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“Whatever. Anyway, what am I supposed to do? Gillian will castrate me.” Just the thought of her finding out I touched Briar makes me want to cover my junk.
He pats me on the back. “I know this is a foreign feeling for you, but I say trust it and go with it.”
“Go with it?”
He doesn’t know the whole story, and I’m sure he’d change his opinion if he knew she’s carrying another man’s baby. And I know he’d probably be right, but I just can’t seem to stop myself from wanting to be involved.
“It’s all over your face. Maybe that’s why Gillian is so worried. She probably sees it, too.”
“What are you talking about? No one sees anything.”
He swivels to face me directly, no longer giving me an excuse to look away from him. “You just went behind the bar to make her a drink. She had a place to stay with the girls, but you chose to move her in with you. You’re never around anymore except for breakfast. I was down at the barn the other day with Wren to get her on Biscuits, and you weren’t there.”
My forehead wrinkles. “I was done for the day.”
“You used to always work on your reining with Brutus after hours.” His eyebrows raise. “I’ve seen you with her so many times during breakfast, and you’re pretty transparent. My mom sees it too.”
“You talked to Aunt Darla about it?” Traitor.
He chuckles. “No, but I’m gonna give you some advice from a guy who lost his entire world the same day his heart was so full he thought it was going to burst.”
“Not the widow shit again.”
Danson is always trying to lecture me about time, or lack of it. I feel horrible for what he went through. Just hours after Wren was born, Kristie died. But we’re different people.
“You’re not guaranteed time.” He raises his hand when I try to interrupt. “I’m just saying that if you like her, you’ll regret not acting on it. This is the first woman I’ve ever seen you show any real interest in. Explore it and see what comes of it because if she is the one, you’re gonna wish you’d acted sooner. Trust me.”
“But—” There’s a whole list of reasons why this is a bad idea.
“There will always be reasons not to pursue someone, but if you think this feeling you have is gonna just vanish one day when you wake up, I hate to break it to you, it’s not.”
I sip my beer, and my gaze falls to Briar’s table again.
Damn Danson, I hate when he’s right. She is all I think about, all I want. She’s something I shouldn’t have for more than one reason. The dude ranch, for one. She doesn’t need someone like me, someone who has never been in a relationship. Someone who doesn’t know how to be in a relationship. What if I fuck it up? This is probably already going to be one of the hardest times of her life. But Danson’s right—this need I have for her is something I’ve never felt for anyone else, and it’s only growing by the day.
“As long as you treat her right, I don’t think Gillian will be opposed once she sees that you’re serious,” Danson says.
Gillian turns to me, her eyes narrowing when she sees me looking at Briar.
When did I become the guy who doesn’t go after what he wants? It’s time I find him again. So I ditch the beer and slide around the table.
“I didn’t mean right now,” Danson says, but I shake my head.
Standing behind Briar in front of all my cousins, I squat down. “Want to dance?”
Gillian is listening to me, but Laurel is talking about some customers at the bakery.
Briar surprises me and swivels around at the picnic table, sliding her hand in mine. “Sure.”
“Um?” Gillian says.
“It’s just a dance,” I tell her, leading Briar to the dance floor.
“Ben, we’re dancing!” Gillian shouts to the guys’ table.
I chuckle, pulling Briar into my body and wrapping my one arm around her waist.
I have no idea where this is going, but I do know that this has to go differently than I’ve ever done things before.
