“Say it out loud.”
“No.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Dottie said to Billy.
“I’m not askin’ you, Mama.”
“Billy!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to disrespect you, but there’s gotta come a day I figure out what I’m gonna do in my life without asking my mama’s opinion.”
“You have a point, Billy. I’m sorry. I’m just sayin’—”
“Don’t say anything. I gotta do this, and if it blows up in my face, then I’ll know who to blame.”
Dottie picked up Willow from where she sat, happily playing while they talked. “Grandma’s gonna miss you, baby girl.”
“It won’t be for that long.”
“I know, but I miss her when I’m away from her for an hour, so I’m gonna miss her more now.”
“I know what you mean. I miss her when she goes to sleep.”
He took Willow from his mother and hugged her. “I love you so much.” He nuzzled her neck, and she giggled.
“Dadadada,” she said, and opened her mouth to give his cheek one of her special kisses.
“Do you have everything packed?”
“Nah, I haven’t even started packin’ Willow’s stuff yet.”
“Give her to me. I’ll pack her stuff, and you can start loading the truck.”
He kissed Dottie’s cheek. “Thanks, Mama.”
“Gives me a few more minutes with my little angel.”
“Thank you,” Renie said to Jace when they got back to the barn.
“You’re welcome. I hope it helped.”
“It did.”
“I think you figured it out.”
“I guess I did, but I need time to sort through it.”
“I’m a phone call away if you want to talk more.”
“Thanks, Jace.”
He ran his finger down her cheek. “We both know this is the end of the road for us, other than as friends.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m so glad you feel that way.”
“I don’t, or I don’t want to, but listening to you talk about Billy convinced me that even if you decided you wanted to be with me, it wouldn’t last. You love Billy. All you need to do is conquer your fears. It might not happen fast enough for Billy, but it’ll happen eventually.”
“This is gonna be our home for a while baby girl,” Billy said the next morning as they drove into town. He stopped by the realtor’s office, signed the final paperwork and picked up the keys.