Page 58 of A Montana Secret Admirer
Jane squeezed her hand. “Youcan. If that’s what you want, then you can. I’ll talk to Noah?—”
“No.” Serenity balked, and Jane’s brows rose. “I mean, not yet. I don’t know if that’s what I want to do. I think I’ll need to… I have to look at this from all angles. It’s not just me. The boys…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced once more over to Tegan.
“How are they doing?”
Serenity shrugged. “I thought they were doing great. But over the last couple of days… I don’t know. I think Tegan is struggling with something, and he’s not willing to tell me what it is.”
Jane frowned, her eyes following Serenity in that direction. “Do you know what could have triggered it?”
“Not a clue,” Serenity sighed. Reese hadn’t given her details. He’d simply told her that Tegan missed his dad. But that wasn’t a surprise.
“You don’t think it could have anything to do with Reese’s attention, do you?”
Serenity’s eyes flicked back to Jane. “What? Why would you say that?”
Jane lifted a single shoulder. “It’s common for kids to feel displaced when their parents get a divorce and find someone new. It happens even if they don’t lose a parent to death.”
Serenity studied her son across the yard. She pursed her lips together. The timeline would add up, but Tegan hadn’t said anything about not liking Reese. He hadn’t indicated that he even knew she was romantically interested in Reese. That couldn’t be it, right? Slowly, she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s it.”
“Just… keep it in mind. You don’t want something like that to fester.”
She nodded absently. “Yeah, okay.”
Jane was called away to speak to someone shortly after, leaving Serenity alone. Then Reese settled into the chair that Hallie had occupied. He leaned back in his seat and grinned at her.
She bit back a smile. The only person who knew she was interested in him was her sister. They couldn’t exactly make things public until her sons were ready for that sort of change. “Hey,” she murmured. “You’ve become quite popular this evening.”
Reese chuckled. “It’s been fun. You should take a turn.”
A very unladylike snort burst from her chest. “Yeah. No, thanks.”
He laughed again, deeper, and the sound reverberated through his chest in the most delicious way. “You’re missing out.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
His eyes danced with amusement before they lowered to her mouth. He’d inched closer to her, and his face was only a few inches from hers. Serenity found herself leaning toward him, too, but she stopped herself before they touched.
“How was the talk with your sister? I haven’t seen you two spending much time together lately.”
She scoffed. “That’s because my attention has been stolen by a certain cowboy.”
“Yeah?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and his eyes swept over her face. “He must be something special for you to give him so much attention.”
“Well, actually?—”
“Mom!”
Serenity stiffened, and her head whipped around. There were other women who did the same. Most of the kids sounded similar over the hum of conversation taking place in the backyard. She wasn’t surprised to find Tegan standing a few feet from his swing. His brows were pulled closer together, and he was frowning.
She glanced over to Reese apologetically. “I should probably…”
He nodded. “You should.”
Tempted to place her hand on his cheek, she lifted it but then thought better of her actions and let it fall to her side. “See you tonight?” she whispered.
Reese nodded again. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Their sunsets had become something of a habit at this point. He’d started showing up for them, and he hadn’t stopped. Sometimes they didn’t speak while they watched the light disappear from the sky, other times they’d chat late into the night. No matter how they spent the evening, she’d enjoyed it.
