Page 52 of A Montana Secret Admirer
“You smile, too. I can see that you like riding the horses and spending time here.” She really shouldn’t have snapped back with a rebuttal. She realized her mistake the second the words escaped her lips because his expression only grew harder.
“You smile at Reese. Like you used to smile at Dad.”
Her blood ran cold. Did he know? He couldn’t. She was careful when she was around Reese. They didn’t touch. They didn’t say anything inappropriate. Had they gotten complacent, and Tegan had noticed?
Serenity cleared her throat. “I smile at everyone.”
Tegan’s mouth tightened, and he jerked the reins again, harder this time. She couldn’t keep him here. He needed to cool off. He was having a bad day.
Reese appeared by her side shortly after.
“Don’t look at me,” she muttered.
He stiffened. “What? Why?”
She folded her arms. “Have you noticed anything wrong with Tegan?”
“No. What do you mean?”
“Has he been treating you different?” she pressed. “Does he have an attitude?”
Reese shook his head, she could see it out of the corner of her eye. “No more than usual. Some days are better than others.”
She nodded to herself. “So, it’s just me.”
“I’m sorry, what are we talking about?”
Serenity sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “He’s upset that I’m moving on.”
“You told him?”
“No,” she hissed. “Of course not. Apparently, he thinks that if I’m not sad, then I don’t miss Finn.”
Reese sucked in a sharp breath, and she flinched. They both knew it would be difficult for them to merge their relationship with the life she shared with her sons. “He’ll come around,” Reese finally whispered. “We can?—”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I don’t?—”
“Serenity.” His voice was firm yet calm. “There is no rush. We’ll figure this out as we go.”
As much as she wanted to lean into his body and feel his arms come around her, she couldn’t. Her son needed her to be there for him. So she’d continue her relationship with Reese in secret until a time when Tegan understood.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
They satbeneath a tree several yards away from the house where the boys were currently preoccupied. Reese had his arms around Serenity’s waist as she leaned against his chest, and they watched the colors fill the sky.
He still loved sunrises, but he’d started to associate Serenity with the sunsets.
Her time here was running out, and she still didn’t have a plan for what she wanted to do when it was time to enroll Tegan in school. But right now, he couldn’t bring himself to worry.
This right here? It was what he called happiness.
Reese rested his chin atop Serenity’s head. They could sit like this for hours and not need the complication of words just to fill the void. He could sense her fears, her worries, and the tension that came from keeping her sons out of the loop.
Out of the two, Jessi would definitely bounce back from such a confession. Tegan? That boy would struggle.
After the confrontation he’d had with his mother, Tegan had started to shut down around Reese. The kid was far more attentive than he’d given him credit for. He’d likely noticed the shift of demeanor between his mother and the man who had taught him how to ride. Getting a smile out of him was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.
Serenity sighed, and his arms tightened around her. He wouldn’t let her leave. Not yet. He needed to soak up this feeling of rightness for as long as he could before she went her way and he went his.
