My baby isn’t meek.
And that’s what convinced Eve she was making the right decision. She marched down the steps, still talking to her ex. “I… Katie and I are moving back to Bentwood Creek.” It was necessary if she had any chance of keeping custody of her daughter. “And I’m leaving Hayden.” How cruel those words sounded, even to her own ears. But she had to say them again. “I’m leaving Hayden.”
It was the only way forward, even if it required Eve to gather the pieces of her broken heart as she did so.
For once, Steven was speechless.
*
Hayden was relieved when he and Rhett got back to the ranch.
His family was safe. He could hold Evie and tell her he loved her. He’d been practicing the words I love you in his head all the way home.
“I’ll take care of the horses,” Roddy offered, coming out to meet them behind the barn when they came through the pasture gate. “You need to check on the ladies. Hate to rush you, but it’s auction day. Someone from the ranch needs to be there.”
Hayden had forgotten all about that. “Thanks, Roddy.”
“Take the rest of the day off,” Rhett told the old man. “We’re all spent.”
Hayden and Rhett hurried through the barn’s breezeway toward the house.
Katie was crying next to her mother’s car, holding all those shopping bags her father had purchased just a few days ago. And Evie was loading her trunk in the ranch yard, looking tearful.
She’s leaving me?
Fear punched Hayden in the chest. Fear of losing someone else he loved.
“What’s going on?” Hayden ran over to join them while Rhett went inside the house.
“Mama says we have to go,” Katie wailed, dropping her bags, running to Hayden and wrapping her arms around his legs. “I can only take Poppy with me. Not Mike. Not Sunny. And not you, Hay-Hay.”
“Evie?” With effort, Hayden kept his voice down, even though fear was running a race through his veins now, outpacing love and hope and every other positive emotion a man was supposed to feel. “Is there something we need to discuss?”
“Yes.” Evie faced him, expression fragile. “We have to go.”
She’s leaving me. But…she loves me.
Hayden chose to misunderstand because it couldn’t be true. “When will you be back?”
“We won’t be coming back.” Evie swept up the bags Katie had dropped.
“You see?” Katie clutched Hayden’s legs tighter. “I can’t even take you.”
“Katie, go inside and collect Poppy.” Evie’s tone and demeanor took no prisoners.
And Katie knew it. The little girl scurried off, still wailing.
Evie dumped the shopping bags into the trunk and closed it. She clutched the small heart pendant, the one she’d worn on the day she’d first tried to rope him into her marriage plan.
Hayden came to Evie’s side, taking her hand. “Talk to me.”
Tell me it’s not true. Tell me you love me.
“This isn’t working,” Evie said quietly, not looking at him. “We’re moving back in with my mom. At least, for now. The…” Her voice cracked. She tugged at the neck of her red T-shirt before continuing. “The court will decide what’s best for Katie.”
“You’re letting Steven win.” He hated that. But he was hurt and he lashed out. “You’ll move back to Missoula next.”
“I’m fighting to keep my daughter,” Evie countered, although without any energy in her voice. “I have to focus on my priorities. Katie comes first, no matter what.”