Page 12 of Sudden Summer

Juniper berry.

Birdie had given my daughter the sweetest nickname. I wouldn’t ever know if Rosa had a special name for her. And as mad as I was at the woman I’d only known for one night of my life, I was more hurt for the little girl sitting in the back seat of my truck. A nickname was something we could have kept alive for her. Something of her mother’s for her to carry through her life. I hadn’t told Birdie, but the few minutes I’d spent upstairs before getting Juniper into the truck were used to call the coroner’s office.

And now I had everything squared away for Rosa to come to the ranch. My eyes flicked over to Birdie, who was sitting with her hands tightly clasped together in her lap.

The image of Birdie and Juniper together at the breakfast table was seared into my memory. Because as fucked up as everything had been over the last twenty-four hours, something about the morning together felt so…right.

I knew I was an asshole for asking her to stay. I saw her face last night, in the moments when she thought I wasn’t watching. One thing she never hid from me was how badly she wanted her own family one day. And now, she thought I only wanted her to stay because of the baby.

I was trying my hardest to convince myself that it was okay, because it gave me time. Time to figure out how the hell I was going to juggle fatherhood and the ranch, sure, but also time to figure out how to make Birdie see she was always meant to be right by my side.

Fuck, my heart was beating out of my chest as we made our way up the driveway. I’d normally fly down the dirt road that connected my house to Lachlan’s, but with Juniper in the back, I just couldn’t seem to find the courage to tap the gas.

Everyone’s vehicles were already parked, and my family was inside my brother’s house. There was no turning back.

“Can I take her out of her car seat?” Birdie asked as she released the latch on her seat belt.

“Of course. I…”

Her eyebrow quirked up. “What?”

“I’d like for you to carry her inside, so we can present a united front. I mean, I’m not sure what my family’s reaction is going to be, other than to tell me I’m a dumbass for thinking I can become a dad overnight and take care of her on my own. I think it will help if they know I’m not.”

Birdie’s brows furrowed. “Not…?”

“On my own. Right? You’re not having second thoughts about moving in for a while, are you?”

She smiled, her hand coming over to rest on my forearm. “Of course, you’re not alone. We’re in this together, remember? Until you feel more confident, I’ve got your back.”

“Together.” It felt like more than a promise of a few weeks’ time to help me adjust. It felt like something I wanted to hold onto forever.

I looked up at the front window of Lachlan’s place. Colt was standing, looking out at me, Connor in his arms. Holy fuck. We were both dads now. When would the shock stop dumping adrenaline over me? Was this what he felt all the time? Was this what it was like to be a parent?

Birdie slid out the door, and I cursed myself under my breath. That wasn’t something she did. No matter what, I opened the door for her. If Ma was watching, she’d tan my hide.

She’d have two reasons to tan my hide today, I guess.

I came around the other side of the truck and watched as Birdie’s hand went to her side. Guilt slammed into me. I hadn’t even remembered to ask her about how she got hurt. She brushed off whatever happened last night, but it was serious enough that she was still in pain today. I’d been so wrapped up in Juniper that I’d lost sight of that. “Hey,” I growled, “you need to let me see your side. And you need to tell me what the hell happened.”

“Later,” she replied, patting my chest. “We need to get your daughter inside.”

“Fine, but you’re telling me what happened when we’re done here. The ride into town to get Juniper some things ought to be enough time for you to go over everything.”

“Sure thing, Cowboy.” Birdie winked. “Let’s just make sure you’re still alive to go into town with us.” She nodded towards the window where my father now stood, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes trained on me.

“Shit,” I hissed. “If my dad freaks out⁠—”

“I’ll walk outside with her, don’t worry. And give your dad some credit, he’s worked hard to make up for how he reacted about Jessie being pregnant.”

That was true. Hell, he wasn’t the only one in our family who reacted poorly to Jessie’s news three years ago. Hayes and I iced her out hard, for weeks. Fuck, I was an asshole. I loved Beckett so much, it gutted me how I first reacted.

And I’d done the same to Violet, Colt’s wife. She’d come back to town a handful of months ago after being gone for ten years. I hadn’t wanted to accept her back into the family. I hadn’t been able to forgive her for divorcing my brother, and then having the stones to show back up in town, heavily pregnant. But I’d been wrong about her, too.

I was about to eat some crow. And I deserved to.

“Take a breath, then we need to go. Half your family is staring out the window already. Let’s not keep them waiting.”

Somehow Birdie had Juniper out of her car seat, cradled against her chest with the diaper bag slung over her shoulder. How long had I been spiraling?