Charlie: I’m exhausted. Your baby has me in permanent nap mode.
Heath: Oh, so I’m responsible for when it misbehaves?
I smirk at the screen.
Charlie: Glad you’re catching on.
Heath: What about when it does something super cute like hiccuping?
Charlie: That’ll be my doing.
Heath: Obviously.
Charlie: Glad we agree.
Heath: Got an early morning, so I’d better call it a night.
Heath: If you need anything, let me know.
Since I turned down his second proposal, he’s made a point of checking in every day without pushing for more. He’s clearly trying to do right by the baby, and I know I’m not making it easy.
Charlie: Thanks.
Heath: Night, hellcat.
I scrub a hand over my face, lowering myself onto the stairs. My conversation with Grams comes to mind—how she’d described how hard it was raising my mom and me alone.
I try to picture life with a baby upstairs, just the two of us: sleepless nights, early mornings, and somehow trying to keep the shop afloat. My friends would help where they could, but Birdie’s busy with her animal sanctuary and newlywed life, while Briar’s already juggling Jensen, Caleb, and her nonprofit.
The majority of the responsibility would land squarely on my shoulders, and I’d have no one to blame but myself. Is that really what I want?
Heath and I might have our differences, but somewhere along the way our arguing started to feel dangerously close to flirting, and I don’t dislike it as much as I pretend to. Hence why I fell into bed with him in the first place, landing us in this predicament. Not to mention, he’s tried stepping up when most men wouldn’t.
No matter how many pros-and-cons lists I make, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m either doing this alone or accepting his proposal with no real certainty about what our future holds.
As the gravity of my situation sinks in, I realize that despite what I’ve been telling myself, there’s really only one choice that’s right for the baby—whether I’m ready to accept it or not. The question is whether I dare to do what’s best for us, even if it’s one of the hardest things I’ll ever do.
Beggin’ On My Knees
I’ve been stuck in limbo for the past two weeks, and it’s been absolute hell. I’ve given Charlie space, and I’d hoped she’d have come around by now. Since becoming aware of her money troubles, it’s killing me that I can’t intervene unless she asks. Sure, I could get her account details and clear her debts in a heartbeat, but she’d eventually trace it back to me, and her pride would never allow her to accept what felt like charity.
Aside from responding to my check-in texts, she’s been radio silent. She didn’t even make a snarky remark when we bumped into each other in town. She was out running errands, and I was meeting with my property broker to close on the two hundred acres bordering my east pasture.
It’s a good thing I couldn’t reschedule, or I would have blown it off entirely to chase Charlie. Before her, the ranch consumed me. Now all I can think about is her and the possibility of building a real family together.
Briar has already left me several voicemails threatening that if I don’t do right by her friend, she’ll castrate me and feed my balls to the pigs on Mr. Grady’s farm.
Based on my sister’s rather aggressive messages, Charlie must have conveniently left out the part where I asked her to marry me. I can’t decide whether I should be offended or grateful she didn’t share that detail. No doubt, Briar would side with her and think I overstepped by pushing for us to get hitched instead of co-parenting and living separate lives.
I’ve just gotten out of the shower when I hear a knock on my front door. The only person who ever shows up unannounced is Ma, and she’s at the elementary school preparing for parent-teacher conferences. As the principal, she makes a point of arriving early to keep things running smoothly.
Another insistent round of knocking has me yanking on a pair of Wranglers and jogging down the stairs to see who it is.
I open the door, stunned to find Charlie standing on my porch. She’s out of breath, her chest heaving as though she ran the entire way here.
“Finally, I found you,” she pants. “I’ve been all over the ranch looking for you.”
I grip her shoulders, scanning her for injuries. “What’s wrong?”