“Daddy’s naked in your bed! Are you making a baby right now?” Kensey, apparently totally unaffected by this, bounded up onto the bed, Maddie on her heels.
“Nope! Not naked. Wearing pants.” The panic in Vaughan’s voice brought a laugh up from her belly.
“Kensey’s singing in her room at the top of her lungs. I can’t sleep and she knows it and she won’t shut up.”
Maddie had to say that first. Even though she was clearly surprised and as curious as Kensey she had to complain about her sister or explode. It made Kelly start laughing.
With a groan—of pain it sounded like—Vaughan moved off her, though he remained on his stomach. Kensey hopped on his back, chattering like a monkey about why it was important to sing when one was moved to do so.
The absurdity of it kept her laughing so hard, tears came from her eyes. Both girls were in bed by that point, asking Vaughan questions and laughing at the way their mom was giggling like a loon.
“You done yet?” Vaughan asked, amused.
“I’m sorry. Oh, goodness.” Kelly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and got the last of the aftershock giggles dealt with before she sat up, a pillow in her lap, and looked at her children.
Their children.
“I think we may have to rethink our earlier plan of not saying much and letting them figure it out,” Kelly said to Vaughan.
“You think?” He grinned.
He was so fucking cute it never failed to work on her. Like human catnip. Or dark chocolate and sea salt on almonds. He’d wanted this all along anyway.
“Okay, then, you go on and explain it.” Kelly waved a hand at him.
He moved to sit next to Kelly, mirroring her with a pillow on his lap. “When I started staying here it was to not only be a better dad, it was to also hopefully convince your mom that I’d changed from the terrible husband I was before. So she’d give me another chance, too. I want us to be a family, all of us.”
Terrified, Kelly nodded. Agreeing. “I want that, too. We won’t be making any babies, though.” Not for some time, maybe not ever.
“Were you a terrible husband, Daddy?” Kensey asked.
He licked his lips and nodded. “Yes. I messed up a lot. Your mom deserved better. I’m that man now. She’s giving me another chance to prove I’ll be the best I can be for all three of you. Will you guys?”
“We love you, Daddy,” Kensey said, throwing her arms around his neck. “We like it that you’re here. You pack good lunches and sing us songs while we make dinner.”
“What’s going to change?” Maddie’s voice had a little fear in it. Kelly reached out to pat her leg. Her oldest daughter’s eyes, so much like Vaughan’s just then, were a little wide. “Are we going to live at the ranch? Will we have to change schools? All my friends are here!” Maddie looked back and forth between her parents.
Kelly wasn’t anywhere near a place she could imagine living in such close quarters with her mother-in-law. She liked the house and the community here. They had roots and Kelly didn’t want to rip them up to live on that ranch, away from the life she’d built over the past eight years.
Her own life. Not a life made by her mother, or driven by the necessities of remaining on track to hold her place in her modeling career. Eight years ago she’d been a single mom to two children under eighteen months old.
The most pride she’d ever felt was that she’d made a home here for her daughters. She had a way to support them all. A job and career she loved. It took a lot of tears to get that far.
Going to live at the ranch—at least at that point—would be a repudiation of all that pain. Kelly had been responsible for her own happiness for the first time in her entire life.
And despite the ups and downs of her life, she was happy. Happier right at that moment than she’d been in a very long time.
She didn’t have to answer, though, because Vaughan did.
“No.”
Vaughan’s answer surprised Kelly. She’d figured his end goal was to have them all at Sweet Hollow Ranch.
“Your mom’s boutique is in Portland. The commute would be awful from Hood River. And you girls have school here, your dance studio, friends. I can’t see that your mom and I have any need to move. Especially during the school year.”
Kelly thought about how much he had changed. The Vaughan she’d married wouldn’t have even considered living anywhere else but Sweet Hollow Ranch. His home was custom. The band’s studio was at the ranch. Ezra, his best friend and brother, was at the ranch.
“But we all have a house on there. We’ve got weekends and the summers and school breaks. I need to be there a lot more often during the harvests. So we’ll have plenty of time in Hood River. Part of your heritage is that ranch.”
Kelly realized how much she’d sort of forgotten that key point. Yes, she loved that his family was close with Maddie and Kensey. But they should be helping during harvest, too, as a way to show their love. They were Hurleys after all.
“We’ll find a way to have you two help,” Kelly said. “Your uncle Ezra has some great ideas, I bet.”
Vaughan’s smile made her so much more glad she’d made that offer.
They had to work together. Not her telling him what to do. Or him trying to figure out what she’d be happy with. That felt way too much like parenting. She needed a partner, a leader of their family team to stand beside her.
