, play music that is.

Something’s in the air though. As much as I want to bury my head in the sand, I can’t deny it.

Doubt has creeped into my psyche.

I’m scared to fucking death.

What if this is the beginning of the end?

Chapter thirteen

FIONA

A Few Weeks Later

Zane’sbeenuncharacteristicallybummedfor the past couple of weeks.

Apparently, his dad persuaded his mom to come back from London and spend the holidays with us, which includes my mom, Faye. There’s always an element of tension when the three of them are together. Aside from that, I couldn’t give a shit if Lianne’s banging Carter. Zane’s annoyed at the dynamic between his parents, so I’m just trying to be a sounding board as he works through it.

He’s also been stressed about the way Ronni and I spoke to Jace at Ty and Zoey’s wedding. I didn’t think we said anything hurtful or invasive. Alex is the one who told us what was going on. Needless to say, he’s been irrationally worried that Jace is going to quit the band.

It’s part of the reason I arranged the horse photo shoot for the kids with Alex. I figure the four of us spending some time together will help alleviate his fears. It’s my attempt to take care of him the way he likes to take care of me.

He’s my other half, but we’re also two sides of the coin in how we approach conflict. Zane tries to prevent bad things from happening. Smooths things over. Anticipates problems and predetermines his ideal solution.

I’m the opposite. I want conflict over and done with as fast as possible. I’ve always had the tendency to poke the bear, make decisions and let the chips fall where they may. His way is diplomatic.

I wish I could channel Zane’s energy sometimes. It’s just not in my nature. Take my relationship with my mom. I’m so tired of our conversations turning into a dissertation on what a shitty daughter I am. She hates not having control over me and I love not depending on her. Consequently, we rarely speak these days.

So fuck it. No matter what happens, I’m going to take care of my own family and spend the day at the ranch with Jace, Alex, and Lena. As a bonus, we’ll all have extremely cute pictures of the girls dressed up for the holidays. It’s going to be awesome.

“Can I ride horses, Mommy?” Mia asks from her booster seat in the back. We just drove off the ferry and are on our way to the ranch. She’s adorable in snowflake leggings and a big red sweatshirt. I also brought a change of clothes so she and Lena can match in their pictures.

I turn to look at her. “Yes and brush them and make them pretty too.”

“Wow.” She shakes her head in wonder. “Best. Day. Ever.”

Ten minutes later, we navigate the gravel driveway in Zane’s ridiculous Aston Martin SUV. He’s becoming so much like Carter. Collecting cars. Trading in one model for another. I can’t keep up, but he’s bored. I don’t really care. He has the money, so who am I to nitpick?

Alex, Lena, and Mitch the dog greet us at the end of the lane. “Yay! I’m so glad you could come out. Jace is out running an errand but should be home any minute.”

“I’ve not been around horses much, not since Zane and I went to a dude ranch when we were little, so this should either be terrifying or awesome.” I glance back at her as I help Mia get out.

Mia leaps out and jumps up and down like a pogo stick. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“We will, miss Mia.” Alex crouches to our daughter’s level. “Before we go down to the barn, let’s have some lunch and go over some very important safety information. Okay?”

Mia kicks the dirt. “Okay. That’s fine.”

Alex is an absolute natural at this horse stuff. You can tell she lives and breathes it. I’m so glad she took the time to teach us the basics. I would have never remembered to approach a horse from the side to avoid his blind spots. Or to speak to him so he knows you’re there. We even practice how to touch a horse’s neck and shoulder, using Alex as a model.

“I bet Jace would be pissed if he saw me petting you, Alex.” Zane waggles his eyebrows as he strokes her shoulder.

She rolls her eyes. “He’d probably make you pet him.”

“I’d love to see that.” I chortle.Oh, how I would love that.

He’s still not back forty-five minutes later when we finish lunch. I put away the food while Alex takes the girls to pee. I grab the cowboy hats I bought for the photos.

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