Part 41 (2/2)
”Love you, too.” She kissed him full on the lips, patted his face and got into her car.
”I saw that,” Buddy grumbled.
”She kissed me.”
”Uh-huh.” Buddy surprised the h.e.l.l out of Reid with a hug. ”Enjoy all this, brother. Don't let the haters get you down.”
Leave it to Buddy to say what everyone else was thinking. ”I won't.”
”Anything I can do-you know where I am.”
”There is one thing...”
”What's that?”
”Well, I know Kate asked you to walk her downstairs to the wedding, but if you could maybe be my best man, too, I'd be mighty grateful.”
Buddy glanced at the Bunkhouse and then at Reid. ”I thought you'd ask Ashton to do that.”
Reid would never admit to how much it pained him that he didn't feel comfortable asking his son to stand up for him. ”Don't want to push my luck.”
”Right. Yeah, probably wise. Of course I'll do it.”
”Thanks-for that and everything.”
”You have no idea how glad I am to see you guys back together and happy as h.e.l.l. I beat myself up for a long time over what happened the first time around.”
”You shouldn't have. It was all our doing. You got caught in the crossfire.”
”Still... Feels like we're righting a wrong or something, you know?”
”I sure do, and I'm so glad you and your family will be a part of it.”
”So are we. We'll see you for Christmas.”
Reid was incredibly thankful that his ”family” would be present for the holiday. He needed all the friends he could get with Jack Harrington and Jamie Booth coming to town. ”See you then.”
He went back inside where Ashton was cleaning up the beer bottles, soda cans and pizza boxes. ”Thanks for the help tonight, son.”
”Sure, no problem.”
They'd been cautiously polite to each other in the weeks since he and Kate had been back in town. Neither he nor Ashton had any appet.i.te for trouble in their relations.h.i.+p, and for that Reid was profoundly grateful. But he would give almost everything he had to feel that his son was even slightly happy for him and Kate. He wanted that more than he'd realized, until it became clear that Ashton wasn't going to say the words he longed to hear.
It was enough, Reid told himself, that his son was partic.i.p.ating, that he'd come to help with the Bunkhouse when Reid asked him to. Except it wasn't enough. It wasn't anywhere near enough. At some point, Reid needed to tell him about the baby that was on the way, but he'd yet to find the right time to broach a subject that might upset his son.
”Are you going to head home?” Reid asked when all the work was done and the living room had been straightened after the impromptu gathering.
”I was thinking about cras.h.i.+ng the hen party,” Ashton said with a devilish gleam in his eyes. ”Want to come along?”
”Kate was pretty adamant about wanting some time with her sisters.”
”So was Jill.”
Their eyes met in a moment of lighthearted unity that made Reid feel like there might be hope after all.
”Are you in?” Ashton asked.
”Sure, why not? But if it goes bad, it was your idea.”
Ashton laughed as Reid locked up the Bunkhouse and they headed for the well-worn path that led to Jill's place.
Reid felt like a kid sneaking out to perpetrate a prank with his favorite partner in crime. The air was brisk and cold. Snow flurries danced in the air, a promise of things to come over the next few days. Kate had refused to get too hopeful about a white Christmas, but all reports indicated snow on Christmas Eve.
”Colder than a well-digger's a.s.s,” Ashton muttered.
”Sure is.”
The lights were on at Jill's, and an inviting wisp of smoke curled from the chimney.
Ashton marched right up the front stairs as if he had every right to be there and rapped on the door.
Jill answered a minute later, surprise registering on her face. ”What're you doing here?”
”My dad wanted to see Kate.” He stepped aside so she could see that Reid was with him.
Reid let out a bark of laughter. ”He lies. This was all his idea.”
”We're freezing our agates off,” Ashton said. ”Are you going to let us in?” When Jill hesitated, he said, ”Pretty please?”
”Oh, all right.”
”She can't resist me,” Ashton said to his father as they went inside.
”Don't push your luck,” Jill said, even though Reid could tell she was delighted to see his son.
Ashton truly pushed his luck by stealing a kiss from her.
Wanting to give them a minute alone and hungry for a glimpse of his fiancee, Reid looked around the family room, which was empty. He followed voices to the kitchen, where he found Kate with Maggie.
Kate's eyes lit up with delight when he walked into the room. He hoped she would always be that happy to see him.
”What're you doing here?” she asked.
”Ashton wanted to see Jill and dragged me along.”
”I'm so glad he did.” Kate came over to hug and kiss him. Over her shoulder, he noticed Maggie watching them. With an interesting combination of their features, she was as gorgeous as her sisters.
He pulled back from Kate's embrace but kept his arm around her. ”You must be the mysterious third Harrington sister.”