Grayson
ALMOST TWO WEEKS had passed since I brought Meagan back to Texas. In those two weeks we had done everything from attend barn parties, celebrated belated birthdays we missed, shopped for baby clothes, and I had learned to do more to a cow than I ever wanted to know in my lifetime.
I stood and looked out over the Texas hill country as I took in a deep cleansing breath.
“Feels good don’t it?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled as I watched my future father-in-law walk up.
“I thought the air in Colorado was amazing. But something about this place . . . I can’t put it into words.”
“Texas air has something in it. Something that reaches down and grabs ahold of you tightly and never lets go.”
I nodded as I looked back out over the countryside.
“Is there a reason you asked me to meet you on some random piece of land off of Highway 1871?”
With a deep breath through my nose, I slowly blew it out as I nodded my head. “Walk with me for a minute, Brad.”
Brad followed me as we walked up the short hill and came to a stop at the top.
“Holy shit, look at that view of the Llano River.”
With a smile, I took in the rolling hills. It was beautiful and the more I stood there, the more I knew I was doing the right thing for my family.
“It looks like a picture,” I said as I turned to Brad. “I need your advice.”
His eyes met mine as he let a small smile play across his lips. “Okay.”
“I know everything that happened to Meagan has been a shock to her and she feels safe here. I also know, I’ve never seen her so happy like she has been these last two weeks. With the baby coming, I’m starting to think Meagan is having second thoughts about living so far away.”
Brad’s eyes lit up and I had to give him credit, he tried really hard to hold back his excitement. Trying to look serious, he nodded and said, “I’m not going to lie to you, Gray, knowing y’all are having a baby and living so far away is going to be really hard for us. I also know, if the tables were turned, it would be hard for your mother if you both lived here.”
I had already talked to my mother last night for two hours about the possibility of moving to Texas. She agreed, it would be much easier for her and James to travel to see us than it would be for us to travel to Texas.
“That’s true,” I said in a thoughtful voice. “But, the person I care the most about is who I want to make happy.”
“Meagan,” Brad said as tears built in his eyes. Looking away, he blinked rapidly.
“Would she be happy here, Brad? Ever since I’ve met her, she’s only talked about leaving Texas, not buying a hundred acres of land. I’m not a cowboy and I’m not looking into getting into cattle and all that shit.”
Brad laughed and shook his head. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me, Gray.”
“I was thinking though, with all the land, we might be able to start a camp for kids who have been bullied or who are from underprivileged homes. I know you don’t care for my previous job, but I made a lot of money and invested it well. I have enough money to purchase this land and build a house on it out right. Once we get settled, we could start looking into the camp.”
Brad stood there and stared at me as I moved from foot to foot. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and I started to wonder if I shouldn’t have brought up my old job.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. I mean I know I have to talk to Meagan about all of this and I know how much she loves her job, but I also see how full of life her eyes have been since we’ve been here. Grace checked into a few jobs around the area for Meagan. She’s made it clear she wants to keep working after the baby and hell, she can even start her own company if she wants. I’ll support her in whatever she wants to do.”
Brad took a step toward me as I took a step back. He took another step as I took another back. We did this about five times before he finally snarled his lip and asked, “Why do you keep backing away from me?”
“I don’t know. I’m kind of picturing you doing something to hurt me for some reason.”
With a raised brow, he asked, “Like what?”
“I don’t know. To be honest, you scare me.”