Page 26 of My Stupid Heart

“You were just shot by a jealous, crazy woman and refused to go to the hospital,” Sasha said.“I think this is the opposite of heaven.”

“Nope.It’s heaven.Me, here with the two women I love most in the entire world.”

“Awwww.”The both cooed.

“We’re gonna have a good life, the three of us.”

“Yes, we will,” Molly agreed.“Surrounded by family, animals and fresh air.No more of this small town gossip or fake friends.”

“No more jealous soccer moms and creepy coaches,” Sasha added.

“No more looking backward,” Ryker said, leaning over and kissing each woman on the head.“Only forward.And even with my eyes closed, the future looks damn bright.”

Oneyearlater…

“She’s magnificent, isn’t she?”Molly asked, beaming, crying and clapping as Sasha finished her performance on stage with the rest of her dance class and they all curtsied in their tutus and tights.

“She really is.I think she could go all the way,” Ryker said honestly.“Mieka certainly thinks so.”

A hard lump of pride and emotion hung heavy in the back of Molly’s throat.She never dreamed that she could ever be this happy again.

But she was.

They’d been in Colorado for a year now and all three of them were thriving.

She’d managed to get a job immediately when they moved, and she adored the dentist and her co-workers at the local dental clinic.One of their hygienists had just retired, so Molly showing up with her resume was kismet.Ryker worked on the ranch with his best friends and brother—since Decker fell in love with Mieka’s best friend Joanie and also moved onto the ranch—and Molly had never seen him so happy.

And Sasha, well, she was flourishing.

She danced, she rode horses and smiled all the damn time.She played soccer on a local rec team for fun, but poured her heart and soul into dance.

Finally, after fourteen years of Molly and her daughter doing it alone, pretending just the two of them was enough, they were really, truly happy.Because they had family.Because they had a home and a bright and shiny future.

Ryker had gone and bought a bouquet for Sasha’s performance.He doted on her more than ever now—not that he hadn’t spoiled her rotten since she was a baby.But he loved her like she was his own, and Sasha adored Ryker just as much.They had a bond that sometimes even made Molly jealous, but she also loved that her daughter felt so comfortable with someone else.

The bigger the village, the better.

They waited with all the other parents for the dancers to come out from backstage, and one-by-one the heavily made-up teenagers with their tight ballerina buns emerged.Molly hated how much makeup they had to wear, because it always made Sasha break out, but it was par for the course when it came to dance.Mieka and Joanie were still backstage with some of the dancers, but Sasha came out with a couple of her friends, an enormous smile on her face.

She lunged at Ryker first, only bruising Molly’s ego just a smidge.

“Amazing, half-pint.Just amazing.”He squeezed her tight enough and leaned back so that her toes lifted off the ground and she giggled.Eventually, he released her and handed her the flowers.Bringing his voice down, he leaned in so only Molly and Sasha were supposed to hear.“In my opinion, you’re the best dancer in that whole show.Like, you need a solo performance already.I’ll talk to Mieka.”

Sasha snorted and rolled her eyes.“I’m not.But thanks.”Then she hugged Molly.

“You were incredible,” Molly said, tears springing from her eyes again.“You never cease to amaze me.Especially since I have no rhythm and two left feet.”

“Your dad had rhythm.You got it from him,” Ryker said.

They all smiled.Even though it still hurt sometimes to think and talk about Brendan, it’d also gotten easier in the last year.Probably because they all made a point of talking about him more on the ranch.There were more of them around to share stories and tell Sasha all about her father and the shenanigans he got up to.In a strange way, they’d brought a part of him back to life by moving away from his hometown.Just because Jackson Hole was where Brendan was from, didn’t mean that was where his heart was.His heart was with his family, with his brothers, and they made sure to keep his memory alive and well so his daughter would know all about him.

“So, where do you want to go for dinner?”Ryker asked, looping his arm around Sasha’s shoulder.

“I basically get whatever I want after an amazing performance like that, right?”

“Barring it’s not monkey brains or shark fin soup, I’m pretty much willing to take you out for whatever your heart desires.”

“It’s not food that I want,” she said, glancing between them.

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