Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

E mmerleigh

The novelty of the hotel wore off quickly. Georgia was gearing up for a tantrum if her red cheeks and murderous eyes were anything to go by. She'd kept me up with all her tossing and turning last night. At one point, her foot had kicked me right in the face. Sadly, I was going to be late to work if we didn't get a move on, which was only irritating her further as I didn't seem to be listening to her

"I want my goat-dog!" she shrieked.

I put my bag on the floor and crouched down, holding her around the waist and making firm eye contact. "I hear you, baby. I'm sorry I forgot it when I packed our stuff. We'll go get it today."

She stomped her sandaled foot. "Right now!"

I shook my head. "I have to get to work right now, and if you're a very good girl, you can come with me and check out the horses Mr. Roger has on his property."

That got her attention. She still had the worst frown I'd ever seen on her face, but she wasn't shouting any longer. She grunted, sounding very much like Warrick. I would have laughed if I didn't think it would cause her to go right back into her tantrum. I stood and held out my hand. She scrunched up her lips, but finally took it, letting me lead her out of the hotel and into my waiting truck.

Georgia gave me the silent treatment all the way to Roger's house, which was probably deserved. I'd spent most of the night dodging her limbs and chastising myself for not being able to function like an adult when it came to relationships. I wanted to hide behind my accusation and sulk in my righteousness. I did feel like he should have involved me in what was going on. But I also felt like the way I confronted him was over the top and accusatory when I could have just asked for him to be overly communicative with me in the future because of my past history.

That one line he'd said about holding on to my wounds so tightly they'd never heal had gone round and round in my head in the late-night hours. It stung. It dug talons into my heart, embedding itself there simply because there was truth behind those words. A wild accusation I could have batted away easily. But that? That was so spot on, it had my head spinning.

Savannah and Pip were standing by their vehicles when my truck bounced over the holes in Roger's gravel drive and came to a stop. I frowned, wondering why they looked ready to spit nails.

"Stay here, baby." I left my door open and walked over.

"I know a guy," Pip was saying, her round face in a severe frown much like the one I'd seen on Georgia's face just minutes earlier.

"What's going on?"

Savannah put her hand on Pip's arm and turned to me. "Roger says we can't work on the barn. We've been fired and he has another crew coming tomorrow to finish it."

My jaw dropped open. That little asshole. I sidestepped Savannah and marched to his door, pounding my fist against the screen door. He cracked the front door, but didn't open the screen.

"What the hell is this I'm hearing about being fired?" I spat. We'd framed out the whole thing and had already bought all the plywood boards for the outer walls. They were scheduled to be delivered today.

"You're making a mess of things. That won't hold up to the first winter storm. I've got another crew coming to fix everything you bungled."

Roger went to close the door, but I was quicker, snapping the screen open and wedging my steel-toe boot in the door crack.

"That barn is built to code, Roger, and you know it. You've shadowed me every single day. We can part ways if you want, but you owe me for the last week of work and the supplies. I'll be sending over a bill this afternoon."

Roger coughed. "Not gonna pay it, missy. The new crew said they'd have to start over."

My eyes nearly fell out of my head. "Then the scammer is getting scammed himself. That frame is solid." Alarm filled my chest. Was I about to be involved in a spat with a client? Would I have to sue to recoup my costs? Was Warrick right after all about this deadbeat? Had I pushed away his good advice just because of my stupid pride? A headache was brewing and it wasn't even eight o'clock in the morning.

"Mama!" Georgia sprinted up the stairs and hugged my legs. "Can I see the horsies now?"

"Not now, baby," I replied, feeling like today had already gone to hell.

"Why not?" she said, voice rising. I tried to push her behind me, sensing another tantrum coming.

"Who's that?" Roger groused, pointing a bony finger through the door crack at Georgia.

"My daughter," I said firmly, trying to get ahold of the wiggling girl. "The one who won't have food on her plate if you try to dodge paying me. "

He huffed and rolled his weathered, beady eyes. "You'll have your money." And then he kicked the toe of my boot, dislodging it and slamming the door in my face.

Georgia blinked up at me, eyes wide. "He's not nice, Mama."

I shook my head. "No, he's not."

Pip and Savannah were at the bottom of the porch stairs, looking to me for answers. Sadly, I didn't have any. Not about this situation, or about Warrick. Pip clapped her thick hands.

"Let us go to the park. I have enough food and beer for picnic."

I grimaced. "It's a little early for?—"

"I'm in!" Savannah hollered, clapping Pip on the back. "Let's play hooky!"

