Page 32 of Fallen Cowboy
“No, but you’re saying you’re not sure you want this baby. MaryBeth is a little older, but she still needs a father. I told you we were a package deal.”
“Yeah, I know. But she’s not mine, I don’t have to be there, support her, I can help, but not have to fully be a part of.”
The moment those came out, I saw the shift within her, and I could have kicked my own ass for it. It wasn’t what I meant to say, or what I felt, because I loved that little girl as if she was my own. Hell, I was overly protective of her enough, and she wasn’t mine.
“Oh, I see,” she softly spoke, and I knew that my ass was done for.
“Wait,” I started but she held up her hand, shutting me up.
“You want the joyful moments, the fun times, but none of the hard times. You don’t want to have to worry about scraped knees or tummy aches, or any of that. You want to be the ‘fun man’ but not the ‘dad’.
“I thank you for showing me this side early on, Troy. Before I let MaryBeth’s heart, and mine, fall for you even more. I understand she’s not yours, I understand you have no claim to her, but she already looks up to you.
“And now I get the joy of telling her that the man she might want to play with these days isn’t the man for either of us. Don’t worry, I won’t ever trap you with a kid. I raised my daughter justfine on my own, and I’ll raise another child just as good as the first one.
“Get your lame ass out of my town,” she went on, the tears shining in her eyes. I took a step to hold her, but she only backed away. “Get out of here, blow this one-horse town like you did before and never look back. The rodeo is still in town; I’m sure they’ll love the prize stallion to join them. Your buckle bunnies and wingmen, all dumb enough to be shallow. And you’re just as stupid as they are.”
With that, she turned, walking to the back door of the house.
“Anelise,” I called. She paused, glancing at me over her shoulder.
“What?”
The tears were now fully streaming down her cheeks, and I didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t want the rodeo, I wanted her.
I wanted MaryBeth.
But how could I say that and then tell her in the next breath I didn’t want a kid?
What kind of dad would that make me?
“That’s what I thought. God, I was so hoping you were really smarter. That you wouldn’t let someone good get away. Fool is me, though. Now, get the fuck off my property.”
Chapter 16
~ Troy ~
Icouldn’t stop the wince as the door slammed, wondering how the hell I was going to get out of this mess. Because I did want out.
Sue me, I had a fucking moment of weakness.
Wouldn’t anyone?
I mean, it wasn’t like I objected.Okay, I did.But I was caught off guard.It wasn’t what I was expecting, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want her, or MaryBeth, or even this child.
I tilted my head back, letting the sun beat on my face for a moment before the front door slammed shut.
I ran around to the front porch, seeing MaryBeth take off to the side of the house, knowing there was a little play set for her.
“I got her, Anelise.She’s upset right now, she’s not going to want to talk to you,” Markus said.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself.
With a grunt, I walked around the back of the house and over to the play area, hoping to get to the little girl before Markus did.
I watched as she climbed on the swing but didn’t move, her head down.
