Page 75 of A Montana Secret Admirer
His scowl deepened.
Reaching for him, she gave his forearm a gentle squeeze. “My heart is big enough to love more than one man. And I think your dad would want me to find love again.”
Tegan wrenched away from her, and the movement sliced into her soul. “You’re going to forget him,” he said hollowly.
And that was when it hit her. He was worried that he would forget his father, too.
Her mouth fell open. “Tegan?—”
“You’re going to forget the way he smiled. You’re going to forget movie nights. You’re going to forget his laugh.” His words were too mature for his age, and she wondered how she could have missed that he was struggling so much. “I don’t want you to fall in love with Reese.”
At that, her heart went cold. They were getting to the root of all of his issues, and she didn’t know how to handle it. Jane was right. They should have been going to a therapist from the start.
She stared down at the flower that had been left on the tile at her side. Reese was part of her future—at least that was how it had felt when they’d gone to dinner. That was how it had felt when they’d kissed on the front porch not even ten minutes ago. He cared for Tegan enough that he had been willing to chase down her son and talk to him.
At least she’d been smart enough to stop him. The way Tegan was acting… it would have blown up in their faces. She cleared her throat and brought her stern gaze to meet her son’s. “I know you don’t like it, but sometimes grown-ups have to make their own decisions—things that make sense to them.”
Tegan huffed out a sharp breath.
“I care about Reese, Tegan—a lot. He’s important to me. I’m not sure if that’s how it will always be, but I want the chance to see.”
Her son buried his face into his knees again. “I’m never going to love him.”
Serenity’s heart broke at his promise. Could she really ask Reese to join their family if it meant there would be this tension that might never go away? Sure, Tegan was just a kid. He didn’t have the life experience to know for certain if Reese could be a part of his life while also clinging to the memories of his father.
She didn’t know what to do. Maybe Tegan was just too young to accept it. Maybe he needed more time to come to terms with the idea of her moving on while also accepting that she shouldn’t have to be alone for the rest of her life.
Stomach churning with a bitterness she hadn’t felt in ages, Serenity scooted out from under the table. When they were finally settled here, she’d find a therapist they could see together. There had to be a way for her to help him work through these fears without discounting his emotions. She would never forget Finn. He was woven so tightly into her life—in the eyes of her boys—that he would stay firmly rooted there.
But Tegan and Jessi? They could very well forget their father over time. They were so young. The only thing they had to cling to him were old photos and the handful of videos they’d taken on family vacations and during holidays.
She rose to her feet. “Come on, bud. Let’s get you to bed and talk about this later.”
Surprisingly, he followed her, though he didn’t utter another word. Not as they made their retreat from the kitchen. Not as they headed up the stairs. And not as he climbed under his covers. He rolled over onto his side, giving her his back.
And that was that.
Serenity had never beenas nervous as she was in this very moment. She’d stayed up most of the night weighing the pros and cons of having this conversation with Reese. Ultimately, she’d decided it was for the best to tell him exactly how she felt. She needed to tell him that she was moving to Rocky Ridge, but she was also going to tell him it wasn’t for him. It was for herself.
And… if that meant that they would continue seeing each other… well, then that would be a cherry on top of a good decision.
She fully intended on telling him how the conversation with Tegan went and how she planned on fixing the rift that had been torn between her son and everyone else. She hoped that Reese would understand where she was coming from. She’d left things strained last night.
Reese hadn’t messaged her, and she hadn’t reached out, either. When she’d checked the front porch last night, he wasn’t there. He’d left, but why would he have stuck around after she told him that he wasn’t welcome to speak to her son?
It had been a mess, to say the least, but today, she was going to fix it.
Serenity had seen Reese head out to the barn bright and early—before the sun had officially risen. She stood by the window and allowed herself to watch the sun rise over the mountains while she sipped her coffee. A twinge of guilt over how everything had gone with Tegan and how she was practically erasing Finn from her life hit her hard in the chest.
Sunrises had been their thing. He’d loved the promise of a new day, and she’d pushed those memories of him down too deep in her soul for her to rationalize anything but what her son had said to be true.
She’d lost track of how many sighs she’d expelled as she prayed for the courage to speak to Reese about what could possibly be the most important conversation she was going to have. She was going to tell Reese that she wanted to make this whole thing official. She’d finally admit it to him, to herself, and to the world that she was falling in love, and she wanted them to find a way to be together.
With a fresh wave of resolve, she put her coffee cup on the counter and headed for the door. Her steps were shaky at first, but the closer she got to the barn, the surer she became. This was the right move. She reached the barn and then froze when she heard voices.
“Congrats, man. When do you leave?” The voice was familiar. She couldn’t place it, but she would have recognized the response even if she were blind.
“Unclear. The courses don’t start for a couple of weeks, but Bo said everything is ready for me already.”