"Yeah!" Georgia cheered, racing down the steps and joining my crew.

I surveyed their smiling faces and relented. We didn't have another job lined up anyway. Not for two weeks since we were supposed to still be working on Roger's barn. I'd have to place phone calls and see if we could move some projects up. Today, though, was a loss. Might as well spend it at the park with my daughter and my new friends.

I should have written up the bill before I drank the German beer. The numbers were all swimming and my head was starting to feel fuzzy. Georgia was on the jungle gym, trying to swing from bar to bar like a monkey. A few other kids were there and she had made friends instantly, unlike her mama. I sighed and put the invoice aside. I could work on it tonight. I flicked an ant off my leg forlornly.

Savannah and Pip looked at each other, but it was Savannah who had the nerve to finally speak. "Soo…it's clear there's something wrong between you and Warrick. Want to talk about it?"

I dropped my head back against the tree trunk I was resting on. "Is it that obvious?"

Pip snorted. "You're as unhappy as a pig in a car wash."

Savannah and I looked at each other, not understanding Pip's phrases even on a good day. I waved away the confusion and told them everything that had happened with Cayden being in town. They gasped and made appropriate noises during my story. When I ended with the fight with Warrick, they remained perfectly quiet.

"So, that's why Georgia and I stayed at a hotel last night."

"Because you are mad at Warrick? Or at Cayden?" Pip looked confused.

I thought about it. "Maybe both? And don't forget myself. I'm probably mad at myself too."

"What? Why?" Savannah sat up straighter, listening intently.

I spread my hands, gaze on Georgia as she played. "I want Warrick to communicate more, I want Cayden to stay out of my life, and I want to be able to fully trust a man again."

"If there was ever a man you could trust again, it would be Warrick." Savannah nodded at me. "He clearly adores you and Georgia. You remember that day I was late to work a couple weeks ago? I got a flat tire just down the road from his mom's house and he saw me when he left for the day. He went into town to get a new tire and even put it on my truck for me while I went to work. Said he didn't want me to hassle with it myself, be even later to work, and cause you stress. That's a sweet man right there."

I gaped at her. I hadn't known that. I wished Savannah would have told me.

Pip cracked open another beer and took a sip. "One day I suggested he put some proper German brats on that barbecue of his, but he refused. Said he'd only do steak and chicken because that's the only meat Georgia would eat." She shrugged her massive shoulders. "Seems quite nice for a man to notice eating habits like that. If a man brought me a case of beer, I'd sit on him until he agreed to marry me."

I managed a smile. "He does do a lot of things for Georgia and me. I guess I just never noticed or took it for granted. Like maybe he was doing those things only to get in our good graces. Maybe he had an ulterior motive, you know?"

"Like, to make you love him in return? Wow. So terrible," Savannah deadpanned.

I opened my mouth to say…something, but Pip beat me to it.

"But do not be with him because of the things he does for you. That makes you no better than the other women in his life. Be with him because you can't take a full breath without him. Because the sun isn't as bright if he is not there when you wake up. Because you love him so much you cannot imagine growing old without him by your side."

She quit talking and took another sip, like she hadn't just spouted off something so profound that Savannah and I were left speechless.

"That's beautiful, Pip."

She held up one thick finger like she wasn't done. "Because without his sexy backside in those jeans, even the finest German beer tastes flat."

Savannah and I grinned. That sounded more like Pip. But she'd made her point. Warrick had bent over backwards to prove I could trust him and I'd continuously come up with reasons to throw it all back in his face. I'd been too scared to acknowledge the feelings growing between us. Hell, he'd told me he loved me and I'd clammed up, not able to say it back. Even then he hadn't gotten frustrated with me.

"Do you love him?" Savannah asked quietly.

I watched Georgia swing next to another little girl, her smile bright and carefree and so, so precious to me. She'd always be my priority, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like my heart had room for someone else too. That maybe we'd both be better off with a man in our lives. One specific man.

"I think I do."

Savannah sighed over the romantic declaration. Pip just took another sip and smacked her lips.

"Then you better get your backside to his house and show him. Get your wiener schnitzel, girl!" She cackled at her own joke.

She was right though.

Not about the wiener schnitzel.

I needed to strip myself bare for him and let him truly see that I was letting him in. And then I'd have to hope to God I wasn't too late. The thought of what I'd need to do had me shaking in my boots, but I was more scared to lose him.

Just like Paisley had tried to tell me days ago.