Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

A ustin had met a lot of lover’s exes before.

He’d just never met one who was a woman.

Henley breezed into the ranch house like she lived there, her arms full of bags. “Whew! That last twisty part of the road coming into town is always a bear! Paige, honey, come give me a kiss. Ky, can you go grab my duffel? And I’ll need to pull around to unload the horses.”

“I’ll get you moved, and you can come help me unload.” Kyler kissed her cheek, and took her keys and headed outside, even as Paige flew into her arms.

“Mommy! I’m glad you’re here. I need you to meet my friend, Dallas. He’s the best. He has his own room, even.”

“Does he now?” Henley had dropped the bags, and hugged Paige tight and kissed her face several times with big, smacking kisses.

Henley was a lovely woman, a petite, curvy brunette with bright hazel eyes, a smattering of freckles, and a ready smile. She grinned over Paige’s head at him, then shifted Paige to one arm with effortless strength and held out a hand. “You must be Austin. ”

“Yes, ma’am. Austin Williams. I’m Dallas’s father.”

“That’s my Poppy! He writes books and we’re going to a big party tomorrow night.”

Austin nodded to Dallas, tickled to death that Dallas felt brave enough to say hello.

“And you must be Dallas.” Henley set Paige down, then crouched to Dallas’s level to shake his hand as well. “I’m super happy to meet you finally. And I heard about this party. Sounds like so much fun.”

“I—”

Dallas glanced at Paige, at him, and he nodded, smiled.

Paige whispered, “She’s so nice, I promise.”

“I have a sweater with sparkly lights on it to wear.”

“Oh, neat! That sounds so cool.” Henley stood, smiling. “Okay, let me go see to my horses. You know how it is, honey.”

“The animals have to come first,” Paige recited.

“Yep. I’ll be right back!” She chugged back outside, leaving Austin feeling like he’d been hit by a whirlwind.

“So, should we make coffee? Does someone want to set the table?” Everything was ready, it was staying warm for supper.

“Daddy likes coffee, even at supper,” Paige said.

“I’ll get silvers,” Dallas chimed in. They were such good kids.

“Cool. Let’s be all ready, huh?” He and Ky had gone for stew and bread and a green salad, so it was all simple. Easy. There was pie for later. Henley was so damn pretty…

He wasn’t sure how Ky could possibly go from Henley to him. It just seemed…impossible.

“Poppy? Are you going to pour the water in the pot?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.” He did, then grinned at the kids, who had the table half set, if a bit randomly.

“Water is important for the coffee,” Paige informed him. “Water and grounds and sugar and milk.”

“And cups,” Dallas added .

“Right. Cups.” Austin grabbed out coffee cups, and before long, he heard boots stomping on the porch, Kyler and Henley coming in on a wave of cold air.

“Whew! That is raw,” Henley said, rubbing her arms.

“Coffee is making.”

“Thanks, honey,” Ky said, smiling.

“There’s stew and bread, Mommy. You can sit next to me. I’ll sit between you and Dal. Dal always sits with me.”

“Well, friends should sit together, huh? You just show me where.”

“Daddy sits there, and Mr. Austin sits there. I sit here, so here?” Paige pointed to a chair, and he wanted to protest that she could sit by Ky if she wanted, but she just pulled out the chair and plopped down. “Now, do y’all mind if I take off my boots? My feet are killing me. Then I can help.”

“You put your boots there in the box, Mommy. Show her, Dal.”

“Daddy Ky made it!” Dallas hurried over and lifted the lid for the huge shoe chest.

“Oh, look at that. That’s clever.” Henley glanced at Ky, her expression unreadable, but he just grinned.

“Thanks. Shoes and boots get gross here. There’s a little warming pad underneath that helps keep stuff dry without cracking anything.”

“And it’s got a water wicking pad too, because whoa.” He winked at Ky, because they’d had to experiment a little with that.

“That’s amazing.”

“I’ll take them, Mommy.” Paige took Henley’s boots over.

“What can I do?” Henley stood to go wash up at the sink.

“Take the salad to the table?” he suggested, when Ky didn’t say anything. “I’ll spoon up bowls of stew.”

“You got it. ”

When he turned with the stew, Ky was watching him, those blue eyes as clear as a summer day, and just as hot.

He grinned, a little confused, a little turned-on, and a little buzzed. “Get the bread?”

“Sure, honey.” Ky got the bread out of the warmer, then put butter on the table. He bumped hips with Austin on the way by, too.

Okay, so that felt pretty good. He approved. They all settled, and the kids chatted as they dug in.

Ky reached out under the table, stroking his thigh, touching him, nice and easy. He jumped a tiny bit, but then he had to grin. The touch grounded him. Made him feel like they were in this together. He was sitting here, next to Kyler, and Henley was down there.

