Page 19 of Open Road (Tattooed Hearts Duet 3)

“Ooh, goats!” I said, pointing to the booth where you could get a baby bottle to feed them. Zane and I ran over, grabbing a few as Simon and Slade watched. Zane showed me how to hold the bottle the best way to feed them, and we ran around the pen, trying to interact with as many goats as possible.

“This is amazing,” I cried, overcome with emotion at how cute it was. When our bottles were empty, we headed out of the pen, and I jumped up and down, trying to tell Slade and Simon about it like they hadn’t been standing there the whole time.

“Then this little brown one jumped on me, and the little gray one made a sound, and it was so cute. I take it back, Slade. I don’t need a horse, just a baby goat!”

“Oh yes, goats are a reasonable thing to have as well,” Zane chirped in, nodding at my idea.

“No,” Slade said.

Rolling my eyes, I kept moving forward, looking at all the different animals. There were chickens, ducks, geese, peacocks, swans, llamas, and even parrots. But when I saw the lemur exhibit, I was in heaven.

“Oh, my God!” My hands flew to my mouth as I began to bounce up and down. “Okay, I want a lemur. How cool would it be to walk around with it on my shoulder?”

Slade dropped his head, rubbing his temple. “Fuck. I’m going to have to buy her a goat just so she stops, aren’t I?” he asked, the guys laughing at his plight.

Jumping on my toes, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love you, Tatzilla.”

Slade’s eyes bore into me, all sounds of the farm falling away as he held me at that moment in time. “I love you, Peach.”

He kissed me, really kissed me, and I debated finding a spot to take that kiss further until Simon pulled us, reminding us we only had an hour left before we had to leave. The rest of the time, I walked hand in hand with Slade as we looked at all the animals. Simon and I even got to see where the Clydesdales were raised and bred. We stopped by the gift shop before we left, and I bought a tote bag and a pin, deciding I wanted to collect them from each place if I could.

As we stumbled back to the van, tiredness was setting in, and I was thankful I didn’t have to drive. I felt a nap calling my name. Everyone was quiet as we began our journey to Branson, but it was a nice silence earned from fun-filled days and exhaustion.

“I think St. Louis is my favorite place. To Babs,” I said as I drifted to sleep. The guys chuckled, but no one denied the magic the city had held or the amazing things we’d gotten to experience together, and I knew that Babs had been right. There was magic on the open road, and I was living it for once.

ChapterEleven

THANE

We’d been drivingfor a few hours, the soft snores of Simon and Lennox filling the space. I looked over at my brother, knowing this was my best chance to talk to him without him running away from the conversation.

“So, Dad asked if there was a day that worked best to meet up with him and Mia?” Watching him, I saw his hands grip the steering wheel before he sighed, turning to look at me.

“You’re not going to let us get away with being too busy, are you?”

“Nope.” I smiled, happy that I didn’t have to walk around on eggshells with my brother. “It’s time, Slade. Dad’s changed, and I think it would be good for you two to bury the hatchet. He’ll love Lennox.”

He grunted, tapping his finger against the wheel. “Fine. But only a meal. I don’t want to stay there.”

“Fair enough,” I said. Pulling out my phone, I sent a message stating we’d see him in a few days. He replied back instantly, saying he was looking forward to it. I turned toward the window, watching the world fly by as we cruised.

Slade cleared his throat, so I peeked over. He took the movement as an invitation to bring something up himself.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up being a vet. We can set something up at the house or see about getting you on with a vet in town if you want. I’m sure there are plenty of jobs.”

“I appreciate that. The truth is, I don’t know what I want to do anymore. I love being a vet, and I don’t think it’s something I want to quit altogether, but it also feels nice to not let it define me at the moment. I think I hid behind it, using it as an excuse to be unavailable. People respect veterinarians, especially when you do things like Vets without Borders. I didn’t have to look too closely at myself and everything I was hiding. Meeting Lennox in person and facing everything that happened all those years ago opened me to new possibilities. I’m not ready to give up that freedom and perspective yet.”

“Isn’t that scary, though? Not knowing what you’re going to do? You were always the one with the plan.”

“Yeah, it is.” I looked at him, seeing the brother who’d been my best friend when we were kids. The one I had before our parents' divorce, and we became divided. “But I’m not scared. It’s kind of exciting in a way to get to figure out what else I might be good at. It’s a privilege not many people get or often take, so I’m not going to waste it.”

“You always were the optimistic one. It’s good to see that light shining bright in you again. I…” he stopped, clearing his throat. “I hadn’t realized how much I missed having you around. I’m glad you’re here, man. For what it’s worth, I selfishly hope you take a while to figure out what you want so I can spend more time with you.”

“Ah, bro, that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I teased, knowing he needed some reprieve from the mushy stuff.

He peered back, seeing that they were still asleep. “Yeah, well, Peach has taught me to share my feelings and not hide them. I love what I do and get to do it with her. I can admit I have it made. I just want you to find your thing too.”

“Me too.” I reached over and squeezed his bicep, letting him know I appreciated his vulnerability. “Speaking of. I got your Instagram account changed over to the new shop name. I’ll post new content once we get to the convention. I’m excited to see you both in action.”

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