Chapter Twenty-Five

An ache had settled into Jaron's chest and made a home there. He didn't know if the cause had something to do with not settling things with Travis or if it had something to do with the separation from Bobby for two nights in a row.

Probably a combination of both.

He would have felt better if he could have made things right with Travis before he left for home, but he had a feeling Travis needed to roll their argument through his mind a few hundred more times.

Jaron sighed even as he pulled off the highway. As much as he wanted things to get back to normal, Travis didn't exactly give him a choice but to accept the timeline of fixing things. Maybe he didn't deserve one. Regardless, he owed Travis, so he'd let him have his way. The unsettled feeling wasn't comfortable, though, and probably wouldn't go away until they talked and made up.

Please, let us make up.

Jaron turned right off the exit. It was a straight shot into Pickleville, but he had to drive through Harbor Shire to get there.

Jaron hadn't been away from Bobby for more than one night since Tracy had given birth. The separation felt foreign, as if an alien lived inside him, churning things up.

Not long before he got to see Bobby again. The anticipation built until his hands shook. He smiled at just the thought of getting to hug his son.

He barely remembered what his life had been like before Bobby came. Fatherhood had stuck to him, not letting go. He worried about messing up all the time and wondered how his decisions would affect Bobby. Everything he did, he thought of Bobby first. It had been rooted in his brain since day one. Maybe even before that.

Travis had said he'd make Bobby a part of his family for the rest of his life and Jaron had believed him. Why hadn't Jaron believed Travis when it came to himself? He hadn't, though. And didn't until last night's fiasco. It wasn't even about what Travis had said but the fact that he took care of Jaron even though the scene in the bar had pissed him off.

Jaron had wanted to paint Travis as the partier he had been in high school. Knowing that Travis would flit around from one person's bed to the next would protect Jaron's heart. But the truth was he'd never known the kind of person Travis was even back in high school. If he had, he would have seen that Travis was loyal to his friends, counting them as family and sticking by them regardless of when they fucked up.

He had believed rumors from people who only ever wanted to hear themselves speak. They didn't care about the words that came out of their mouths.

His cell phone rang, startling him out of his musings, and he jumped. He pulled over onto the side of the road before picking up the phone off the passenger's seat.

When he saw Travis' number, his heart picked up a bit. He took a deep breath and answered. "Hi."

"Hey. Just wanted to tell you I'm gonna be an extra day."

Jaron opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He wanted to ask why and if Travis stayed away an extra day because he needed more time to think. And if he did, did that mean he contemplated ending things? All he said was, "Oh. Okay."

"My buyer told me about a cattlewoman who has a special breeding program I'm thinking about trying. She's further south. It will take me an extra day. Should be home by the afternoon tomorrow."

"Your other meeting went okay?" Jaron wanted to ask if they were okay. The uncertainty twisted his gut.

"Better than. I think the guy will buy from us in the future. Especially if I decide to get this new breed."

"Are they beef cows?"

"Yeah, but I'd be starting a breeding program. Mixing them with the Angus I already have. A few others have done that, and the result was smaller cattle, so they're easier to keep, but they have the meat quality of the Angus." The excitement came through clear as day even through the phone.

"It sounds complicated."

Travis made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat. "Are you home yet?"

"Almost. Just on the outside of Harbor Shire." Jaron thought about what he should say next, forming the words in his mind. "Travis, I—"

"I gotta go. I'll call you tonight."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Travis' tone more than his words eased that place in Jaron that feared he might have fucked things up beyond repair. Maybe they still had a lot to figure out about each other, but that wasn't a bad thing necessarily.

When they hung up, Jaron smiled. They hadn't fixed everything yet, but at least he knew the problem wasn't a deal breaker. He pulled the car back onto the road.

He made his way through Harbor Shire with little issue, getting caught up at two lights and having to wait. The town wasn't big, but it wasn't as small as Pickleville. The Harbor had a few supermarket chain stores and some fast food restaurants along the main drag.

When the stores turned into houses that spread out farther from each other and changed into fields Jaron's mind went back to Travis again.

He needed to make a gesture. Something big so that Travis knew his intentions. But what?

Jaron went straight to the main house. His mother had called before he'd left the hotel and told him she'd dropped Bobby off with Beverly. She said something about Bobby helping Greg feed the horses.

He parked next to the other farm vehicles and shut off the engine. Bobby and Greg walked out of the horse barn together. Greg smiled at something Bobby said and ruffled his hair. He pointed at Jaron.

Bobby stopped and looked his way before running over.

As soon as Jaron held Bobby, his world became right. The ache in his chest lessened, and he could breathe again. "I missed you so, so much."

Bobby hugged Jaron back. "Missed you too. But guess what? I got to give hay to all the horses. I gave them water too but Greg had to carry the bucket. And Grandma Bev told me she had ice cream for when we're done."

Jaron chuckled. "Ice cream, huh?"

"Yep." Bobby took Jaron's hand and led him into the house.

Greg followed close behind them.

"Thanks for letting Bobby help with the horses."

"Did a good job. Wanna help every day after school?"

"Okay."

Home felt good.