Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

Manly looked a tad uncomfortable. “I don’t mean to pry, but based on our previous conversation, is there any reason that you working with a model of the female persuasion would get your wife’s goat, so to speak?”

Exasperated, Shane got to his feet. “Nothing happened between me and Jane. I told Bobbi that.”

“You told her that in anger, I suppose.”

“Well…” Shane turned in a full circle, hands on top of his head. “Wouldn’t you be pissed if your wife accused you of cheating?”

“But I did, and she had every right to feel betrayed.” Manly glanced away for a second before taking a step forward. “I did, and she took me back, and you haven’t, so, what are you scared of?”

“I don’t know. I just want things to be the way they were before.” His face hardened. “Before she got all wrapped up in this idea of having a baby. We’re not meant for it, and she needs to move on. She’s all I need.”

“Ah, now the picture’s a bit clearer. So you two are having problems of the baby-making sort.”

This was a bizarre conversation to have with a stranger, but Shane was rolling with it. “Bobbi’s chances of getting pregnant are next to none. We’ve known that for years, and I thought we were both fine with it. I mean, our life is full, and we’ve got nieces and nephews, and it’s good. All of it was good.” He swore. “Until it wasn’t. Until she got it into her head that she had to have a baby of her own.”

“A lot of women are bent that way.”

“I understand that. But it got to be so it was the only thing she cared about. She had us scheduling sex and wanted to try a surrogate or adopt, and it became this big beast that took over, and our relationship deteriorated and got bad, and I began to resent the hell out of her and even the thought of a baby.”

“Tough one,” Manly said. “For both of you.”

“I told her I didn’t want a kid. I mean, why would you go from a life where we could pick up and go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted. You can’t do that with a baby. The responsibility is huge, and this world…” He shook his head. “It’s a screwed-up place.”

“It’s wonderful too. Just you look over there.”

Shane followed Manley’s gaze and watched as a hummingbird drank nectar from the honeysuckle that climbed along the fence.

“I just…I always thought of my life as me and Bobbi,” he murmured. He’d never been particularly keen on the idea of having kids, especially when he found out Bobbi would have a hard time with it. I don’t need it, he thought. But then he thought of Mackie and what it felt like when the little guy had looked up at him like he was a hero.

“I’m afraid I can’t offer up any words of advice other than to say you need to talk to your wife and be honest with her. And she needs to do the same with you. If your love is meant to be, you’ll find a way to meet in the middle. You’ll leave all these troubles where they belong, in the past.”

Shit. Had he blown it this morning? Was he a bastard for leaving her?

“Remember that neither one of you is right or wrong. Not when you’re working so damn hard to meet in the middle.”

“You’re right, Manly. Thank you.”

The old man winked. “You should get on now and maybe think about cutting short your appointment with this”—his expression was comical—“female model and head on back to your wife so you can get all that honest talk out of the way. Then maybe start thinking about that long road home and how sweet it’s gonna feel when you reach the end of it.”

Manly turned slightly as if hearing something and then gave a wave. “Good luck with your situation. I need to leave now.”

The old man started back up the hill, and Shane retraced his steps to his bike. The old guy was eccentric as hell, but everything out of his mouth was pure gold. Shane hopped on his bike and looked back in Manley’s direction, but he couldn’t see him anywhere. For all of five seconds, he wondered where the old guy disappeared to, but then his life intruded on his thoughts, and he realized it was time to face things. Once and for all. He’d do up Mackie’s special picture with the supplies he had back at the B&B. But first he needed to take care of business.

He pulled his cell from his pocket and sent Dora Lee an apology before sending another text to Bobbi. He thought of that night at Moss Growed Over and how she looked in the moonlight. How her sweet scent lingered in the air. He remembered how she felt the night before, skin on skin, her hair in his hands, his cock buried deep inside hers where it belonged.

This was it. He was done playing games. His text was short and to the point.

I’m coming for you

Chapter Nineteen

Bobbi read Shane’s text and had to sit down. Coral took one look at her and grabbed some water.

“Everything okay?” Coral asked. She was in her fluffy pink bathrobe, hair still in rollers, cold cream on her face. They had the backyard to themselves. A young girl name Joelle was in charge of the desk, and breakfast was over and done. Miss Callie and Marybeth had taken Mackie to the hospital to see his mother, who was conscious and asking after her son. It was good news.

“He’s coming back,” Bobbi whispered.

“Well, I should hope he is,” Coral replied, lips pursed. She hadn’t said a word about the situation, but Bobbi knew the older woman wasn’t happy that Shane had left this morning.