Page 90 of Before You Can Blink
“But I won’t be alone! Bex got in too.”
Those two had been attached at the hip since kindergarten, and now I began to wonder whose idea this was, Aspen’s or Bex’s.
“Honey, I thought Bex wanted to stay in Rust Canyon,” Daisy chimed in.
“She did.” Shaking her head, Aspen quickly corrected, “She does. But with Tucker at school in Baltimore, she thought it might be fun to come with me.”
Tucker Grant was Bex’s boyfriend. A few years ahead of the girls in school, he’d already left town to pursue a degree in medicine. He was a good kid, insanely smart, and had been raised right. He was the kind of man I’d want for my own daughter. Too bad he was a perfect match for her best friend, and it wouldn’t be long before they wound up hitched.
Mention of his name sparked inspiration. “Instead of California, why don’t you and Bex apply to somewhere in Maryland, closer to Tucker?” The distance wouldn’t bother me as much if I knew there was someone I trusted nearby to look out for them.
“That won’t work,” Aspen argued.
This was going nowhere fast, it seemed. “And why not?”
“Because SoCal offers one of the best architecture programs in the country.”
My eyebrows rose as she dropped yet another bomb.
Not only had she applied to a different school without telling me or her mother, but she’d pulled a one-eighty on her major.
For years, we’d discussed her getting a degree in business management, with the intent that she would take over running the books for theranch—something I despised and gave me more headaches than I could count.
But architecture? There weren’t going to be job opportunities for her here in Rust Canyon if that’s the career path she chose to pursue.
Chest going concave, I rubbed at the persistent ache beneath my sternum.
My baby girl was slipping away.
How had we gotten here? How had seventeen years gone by so quickly?
I wasn’t ready to let her go.
But you know you have to. She’s ready to leave the nest, and it would be wrong for you to clip her wings.
I cleared my throat, which felt like it was lined with sandpaper, and my voice came out rough. “If it’s the best, then that’s where you need to be.”
Aspen’s lips parted in disbelief, and she breathed out, “Really?”
I rose from my chair. “Really. But don’t expect me to pretend that I won’t miss you like crazy.”
Letting out a squeal, she rushed into my arms, squeezing me tight. “Thank you, Daddy.”
A grunt was all I could offer with the tidal wave of emotions threatening to drown me.
Releasing her hold, Aspen exclaimed, “I’ve gotta call Bex and tell her we’re going!” before rushing out of the room.
Another set of arms encircled my waist from behind, and a kiss was pressed to the center of my back. “I know it’s killing you, but you did the right thing.”
“She’s not gonna come back. You didn’t when your daddy let you go.”
Tugging gently, Daisy got me to turn around. “He didn’tletme do anything. I was an adult, capable of making decisions for my own life. Decisions that led me to you, I might add.” When I let out an unimpressedsnort, she pressed on. “She’s gonna be eighteen in less than six months. If she’s willing to take out loans, she’s determined enough to do this with or without our blessing. But it’ll ease her conscience knowing she’s got our support to branch out on her own.”
“I just—” My head dropped back, and my chest rattled with the force of my heavy sigh. “I just wish she wanted to stay.”
“Oh, honey.” Warm palms found my face, directing my gaze to meet hers. “She’s not running from us, Jett. She’s branching out, exploring the world in hopes of finding where she fits.” Thumbs stroked over my stubble. “I think you forget that once upon a time you did the very same thing, and it led you right back here.”
Not by choice, but I kept that thought inside my head.
