“Hello?”
A deep voice and a knock on the front door startled her out of her miserable thoughts. She looked at herself again, winced, and threw her hair up into a messy bun. After grabbing a bathrobe and belting it tightly, she hurried down the stairs. She was receiving all kinds of deliveries for the bed and breakfast these days, and although she didn't remember one being scheduled for today, that didn't mean much. She had been preoccupied lately, and it was starting to show in her day-to-day life. Breathless, she pulled the front door open, an apology already forming on her lips. When she saw who was standing there waiting for her, the words were replaced by a gasp of shock.
“Hey,” Trevor said nervously, shifting from one cowboy boot-clad foot to the other. “I know you probably don’t want to see me, but please, don’t shut the door in my face. Not before you give me a chance to say what I came to say.”
"I don't know, Trevor," she said, pulling the robe more tightly around herself. Just seeing him made her want to cry, and she had serious doubts about her ability to hold it together while hearing him out. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
“I know,” he sighed, his expression pained. “And I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you. I never wanted to.” He shook his head, his eyes boring into hers. “Never meant it.”
"I know, but—" she started, her mind racing. They'd already had this conversation, and it had been bad enough the first time. She didn't think she could live through it again.
“Please, Lacey,” he said softly, lifting his hands, palms up. “I know. But everything is different now.”
“Different?” she asked, curiosity stirring in spite of herself. “What do you mean? How?”
“Well, for starters, I learned who I am—who I really am. My parents adopted me after my mom died because she, my birth mom, was my dad’s sister. I guess they wanted me after all. I read that whole situation wrong.”
“That’s amazing,” Lacey breathed, her heart swelling at the news. Just because she couldn’t have Trevor didn’t mean she didn’t want him to be happy. Anything that could help him to feel less broken, she was in favor of it. She would have pulled him into a hug if she hadn’t known how painful feeling his touch would be. She settled for a large, genuine smile.
“Yeah, thanks,” he laughed shakily. “But that’s not all. I talked to Penny, too.”
“What?!” Lacey practically shouted, momentarily forgetting everything but Jade.
“She’s in some kind of facility, getting cleaned up,” Trevor said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t quite believe the news. “She said she wants a better life for herself—a better life for Jade, too.”
“Oh, Trevor,” Lacey sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I’m so sorry. I know how much you wanted to keep her.”
“You’re right, I did.” He paused and added quietly, his eyes shining with tears, “And that’s what Penny wants, too.”
Even her sense of self-preservation couldn’t stop her now. She stepped forward, taking hold of his arms and peering up into his face. “I...I don’t think I understand,” she said carefully.
"She asked me to be Jade's permanent guardian, Lacey," he choked out. "She wants to give Jade a better life, and she wants me to be a part of it. She wants me to adopt her little girl."
“I’m happy for you, Trevor, honestly, I’m so happy for the both of you,” Lacey said, tears springing into her own eyes now despite her best efforts to keep her emotions in check. Giving words to her confusion, she released him and added, “I guess I just don’t see how this applies to me.”
“Probably because I haven’t gotten to that part yet,” he said with a sudden chuckle that surprised her, even as he reached for her tentatively and took her hands in his.
She winced as if his hands were made of fire, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to pull away. “That’s not a good idea,” she said, her voice small and uncertain.
"I came to renew my offer, Lacey, but this time for real. What I did before was stupid, and you deserved better. You should have gotten no less than a declaration of love.” He nodded firmly, suddenly dropping to one knee. “That's what I'm here to do now. I want you to marry me. I love you. Jade loves you. And I might be wrong, Lord knows I have been before, but I think I’ve seen something in your eyes when you look at me. I’m hoping it was love, because I want the three of us to be a family."
Lacey looked deeply into Trevor’s eyes, desperate to figure out if he was being sincere. He was a standup guy. She had no doubt about that, even if he might, from time to time. He was such a decent guy that he might just try to make up for the hurt he’d so obviously caused her before.
But oh, how badly she wanted to believe! Her love for him hadn't diminished with distance. If anything, it had grown exponentially. There was no place in the world she would rather be than in his arms, but seeing him kneel before her now, feeling the touch of his hands holding hers, made it difficult to think straight. What if he was just being nice? What if he was only trying to make up for past mistakes and tie up loose ends?
“I don’t know what to say, Trevor,” she whispered, her chest starting to hitch.
“Then just say yes,” he answered throatily, gently squeezing her hands. “Please, Lacey. Say yes. Make me the happiest man in the world.”
Words failed her, but as it turned out, she didn't have to speak. She dropped to her knees so that the two of them were face to face and kissed him deeply. That was answer enough.
18
“I’m just saying, I don’t have to be happy about it, okay? I’m not exactly looking forward to taking the brunt of the responsibility for everything, with you gone. I’m just a kid, remember?” Randy said, batting his eyelashes in a grotesque imitation of an innocent schoolgirl. Jade groaned at the sight, then made a sound as if she was going to puke.
Carson held out a hand for a high-five, which Jade returned willingly. "I'm with the kid," he said with a laugh, glancing at Lacey for agreement. "Nobody's buying your sob story. I'm only going to be gone on this rodeo gig for a week, and you're probably the smartest out of the three of us. You can handle this, baby brother. I've got no doubt."
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Randy said dryly, although he tipped Jade a wink that made her giggle.
“What do you want me to say?” Carson asked in exasperation. “Should we ask Trevor and Lacey to take the load? You seriously want to go with the four-months-pregnant newlyweds on this one?”
“All right, boys,” Lacey laughed. “I think that’s quite enough of that. We’re all going to be kind and courteous at Sunday supper, remember? Those are the rules.”
“Fine,” Randy grumbled, taking a sip of Lacey’s famous lemonade. “Then kindly tell Carson that he’s a huge pain in my—”
“Little pitchers,” Lacey reminded him, raising her eyebrows and looking pointedly in Jade’s direction. Randy mouthed the words “I’m sorry” and shut his mouth, although he lobbed one more glare in Carson’s direction for good measure.