Page 16 of Always Her Cowboy

I flash her a look.Is she really abandoning me right now?“Daphne.”

“Newton.” I match his energy using his full name.

“About the other d—.”

“I want to talk to you about Braxton.”

He tenses. “What about him? What happened?”

“He came up to me today and said a few things I thought you should be aware of.” He steps closer, crowding my space. My internal temperature flares.

“Tell me.” His voice drops an octave.

“He said Laurel told him I moved here because I was dumped and lost my house. Like his parents.”

New hisses. “Shit. I’m sorry—.”

“Don’t apologize. When I called him out for being rude, Braxton apologized and said he thought I’d understand how he felt.”

“Oh, Brax.” The anguish in his voice tugs at my heartstrings. It’s obvious he loves his son.

“Things haven’t been easy with him. We make nice for his sake, and he’s seeing a counselor, but it only helps so much. I notice he seems to connect with you.” The concerned expression he casts turns my stomach.

“Our problems have nothing to do with him. You should know me better than that.”

“I don’t make assumptions anymore. People change all the time.” The bitterness in his voice echoes in my heart. I know the feeling.

“He’s hurting, and he doesn’t feel like you hear his words or that you’re not taking him seriously. It was a bit hard to track. “

“I do.”

I hold up my hand. “I’m not judging, simply relaying. I’m not sure what’s going on with the court situation, but he dislikes being with Laurel and Chaze. I think he feels like it’s disloyal in some way. It sounds like Laurel and Chaze are pushing for normalcy when he’s not done processing.”

His jaw ticks. “You’re not telling me anything, I don’t already know.” Sighing, he drops his head. “It’s hard to navigate the court system and get on the same page with co-parenting while keeping him.” he pauses. “Insulated from the discord.”

“I can’t even imagine. Maybe let him know you’re working on it?” I tilt my head. He swallows, and I watch his adam’s apple bob as his throat works.

“Good.” I nod.

“Dad.” Brax runs toward us, and I step away, eager to escape the strange space we’d found ourselves in.

* * *

New

“Are you going to stare at her all night or talk to her?” Law asks.

I take another sip of the lukewarm beer I’ve been nursing for the past hour. “I’m not done with my drink yet.”

“You think liquid courage is going to help you?” he asks skeptically.

I set the pint down, and the amber liquid circles violently. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Gale sighs on the other side of me. “What you did to her was foul, and you know it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking back.” My hackles rise.

“Are you really going to play dumb?” Law scoffs.

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