“Nope! Not naked. Wearing pants.” The panic in Vaughan’s voice brought a laugh up from her belly.
“Kensey’s singing in her room at the top of her lungs. I can’t sleep and she knows it and she won’t shut up.”
Maddie had to say that first. Even though she was clearly surprised and as curious as Kensey she had to complain about her sister or explode. It made Kelly start laughing.
With a groan—of pain it sounded like—Vaughan moved off her, though he remained on his stomach. Kensey hopped on his back, chattering like a monkey about why it was important to sing when one was moved to do so.
The absurdity of it kept her laughing so hard, tears came from her eyes. Both girls were in bed by that point, asking Vaughan questions and laughing at the way their mom was giggling like a loon.
“You done yet?” Vaughan asked, amused.
“I’m sorry. Oh, goodness.” Kelly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and got the last of the aftershock giggles dealt with before she sat up, a pillow in her lap, and looked at her children.
Their children.
“I think we may have to rethink our earlier plan of not saying much and letting them figure it out,” Kelly said to Vaughan.
“You think?” He grinned.
He was so fucking cute it never failed to work on her. Like human catnip. Or dark chocolate and sea salt on almonds. He’d wanted this all along anyway.
“Okay, then, you go on and explain it.” Kelly waved a hand at him.
He moved to sit next to Kelly, mirroring her with a pillow on his lap. “When I started staying here it was to not only be a better dad, it was to also hopefully convince your mom that I’d changed from the terrible husband I was before. So she’d give me another chance, too. I want us to be a family, all of us.”
Terrified, Kelly nodded. Agreeing. “I want that, too. We won’t be making any babies, though.” Not for some time, maybe not ever.
“Were you a terrible husband, Daddy?” Kensey asked.
He licked his lips and nodded. “Yes. I messed up a lot. Your mom deserved better. I’m that man now. She’s giving me another chance to prove I’ll be the best I can be for all three of you. Will you guys?”
“We love you, Daddy,” Kensey said, throwing her arms around his neck. “We like it that you’re here. You pack good lunches and sing us songs while we make dinner.”
“What’s going to change?” Maddie’s voice had a little fear in it. Kelly reached out to pat her leg. Her oldest daughter’s eyes, so much like Vaughan’s just then, were a little wide. “Are we going to live at the ranch? Will we have to change schools? All my friends are here!” Maddie looked back and forth between her parents.
Kelly wasn’t anywhere near a place she could imagine living in such close quarters with her mother-in-law. She liked the house and the community here. They had roots and Kelly didn’t want to rip them up to live on that ranch, away from the life she’d built over the past eight years.
Her own life. Not a life made by her mother, or driven by the necessities of remaining on track to hold her place in her modeling career. Eight years ago she’d been a single mom to two children under eighteen months old.
The most pride she’d ever felt was that she’d made a home here for her daughters. She had a way to support them all. A job and career she loved. It took a lot of tears to get that far.
Going to live at the ranch—at least at that point—would be a repudiation of all that pain. Kelly had been responsible for her own happiness for the first time in her entire life.
And despite the ups and downs of her life, she was happy. Happier right at that moment than she’d been in a very long time.
She didn’t have to answer, though, because Vaughan did.
“No.”
Vaughan’s answer surprised Kelly. She’d figured his end goal was to have them all at Sweet Hollow Ranch.
“Your mom’s boutique is in Portland. The commute would be awful from Hood River. And you girls have school here, your dance studio, friends. I can’t see that your mom and I have any need to move. Especially during the school year.”
Kelly thought about how much he had changed. The Vaughan she’d married wouldn’t have even considered living anywhere else but Sweet Hollow Ranch. His home was custom. The band’s studio was at the ranch. Ezra, his best friend and brother, was at the ranch.
“But we all have a house on there. We’ve got weekends and the summers and school breaks. I need to be there a lot more often during the harvests. So we’ll have plenty of time in Hood River. Part of your heritage is that ranch.”
Kelly realized how much she’d sort of forgotten that key point. Yes, she loved that his family was close with Maddie and Kensey. But they should be helping during harvest, too, as a way to show their love. They were Hurleys after all.
“We’ll find a way to have you two help,” Kelly said. “Your uncle Ezra has some great ideas, I bet.”
Vaughan’s smile made her so much more glad she’d made that offer.
They had to work together. Not her telling him what to do. Or him trying to figure out what she’d be happy with. That felt way too much like parenting. She needed a partner, a leader of their family team to stand beside her.