“Poppy, did you know that my mom is famous?”

Austin nodded to Paige. “I did. She’s a barrel racer. That’s so cool.”

Dallas glanced at Henley. “I don’t have a mom. They made me in a lab. There was another lady who carried me inside her. But she’s not my mom.”

Henley sent Ky a panicked, wide-eyed ‘oh help me’. And Ky chuckled and shook his head. “You have your poppy, though. And you have me and Paige.”

Dallas grinned. “I do. My poppy wanted me. So bad. He paid all his money, just to have me.”

“Families come in all sizes and shapes.” That was the best that he had. Because he wasn’t going to explain to a six-year-old that sometimes things didn’t work out the way one wanted. He wasn’t gonna explain he’d needed that baby. He’d wanted to be a father so badly. And he still did.

This was the best job ever, and he didn’t regret a second. All the trouble and the cost and the loss. Because at the end, he got to know Dallas.

But no one could explain that to a six-year-old .

He wasn’t sure he was gonna be able to explain that to a sixteen-year-old.

Paige beamed. “That’s right. I have a momma and a daddy and a Penny. And a Dal.”

Henley glanced at Kyler, kind of rolling her eyes a bit. “Do we always have such intense discussions around the supper table?”

“Oh yeah. We’re into it.”

“I detect no lies.” Austin stifled a laugh, hiding his grin, although he was afraid his expression was a touch like a zombie’s about to bite into somebody’s brains. “I can’t believe it’s already fixing to be Merry Christmas.”

Dallas bounced. “Santa comes in a couple of days. Poppy says Santa can come here, and he’ll know where we are. We’re gonna make cookies.”

“Not today, though,” Paige added. “Today we’re hanging out with you, Mommy, and tomorrow is the party. Then it is Christmas Eve and cookies. And cocoa. And watching cartoons.”

God, he hoped Ky had discussed all of this with Henley. Yeah, he didn’t want to have to take Dallas home. All of the Christmas presents were here anyway. It didn’t feel as if Henley was shocked or anything.

“I’m excited that we get to spend Christmas together. I’d like to stay even after your school starts. That way I get to meet your teacher.”

“Me and Dal are in the same class.” Paige lit up like a… Well, like a Christmas tree. “That’s where I met him the very first day of school.”

“Were you friends right away?” Henley asked.

Paige reared back a bit, shaking her head. “No. No, I made friends with Dal because somebody else wasn’t very nice. We became best friends, though, because he’s so cool. ”

Austin watched as his little boy shrank at the first part. And then sat up tall. And then taller again.

“He’s really smart, and he thinks I’m smart, and he reads all the books. And he can do a walkover like it’s nothing. Everybody thinks because he’s a little skinny and he wears glasses that he’s not cool. But he’s so cool.”

“Paige is my very best friend.” Dallas managed to meet Henley’s eyes. “I’m not like everybody else. Sometimes I can’t breathe. Sometimes I get scared and don’t want to answer the teacher. Even when I know the answer.”

“Oh, honey.” Henley clapped her hands and chuckled. “That happens to all of us. Every so often, I’ll be fixing to ride. And I’ll think, okay, I’m tired, I’m scared and I can’t do it but the horse is ready, though, so we just go.”

“That’s what me and Paige do. Daddy Ky is teaching me how to be on a horse. I like the brushing part. Do you like to read?”

Henley’s nose wrinkled before she could stop it. “Sometimes I like to read a romance.”

Ky chuckled. “She listens to audiobooks on the drive sometimes.”

“Really? Who’s your favorite author?” Austin asked, forking up some salad.

“Oh, I like Lyla Sage,” Henley said, her eyes lighting up.

“She has great covers,” Austin agreed. “And a nice slow burn.”

“Does that mean it takes them forever to kiss?” Dallas asked.

“That’s it, kiddo.”

“My Poppy writes romances. His boys always kiss, but sometimes they have to fight first, and sometimes they make Poppy cry when they fight.”

“Do they?” Henley arched one perfectly lacquered eyebrow at him.

“It’s a hazard of the job.” If he didn’t care enough to cry over them, how could he expect his readers to?

“We all have our sh-tuff, huh? With me, it’s the horses. It kills me when one gets hurt.”

“Oh, man. I bet.” He couldn’t imagine. “That’s why we had to bring Mr. Mistoffelees here. I was worried about him being lonely all alone at the condo…”

“Mr. Mist?—”

“Mr. Mistoffelees,” Paige piped up. “He’s a magical kitty, and he’s black and white, and he is from a show !”

Dallas nodded. “He is black and white, and Poppy named him. Poppy loves kitties.”

Henley glanced at Austin, and all he could do was smile. He was a cat guy. He liked dogs too. Birds. Hamsters.

