Scarlet makes a face. “Not me. It’s too cold.”
“Come sledding with us this winter and maybe I can change your mind.”
She opens the back door to the Jeep, getting Jackson out of his car seat. She puts his coat on before he’s even out of the car, zipping him up and making him wear his hood.
“We’re walking fifty feet from the driveway to the house,” I tease. “We’re not going to die of hypothermia in that time.”
“You never know.” She snaps the top button on Jackson’s coat and takes his hand. She’s so good with him, and he’s so responsive with her. Seeing them together makes me so fucking happy, and I can’t stop smiling right now.
I let out a snort of laughter when I see the magnet on the back of Owen’s truck that reads Big Truck, Small Penis.
“What’s so funny?” Scarlet asks.
“Owen and Logan must be at it again,” I tell Scarlet, pointing to the magnet. “They put ridiculous and usually vulgar magnets on each other’s cars and see how long it takes before the other notices.”
She laughs. “That’s actually hilarious. I wonder how long that’s been on.”
“No clue. A few months ago, Logan drove around with a big smiley-face magnet that said, ‘I have herpes’ for four days before he noticed.”
“Can we get a magnet like that for your car, Daddy?” Jackson asks, and his innocence pulls on my heart.
“Sure,” I tell him. “Something similar but not the exact same.”
“Yay!”
We hurry into the garage, shaking off the slushy rain from our coats before stepping in and being bombarded by my mom’s dogs. Logan and Owen are in the kitchen at the big island counter, eating chips and salsa. Meat for tacos is simmering on the stove, and tequila and margarita mix sit out on the counter next to the fridge.
“Hey,” Logan says, and Jackson rushes over, getting excited to see his uncles. He flicks his eyes to Scarlet and then me in question, and I know he’s thinking about what we discussed back at the bar Friday night.
“Hi, Logan,” Scarlet says, pointing to him. “And Owen. I got it right this time, didn’t I?”
Logan nods. “Right, but it’s not hard. I’m much better looking than he is.”
Scarlet laughs and takes off her shoes and coat. “You dress alike and even your mannerisms are the same.”
Jackson slides out of Owen’s lap, wanting to show him the farm set-up he worked on while he was here yesterday. Logan starts to get up to follow them, but I stop him.
“Does he know Charlie is engaged?” I ask in a hushed voice.
“Charlie’s engaged?” Logan’s eyebrows go up. Fuck. Owen doesn’t know.
Scarlet takes a seat next to Logan and pulls the bag of chips over. “Who’s Charlie?”
“Owen’s ex who he’s not over,” Logan tells her. “He won’t admit it, but we all know he still has feelings for her.”
“Poor guy.” Scarlet shakes her head.
“How’d you find out she’s engaged? Last I heard she was living in New York,” Logan says.
“I met with her dad today,” I tell him, and he puts two-and-two together right away.
“Are you free?” His lips curve into a smile. “Can I pour a round to celebrate?”
“What are we celebrating?” Mom asks, coming into the kitchen carrying an armload of Mason jars. “Oh, hello, Scarlet. It’s so good to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you too. Need any help?”
“No, but thank you. I’m canning tomorrow and just brought these up from the basement.” Mom puts everything in the sink. “Is there really a celebration? I’ll drink to it if there is.”
“You’ll drink to anything,” Logan quips.
Mom nods. “That is true. I do enjoy wine, though tonight I’m having a marg to go with my taco.”
“Don’t call it a marg, Mom.” Logan shakes his head.
“Why not?”
Logan laughs. “Just don’t. And Wes said he talked to a lawyer today. So I’m assuming that means…”
“I petitioned for a divorce,” I finish, feeling a huge sense of relief as soon as the words come out of my mouth. “Given the circumstances, how long Daisy has been gone, and the fact that she hasn’t provided any sort of support for our son, Mr. Williams thinks he can have things handled fairly quickly and I’ll be granted full custody of Jackson.”
Mom gasps and claps her hands together. “I have been praying for this!” She pulls me into a hug.
“You know how weird it sounds to admit you’ve been praying for me to get divorced?”
Mom laughs, giving me one more squeeze. “Oh, stop it. I want you to be happy.”
“I am, Mom. I am.”
The garage door opens, sending the dogs running in a frenzy. Quinn and Archer make their way in, trying to make it to the kitchen table without being tripped by the dogs. Archer sets Emma’s car seat on the table, folding back the blanket she’s covered with. Somehow she stayed asleep through all the noise.