“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask once I can’t take the quiet any longer.
He shrugs. “I didn’t know for sure. I wasn’t about to say something just based on a suspicion. Who does that?”
Who indeed?
“Then Mary came and…”
“You confronted her,” I finished. That was the reason why she never came back home. Why she never let us come here to visit. Why she wanted us to leave so quickly.
To keep up her lie.
“She wasn’t really forthcoming. There’s been a lot of bad blood between us.”
I could only imagine. Mom has never been forthcoming about anything that didn’t benefit her.
“So I’ve heard. Still, it doesn’t give her the right to lie to me. All my life I thought…” I shake my head. “It doesn’t even matter any longer, does it?”
Bradley lifts his hand, as if he’s going to reach for me, but then thinks better of it.
“If I knew…”
“But you didn’t. Neither of us did.”
I look at Bradley. His dark eyes, sun-kissed skin, crinkles in the corner of his eyes, his square jaw. I try to find myself in the lines of his face but come up empty-handed, so instead, I observe him intently, hoping to memorize his face, as though if I close my eyes only for a moment, he’ll disappear for good.
“What happens now?” I ask quietly. So quietly that I’m not sure he can hear the question. But he does.
“Whatever you want to happen. I’m not going to force you into anything, but…” Once again, he brushes his palms against the sides of his worn Levi’s. Probably his nervous tic. For some reason, that makes me feel slightly better. Less alone in the mess of Mary Adams’s creation. “But I’d like to get to know you. I know it won’t make up for all the lost time, but it’s a start.”
I look down at my lap, my fingers fidgeting. There is a slight sliver of hope that blooms in my chest.
“I don’t know… Penny…”
“She could come, too.” I look up instantly, surprised by his words and the sincerity in his voice. “We could have breakfast one day. When you’re ready.”
“I— That sounds nice.”
“You—” He seems surprised for a moment, but then the corners of his lips lift in a half-smile. “It does.”
EMMETT
“So, how did it go?” I wrap my arms around Kate from behind, leaning my head on her shoulder.
I had this need to touch her from the moment I laid eyes on her at the airport, just to make sure she’s real.
She’s here.
And she’s not going anywhere.
Kate puts the last of her things in her closet before leaning against me. “It went… Okay? I guess.” She pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I mean, I’m no expert on meeting a father you never thought existed and trying to figure out where to go from there.”
I chuckle. “No, I guess not.”
“I always thought he was some nameless guy. Just one of the many that passed through our house when I was little. Just like Penny’s dad. I never thought…” She shakes her head, at a loss for words.
I tighten my hold on her, brushing my lips against her temple. “Nobody can blame you; it all just seems surreal.”
“Right?” Kate turns in my arms, her fingers skimming over my cheekbone. “I wanted to stay,” she says quietly. “I wanted to stay so badly, but she…”
“Shhh…” I tighten my grip on her, swaying us from side to side. “I know, baby. It’s okay.”
“She threatened to take Penny, Emmett. Back to that place that drove her to darkness, and I couldn’t…” She chokes on the words, all the emotions finally crashing down. “I had to pick her.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
God, I hate that woman. How can she be so selfish? So self-centered?
Kate pulls back. Her eyes are red-rimmed and filled with tears. Still, she’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.
“I’ll always have to pick her, Emmett. Always.”
One tear slips down, followed by another.
I cup her cheek, brushing away her tears. “And that’s why I love you. And I’ll always come for you. Both of you.”
“You can’t.” Kate shakes her head. “You shouldn’t—”
I press my mouth against hers, kissing the protest away.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Kitty. It won’t make any difference. I love you, and there is nothing that will stand in my way. Not now, not tomorrow, or in a year. You’re my endgame. My once in a lifetime.”
“I don’t want to stand in your way or drag you down.”
“There is no chance of that ever happening.”
“How do you know? How can you…”
I press my finger against her lips, shushing her. “Because I just know you. And that’s enough. I meant what I told you. There is nothing that could ever compare to a future with you. And I’m going to try my damnedest to make that future a reality. You and me, Kitty.”
“You and me.” She lifts on the tips of her toes and presses her lips against mine. I can taste the saltiness of her tears on her mouth, her tongue. “I love you, Emmett.”
I press my forehead against hers. “I love you too, Katherine.”
“Hey, Emmett?”
“Hmmm?” I nuzzle my nose against the side of her neck, smelling her sweet scent.
“I kissed you first.”
“I guess I better kiss you back.” I brush my nose against hers, making her chuckle.
“Yeah, you better.”
So, that’s what I do.
Over and over and over again.
Epilogue
KATHERINE
SENIOR YEAR
“Hey there.”
I look to the side to see Bradley coming toward me. He leans against the wooden railing next to me, his trusty black Stetson sitting on top of his head, shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun.
“Hey, I didn’t think I’d see you today. Emmett said you guys were working out in the fields.”
“We are, but I had to come back to grab some tools to fix one of the fences, and I saw you guys, so I figured I might stop by quickly to say hi.”
I nod, turning my attention forward once again at the sound of my sister’s laugh.
I can’t believe it’s been a year. A year since we moved here. A year since I found out that I have a dad. An actual dad. Not some good for nothing, wanna-be actor Mom hooked up with, but a dad who wants me and embraces both my half-sister and me with open arms.
It has been far from easy. In the beginning, it was downright awkward trying to navigate this new normal, but after this year, I can actually say we’ve made progress in the right direction.
We’re keeping our Sunday breakfast, and two times a week Bradley joins us at our house for dinner, or we go out to eat together.
“She’s doing really great out there,” Bradley comments.
“She is, isn’t she?”
Together we watch Emmett and Penny ride across the field on Thunder. Penny is sitting in front of Emmett, holding onto the reins as Emmett guides her and the horse.