“Okay, little girl, this is new for me. Let’s see what we’ve got in here for you to play with.”
Renie had two bags packed with stuff for Willow. She’d told Jace to leave one in the truck and bring the other one in. When Willow got tired, he could put her in the car seat, take her for a short drive, and she’d fall asleep. He laughed when she told him not to leave her in the car alone, and if they sat in the parking lot while she slept, to make sure it didn’t get too warm.
“She doesn’t have too much faith in my babysitting abilities, but we’re gonna be fine, aren’t we, Willow?”
Willow smiled and started babbling. She wanted him to read her a story; he understood almost all her words this time. He was making progress, or maybe she was.
Three hours and many snacks later, Willow screeched when she saw Renie walking toward them. “Mama mama!” she yelled and held her arms out.
“Well?”
Renie was smiling from ear to ear. “As she predicted, she had a little girl. She’s beautiful, Jace.” Renie had tears in her eyes. “I need to call Billy.”
“Right here, sweet girl,” Billy walked in as if on cue, and Renie threw her arms around him.
“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
“It’s okay.”
“Mama cryin’,” Willow explained to Jace. “Mama happy dada’s here now.”
“Glad to see you were able to keep our baby alive, Rice.”
Renie slugged him. “Leave him alone. He did great.” She looked at Jace. “Thank you, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“My pleasure, and I mean that sincerely.” Jace ruffled Willow’s hair. “We had fun, didn’t we, Willow?”
Willow looked at Renie. “Had fun, Mama.”
“Hey, what’s her name?” asked Billy.
“Caden Avery,” Renie told them.
“Ah now, isn’t that a pretty name?”
“I should call Paige and Mark. And who else? There must be other people I’m supposed to call.”
“Didn’t she give ya a list?” Billy asked.
“You’re right, she did. What would I do without you, Billy Patterson?”
“You ain’t never findin’ out, darlin’.” He kissed her long and hard enough that it made Willow giggle and Jace blush.
Tucker wished Blythe’s gaze wasn’t quite so penetrating.
“I’m waiting,” she said.
“I know you are. This isn’t a story I’ve told before, Blythe. I’m trying to figure out where to start.”
“Start at the beginning.”
The beginning. That would’ve been all the way back to elementary school. The day the teacher announced to the class there was a new girl who would be joining them.
Her name was Rosa, and she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. Her last name was Rodriguez, which meant she’d be sitting right behind Tucker, since his last name was Rice. Jace sat in front of him.
He learned, over time, that Rosa’s family lived in Basalt, but since her mother drove into Aspen for work every day, they enrolled her in a school in town. Rosa never believed she fit in with the other students, who primarily came from wealthy families. Her mother worked for one such family, as a housekeeper. It wasn’t until they were freshmen in high school that Rosa began coming out of her shell, and that was after going to school with most of them for several years.
She was often off on her own, and Tucker watched her. He was the same way, sometimes anyway. There were days when he didn’t feel like hanging out with his friends, he wanted to get lost in his art instead. There wasn’t anyone he liked to draw more than Rosa. Her black hair and almost black eyes were such a contrast against her pale skin that flushed a pretty shade of pink whenever he talked to her.