Claiming the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 7)

“Looks like we’ll be sharing lots of nieces and nephews,” I tell her with a smile.

She gives me her attention. “I guess so.”

The look on her beautiful face as she watches Hendrix sleep captures me again. Ten more minutes pass, and I know our time together is quickly coming to an end. Before we wear out our welcome, I stand and give my brother another hug.

“Congratulations. I’m really so damn happy for you both. I know you’re gonna be incredible parents.”

“Thank you. And you’re gonna be a great uncle.”

“If you need anything, please let me know. I’m serious. I’m here for you both day or night.”

“We will,” he confirms before I move to Hadleigh. I lean over the bed and give her a hug.

“He’s absolutely perfect, Hads. Congrats, Mama. Now get some rest.”

“Thank you, Kane. You’ve been a lifesaver through this,” she says, grinning. I made a lot of B&B runs when she had cravings, and Knox couldn’t get away. I didn’t mind, though. Watching her go through pregnancy was a fun experience, even when she was ready to bite my head off for only God knows why.

“I’m always here for you,” I remind her like I have a dozen times before. Just as Kaitlyn and Ivy say their goodbyes, there’s a light tap on the door.

As Maize and Gavin enter, I step into the hallway. Soon Kaitlyn walks out and tells me she’s heading home. I’m not sure what compels me to do so, but I wait around for Ivy. Wearing that same warm smile, she steps out of the room, and we fall in line together. Her enthusiasm about the baby is almost contagious.

“Wow, I can’t believe we have a nephew.”

“I know, it’s insane.” I meet her eyes briefly, then open the door for her that leads to the waiting room.

“Babysitting is gonna be a blast. I’m sure he’s gonna be a breeze to watch and a lot of fun as he gets older. I might be biased, but Hendrix is adorable.”

I shoot her a smirk. “I agree wholeheartedly. He looks just like Knox and I did.”

She chuckles, then licks her lips. “So…” she lingers. “I know this might come off a little awkward but—”

Before she can finish her sentence, my girlfriend, Raelyn, strolls up.

“Sweetheart,” I say, surprised to see her here. “I didn’t think you were gonna make it.”

She glances at Ivy, then reaches up to give me a quick kiss. “I didn’t think so either, but I was able to get off work early. I didn’t want to miss this.”

“You should go in and see them real quick. They’re in room 585. I’ll meet you there in a bit,” I offer, and she agrees, kissing me again before walking away. We met last year at Knox and Hadleigh’s wedding. She’s one of Hadleigh’s co-workers, but we didn’t start dating until six months later. We only became official recently, and we have a lot of fun hanging out when we can make it work between our busy schedules.

When she’s out of sight, I meet Ivy’s longing gaze.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” I ask, hoping we could pick up where we left off.

“Oh, it was nothing.” She smiles, but it seems forced as thick air surrounds us. “Well, I should probably get going. It was really good seeing you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

The silence between us lingers as neither of us moves.

“Let me walk you to your car. You can tell me about school,” I suggest, wanting just a few more seconds with her.

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m parked right up front,” Ivy tells me. “You should probably go meet up with your girlfriend. I don’t wanna keep you.”

“You’re not,” I confirm. “I’ll be happy to—”

“Take care of yourself, okay? Have a good night.”

“You too,” I tell her, defeated.

She gives me a cute nod, and I watch her walk to the elevator. As she steps inside, her gaze locks on mine, and it only breaks when the doors slide closed. My heart races as I blink out of my trance. Slowly, I suck in a deep breath, wondering what kind of spell she had me under.

I go back to Hadleigh’s room with my mind reeling. Raelyn’s holding Hendrix and grinning wide. Guilt consumes me as I replay each moment with Ivy. Right now, the only thing on my mind is Ivy’s big brown eyes and what the hell she was going to say before we got interrupted.