Hell, he’d gone into the barn without Kyler to get the kids once, even. No one had trampled him, so he took that as a good thing.

“ Cats . That’s the show,” Ky said.

Henley chuckled. “Okay, here’s where I got to admit I haven’t seen a musical since the ones they did in high school.”

“Poppy showed us Cats and we are all going to see The Lion King in Denver!” Dallas clapped, so excited. “We’re going to stay in a fancy hotel and everything.”

“I have a book signing, and we’re making a long weekend of it,” Austin explained, and Henley gave Ky another one of those long, searching stares.

What did that even mean?

He knew that Ky had told Henley they were together, right? His cat was living here now.

His son had his own room.

“That sounds really nice,” Henley said finally.

Ky grinned, his cheeks a little pink. “Yeah. I hear there are great big puppets that look like giraffes, right, Paige?”

“And elephants! And antelopes!”

“We are going to have so much fun!” Dallas stood, rolled into a handstand and wiggled, making Paige giggle.

“No gymnastics at supper, son.”

“Sorry.” He plonked back into his seat.

Henley had a nice laugh, low and throaty. “That was an impressive handstand, though, honey.”

“Momma can do that on a horse,” Paige piped up.

“Ow, wow, can we see?”

“If the horses are feeling good, I’ll saddle up my mare and show you tomorrow.” Henley winked, magnanimous as hell.

“It depends on the snow. You don’t want your momma to freeze, do you? She’s a Texan, remember.” The tease sounded familiar, well-practiced.

“She’ll be a block of ice,” Paige agreed.

“Brrrr.” Henley grinned wide at Austin, inviting him to play, he thought, not pushing him out.

It was incredibly sweet.

“No freezing the cowgirl.”

Dallas’s eyes went wide. “No. Oh, no. I wouldn’t freeze you. You’re Paige’s mommy.”

“We’ll see then, how it goes.” Henley ate some more stew, making a yum face. “Y’all, this is good.”

Austin grinned at Ky. “We made it together. We’re a solid pair.”

“It looks like it. I can make two things, right, niblet?”

Paige giggled. “Naner pudding and King Ranch casserole.”

“What’s a king rancherole?” Dallas asked, eyes wide. “Does it have a crown?”

Austin felt his chuckles trying hard to bubble up.

“It’s a casserole, kiddo. Like lasagna or chicken and broccoli.” Ky waved a hand. “It’s named after a ranch in Texas.”

“Rancherole sounds like more fun, though, doesn’t it? Like a casserole served on a throne or with pretty diamonds on the top. ”

Paige started waving her spoon around. “Ooh…or rancheroli! Like ravalamaolis from a can!”

He shook his head, because kids were amazing.

Ky grabbed some bread and buttered it, looking on with a proud grin.

Soon the kids were making up a nonsense ravioli casserole with diamonds song, and Henley was staring at them like they were both insane.

That was okay. She’d get used to them.

Sooner or later she would have to, right?

“When did she get silly?” Henley asked, careful not to be heard. “She never was before.”

“It’s great, huh?” Kyler’s answer was a nonanswer, but he kinda liked it.

“It’s amazing.” Henley focused on Austin, and grinned to beat the band, even if there was a hint of bitter in it. “She needed this. A friend. A home. I knew she did.”

“She’s amazing. I love her dearly, and I will never be able to repay her for what’s she’s done for Dallas.” That was the god’s honest truth. He loved Ky, but he would lay down his life for Paige, just like he would for Dallas.

Ky squeezed his leg. “I’m pretty happy about it too.”

“Can we go play, Daddy?” Paige stood up. “We’re doing a puzzle, Mommy. Want to help?”

“Sure, kiddo. Put your dishes in the sink. Gently, please.”

He and Ky had been forced to put a dish towel in the bottom of the sink because it was one of those ceramic farmhouse sinks, and the kids could reach to drop their dishes in.

Fashion over function, Kyler complained all the time.

“I’ll be in there after a bit, baby. I want the tour and to see my room and everything.”

They had four bedrooms—theirs, the kids’, and a guest room, which was amazing, because they had bonus room for an office for them to share. He kind of loved it, and his clothes hung in the closet next to Kyler’s, his socks and unders rested in the dresser next to Kyler’s.

He felt like part of something bigger than himself and Dallas.

“So, Daddy Kyler?” One of her eyebrows lifted. “That’s pretty serious.”

“Yeah.” Kyler met his gaze again for a moment. “It is. I feel good about it.”

“I do too. I like being a family.”

“Well, I’m so tickled.” Henley took her dishes to the sink. “Let me help with this, and then y’all can give me the tour.”

Okay, then. That was easier than he’d feared. He wanted this, in a scary intense way. Kyler made him trust in things he needed to believe in.