Page 115 of Peaches & Pistols

“Damn, Clark. Don’t think I’ve ever heard so many words come out of you.” Reid chuckles.

What the hell is with everyone pointing out my speech habits today?

“I mean, I’m a resounding yes. I’d love for you and your family to move to the ranch. But I think you’re really going to want to talk to Mom and Dad.”

Reid’s response takes me aback after what Connor said. My jaw muscles fight against my urge to open my mouth but I refrain.

“Mom’s probably baking something new to lure everyone into her gingerbread house and bet you Dad’s asleep in front of the TV.” Reid laughs lovingly.

I can’t help it, I know I’m giving him the tired bitch face, or whatever the fuck they call it. But I’m frustrated and keeping my cool has never been a strong suit.

A turn on my heel in the snowy gravel and I head off to the main house.

“Love you too!” Reid hollers.

I flip him off over my shoulder and keep walking. The biting April wind whips through the Swiftwater Valley, but the incoming spring sun warms my face, and I do my best to stay fucking optimistic.

Reid’s assessment was spot on. Cecelia’s pulling something sinful and cinnamon from the oven and Walter’s nowhere in sight.

“Greyson, dear!” Cecelia’s face lights up at seeing me in a way Meredith’s stopped doing the day Dad died.

I accept her hug, bending down to her aging frame.

“What are you trying to kill us with now, Cecelia?” My chin motions towards the baked goods steaming on the counter.

“Oh, you boys are so dramatic, worse than the girls, I swear. I don’t see how feeding my family is trying to kill them.” Hands on her hips, I can’t help but smile.

“It might be the pounds of butter and sugar we each consume every year because you’re such a talented baker.” My compliment is genuine, but she slaps my chest anyway.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in the middle of the day?” Cecelia asks.

It’s now or never.

“There’s something I need to discuss with you and Walter,” I say matter of fact.

She registers my sincerity, gives me a dip of her chin and scuttles from the kitchen to the den, waking Walter from his nap.

They emerge from the den and Walter nods once and turns down the hall, Cecelia and I following wordlessly. He leads us to his home office, and shuts the door behind us, despite us being the only ones in the house.

He takes his seat behind the grand desk, Cecelia sitting in a more comfortable chair beside him. I haven’t seen Walter in business-mode in years, and he’s still got that undeniable don’t-fuck-with-me boardroom presence.

“Floor’s yours, son,” Walter says.

For the third time in fewer hours I lay out my case, but this time, it lands.

Walter’s fingers are steepled beneath his chin, eyes narrowed, taking in my every movement. Cecelia’s fighting back tears and I’ve never been more unsure of anything in my life.

“Let me tell you a story, Greyson.” Walter puts his hand on Cecelia’s knee, and she leans closer to him like a magnet. They have the kind of love you hope to have after forty years.

“Sam was in Cecelia’s stomach, just passed the twenty-week mark and found out we were having a third boy. On top of that, James was starting kindergarten, and he was extremely nervous he wasn’t going to make any friends. Cecelia was a wreck, sending her baby boy off to full-day school for the first time, with Reid on her hip. Imagine her delight, when after the first day of school, James burst from the elementary school with the biggest smile painted across his face and told Cecelia he’d made a best friend.”

I remember that day well, kids were bustling around at recess excited but unsure, and I was sitting in the shade beneath the jungle gym when James plopped down next to me. Without asking, he started playing in the gravel like I was, and soon enough we’d dug a decent sized hole. That’s all it took. We’ve been ride-or-die ever since.

“It wasn’t long after that you were at the ranch any chance you got. You took to ranch life immediately, absorbing everything like a sponge. You never once excluded Reid, and soon the three of you were the bane of our existence.” They smile wistfully, reminiscing on happier times.

“When Sam arrived that New Years Eve, your folks couldn’t get you over here New Years Day fast enough to meet him. It was clear you gained a little brother that day as well.”

Cecelia sucks in a sob, and Walter pauses to comfort her and collect himself. I can’t deny my eyes have filled with tears as well.