Page 151 of The Moments You Were Mine
We went over the swell together.
The way I promised we’d do everything from here on out.
Chapter Forty
Fallon
LIVING IN THE MOMENT
Performed by Ty Herndon
PRESENT DAY
HIM: Did you change my alarm tone, Wife?
HER: I can’t wake up to that metal racket again, Husband.
HIM: But did you have to choose that country song? Do you want my nuts to shrivel up every morning?
HER: If that’s all it takes to shrivel your nuts, we have bigger problems.
My thoughts were conflicted. Part ofme itched to escape the house where I’d been all but locked up for the last few days, and part of me never wanted to leave it again. I’d shared tantalizing dream-like moments in the quiet with Parker and teasing laughter-filled moments with him and Theo. And in between, our family and friends had drifted in and out, bringing food and information.
But today, I couldn’t stay tucked away in our little hideaway again. It was a big day for the resort, and I was determined to be a part of it. While the Fourth of July could be a problematic holiday, the Harrington Ranch had done its best to make it a community-building event, something that brought us together instead of tearing us apart. I was overjoyed that Andie and the mayor had been able to restore the festivities to the ranch in such a short time.
My injuries would limit me this year—I wouldn’t ride Daisy in a show—but I’d spend the day with Parker and Theo. We’d visit the game booths, stuff our faces with junk food, and root on our favorites in the various competitions. We’d end up lakeside,enjoying a huge barbecue dinner we served for free to the entire town, and watch as folks danced to the live band we’d finagled into showing up last minute.
It was actually Parker’s dad who’d pulled some strings and found us a replacement. The wife of Jim’s old SEAL buddy had previously worked for the one and only Brady O’Neil, and once the country artist had learned about our troubles, he’d packed up his wife and hoodwinked his daughters into flying here and helping out. So our evening would end with his performance and a spectacular fireworks display over the lake.
We were just finishing up slathering ourselves with sunscreen and donning hats when my mom arrived with Teddy. They brought the masked puppy Teddy had given to Theo, and from the moment they arrived, the yard was chaos. Mom and I watched from the porch as the men chased the dog through flowerbeds and brush, trying to put a leash on it, while the little boy squealed with delight.
“Love looks good on you,” Mom said softly, nudging my shoulder.
I turned to take her in. Her cheeks were flushed, but it wasn’t from drugs. Her eyes were clear and sparkling. Her lips were tilted upward. My heart hurt for all she’d been through, but somehow, she’d finally found her feet again.
I nudged her back. “Looks good on you too.”
She blushed to her roots and looked out at Teddy. “I loved Spencer and your dad both so fiercely. But looking back, sometimes I’m not sure if it wasn’t tainted with that Hurly desperation, that need to reclaim what once was ours. Adam went about it by hurting people. I think I went about it by trying to make them love me.” She was quiet for a long moment. “With Teddy, it’s just about us. Him and me. Nothing else. No past lives hanging on us. No expectations. I feel…wooed.” She laughed. “Such an old-fashioned word, but it fits.”
Teddy glanced our way, and the sweetness of the look he sent my mom proved her point. Teddy was an old-fashioned kind of guy. I hated that, for a few moments, I’d thought the worst of him. I wasn’t crazy he’d been sending reports to Lorenzo on me and the ranch, but I could appreciate why he’d done it. I could even love that he’d had Mom’s best interest at heart when I’mnot sure anyone—not even me—had thought of her first in years. Maybe ever. She deserved that sort of affection and dedication as much as I did.
“When I come home from the rehabilitation center,” she said. “I won’t be stepping back into my role at the resort.” I started to reply, and she cut me off. “No, I mean it, Fallon. I want something easier. I want to get back up on a horse with my new leg and take long, aimless rides through the hills with Teddy at my side.” She shifted on her mechanical foot. “And I want to help him grow his dog-breeding business. I want him to have something that’s his after all he’s done for me.”
I swallowed hard. “I guess I’ll be hiring two new people.”
She smiled, wrapping her arm through mine and then resting her head on my shoulder. A squirrel appeared on a tree branch, chattering angrily down at the ruckus the puppy and the men were making. The puppy headed straight for it, and Parker had to use his long legs and agility to catch him before the dog disappeared into the brush.
Mom laughed. “You’re going to have your hands full. You sure you’re up for it? Taking the ranch on and becoming a wife and a mother in one fell swoop?”
For a moment, I was startled, thinking she meant the baby, but then I saw her eyes on Theo and relaxed. For the first time in more years than I could remember, I wanted to tell my mom my secret. She’d keep it. She was good at keeping secrets. But then I watched as the smile spread over her face when Teddy tipped his hat in her direction, and I bit my tongue.
It could wait. For now, she needed more joy than worry.
We all did.
“I love you, Mom. I wish…” I shook my head. I didn’t know what I wished. That I’d been more forgiving as a teen? More understanding? That she’d reached out instead of pulling away? I didn’t know.
She tugged my braid. “No regrets, Fallon.” She waved to the yard and the men and the ranch. “Somehow, we all ended up where we were supposed to be.”
