Page 26 of Always Her Cowboy
“Because I should put my faith in another person?” She scowls. “I don’t think so.”
“I know how you feel.”
She opens her mouth and closes it. “You do.” Her shoulders slump. “I’m sorry. I’m not the only one who’s been hurt, and you were actually married and share a child—.”
I cup her face. “You don’t have to quantify your pain. It’s not a game of who had it worse. Hurt is hurt, and I am so sorry that happened to you. He’s a fool. I would’ve married you years ago and given you as many babies as you wanted.”
She groans. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s the truth.” I release her jaw. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She closes her eyes. “James changed his mind about having children and decided he wouldn’t tell me until he was sure he could sway me to see his side—.”
I want to hunt him down and make him feel the pain I see reflected in the woman in front of me. Biting back my response, I step forward and wrap my arms around her. Resting her forehead on my chest, she wraps her arms around me. “You know that’s non-negotiable for me.”
“I know, Daffodil. And I’m sure he did too.” I want to rip his heart out of his chest. I often wondered why she hadn’t gotten hitched yet and had a kid or two. The asshole was holding her hostage with outdated promises he had no plans to deliver.
“We were in the middle of wedding planning. How could James have walked down the aisle knowing he wasn’t willing to become a dad?”
“Because he was a selfish asshole who wasn’t worth your time. He didn’t deserve you.” I kiss her shoulder, pulling her closer to me. “It’s better you found out before you took his last name, trust me.”
She sniffles. “I’m sorry she did that to you, New. It was foul, and you deserved far better. I always thought you were unevenly matched. You’re the best man I knew outside my Daddy and yours.”
Her words soothe the open wound Laurel left behind. Pulling away, she wipes away her face. “Damn you and your uncanny ability to pull things out of me.”
“We share the same pain, Daph. Neither of us has to be alone in the healing process.”
“I wish that were true.”
“Why isn’t it?”
“Because James was the second man to break my heart. You were the first. Knowing why you did it doesn’t take away the damage it caused me.”
“I’m good at mending things, Daphne. All I’m asking for is a chance to do that.”
“Why don’t we focus on fixing up Pages?”
“Okay. We’ll do that for now.” I yield. “What structural changes were you thinking about?”
“Most of my changes will be cosmetic, but I want to add a drop ceiling.” I pull a small pen and a notebook out of the front pocket of my flannel and begin to take notes.
“I also think it’d be nice to add some crown molding. I want to give it a classic, timeless feel. Pages is such a community staple. I want to convey that in its build.”
“I get the feeling you’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”
“I have. I knew what I wanted in a store, but I had no idea where the location would be. Now it’s all just falling into place.” She smiles at me over her shoulder.
“Tell me more.” I follow her further into the store, soaking up the joy she’s exuding as she pitches me her ideas.
“This was the last item on your list.”
“What?” She pauses by the children’s nook.”
“Your own shop. What are you going to do when it's realized.”
“Fill in the blanks on the rest of my list, I suppose.” She leans against the half wall behind her.
“Did you ever get a tattoo or dance till dawn?”