Page 79 of A Montana Secret Admirer
Tegan didn’t respond to him. He turned his back and focused on the horse he’d come to visit. In the next couple of days, they’d be moving out of Noah’s house. Tegan would be starting school, and Serenity would likely move on from the fling they’d shared this summer.
Jane was right.
The world would keep spinning, and there was nothing Reese could do to change any of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Serenity couldn’t shakethe cloud of sadness that seemed to drape over her since she’d learned of Reese’s trip. It was selfish, and she knew it, which was why she refused to see him. She needed to avoid him at all costs.
So, she went to town to sign for her new apartment lease. Then she went thrift shopping for the things she’d need for the apartment. While her belongings back home held sentimental value, she wasn’t sure she wanted to pack everything up and move it here just yet. The small apartment over the music store was furnished but lacked things such as dishes and a television. The latter wasn’t something she was certain she wanted, anyway.
After a few visits to different shops, she’d opted to take a break at Sweet Everything. The bakery had been a favorite of Tegan’s since they’d come to Copper Creek, and she’d practically dragged him on her escapades today.
It was for the best. She didn’t want him to have to hang around the ranch where he could bump into Reese. The fear that one of her sons would spill the beans of her plans to stay was very real.
Part of her wondered if Reese found out—would he stay? Would he get upset that she didn’t tell him and insist that he wanted to be close for the transition? That wouldn’t do. Reese needed to stick to his plan. He needed to follow his dream. So even though that possibility—the one where he chose her over something he’d wanted for ages—was thrilling, she refused to stand in his way.
Which led her to another thought.
What if he found out, and he simply didn’t care? What if their relationship had run its course?
She sighed and turned her focus to Tegan, who was staring blankly out at a statue of a cowboy riding a horse. He licked his ice cream slowly, and she could practically feel the tension flowing off him in waves.
Finn had never been like this—anger simmering beneath the surface. Tegan was very much his own person, and she wished she could say the right thing to finally pull him out of his shell. Why wouldn’t he open up to her? Why couldn’t she get him to just talk?
Another sigh slipped free, and she took a bite of the brownie she’d picked. There was no point in trying to make him open up to her. She’d tried everything. There simply wasn’t anything else she could do.
Her thoughts shifted once more to Reese and the heartache she felt over knowing he’d be leaving tomorrow. So much had been left unsaid. But it was for the best.
She sensed more than saw Tegan shift in his seat. He turned to look at her, but she refused to do the same. Serenity would just keep staring straight ahead. Tegan was like a skittish deer, and if he finally wanted to talk? Then she wasn’t about to scare him off.
“Are you happy, Mom?”
She blinked and turned to look at him, forgetting her resolve not to put him on the spot with her attention. “Of course I’m happy. Where did that question come from?”
Tegan turned his attention back to the statue, and he shrugged.
Was that it? Was that all she was going to get from her tight-lipped son?
He took a small bite of his ice cream. “I want you to be happy.”
Without thinking, she reached toward him and took his hand. “I am happy, sweetheart. This place makes me happy. That’s why we’re going to move here.”
Tegan nodded, though she wasn’t sure she was reaching him the way he needed.
Serenity lifted herself off the bench where they sat, and she crouched down in front of him, staring up at him until he gave her his full attention. “Happiness isn’t something that comes easy to some people. Sometimes we let our happiness depend on other people. Sometimes it’s a place or a job we love. And sometimes it’s something that just comes from the heart. You have to find your happiness wherever you can get it. And when you get older, you’ll start to understand why you can’t let it depend on anyone or anything.” She gave him a wry smile. “Or any place.”
His brows creased. “Then why are we moving here?”
She closed her eyes, and her smile widened. She allowed herself to take in the smells, the sounds, and the gentle breeze that wafted around them. “Because I like who I am when I’m here. I like feeling closer to my family. I like the peace that this placebrings.” Serenity opened her eyes and gave him a firm look. “I could find that happiness anywhere, but here? It comes so much easier.”
“Like when you’re with Reese?” His words were like a slap to the face. Somehow, she knew that this conversation was coming. After Tegan had caught her kissing Reese, she knew they’d need to hash it out.
Her throat thickened, and she gave him a little nod. “I’m happy when I’m around Reese, just like I’m happy when I’m around you and your brother.”
The line between Tegan’s brows deepened, and his lips pressed into a thin line. “He makes you smile a lot.”
She laughed. “He does.”
