Page 91 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
“Yes.”
“Aww.”
“Congratulations, son,” Father smiles at me, clapping my back encouragingly.
“There’s no need for that—I won’t be asking anymore,” I grumble.
“If you’re not to blame, then she must have left for a reason, so you need to go after her,” Ella demands.
“No.”
“Why not?” she challenges.
Done with this conversation, I get to my feet and pick up my crutches. “Like you’ve said, she must have left for a reason, soI’m not going to go after her. Whatever it is, she’ll be back once she finds it—or not. It’s her choice,” I answer, each word feeling like a direct stab to my heart.
I exit the kitchen and head to my cabin. I’m unlucky enough that Ella chooses to follow me there.
“Zane—“
“What?!” I scream, turning to her with a glower.
She steps back, startled by my tone. “I’ll come back later.”
I sigh and shake my head, realizing that it’s wrong of me to be taking my anger out on my family. “I’m sorry—that was rude of me. What’s up?”
“I didn’t want to say this in front of the whole family, but I think Ava is pregnant,” she says carefully, once again catching me off guard.
This time, her words nearly knock me off my feet.
“Why would you think that?” I whisper, surprised I can even make out the words.
“I was cleaning out her room when I found this in the trash can. It’s positive,” she explains, holding out her palm to reveal a pregnancy test.
I take it from her, my eyes wide at the two lines on the test. “Are you sure it’s hers?”
“Yes, she was the only one who stayed in that room.”
Her confirmation has me staggering back, so I lean against the closet wall before I fall and almost break my remaining working leg.
Holy fuck! Ava is pregnant.
I know I should be angry that she kept this from me, but I’m more worried. She must be so scared going through this alone while I’m here sulking like a kicked puppy.
“I’m coming to LA with you,” I find myself declaring before I can stop myself.
Ella’s eyes widen in surprise as she smiles at me. “Really?”
“Yes, it’s time to bring Ava back home where she belongs.”
I was so scared to go after her, for fear of more rejection, but knowing this, there’s no way I can let her go. She belongs with me, by my side, with our baby. Time to get them back.
35
AVA
I twirl around in the swivel chair, head thrown back, eyes closed, guitar on my lap as I strum some mindless melody. There’s a buzz of activity around me, and I’m trying to tune them out so I can center my mind in preparation for the concert.
To ease me back into work, Lou has arranged for me to perform in front of a couple thousand people. It’s a small festival, and even though the crowd is smaller than I’m used to, it’s perfect for me. I don’t think I can handle performing in front of too many people right now.
