“Yes, I did speak to him about it. Last night. In great detail.”
I wasn’t going to let Michael know my father was over the moon about my news.
“We need to talk this over when you come back.”
Pushing my hand through my hair, I watched as Corina stood with her hands over her head while they scanned her.
“Sir, I need you to know I won’t change my mind. This is something that has been weighing heavy on me for a number of months.”
He huffed. “I go through this more than you think. It’s a phase. You’ll get over it. Enjoy your trip, have fun, relax. Just know that when you come back, shit is going to get real.”
The line went dead, and I pulled the phone away from my face. Security was taking Corina off to the side for an additional check. Sitting on the bench, I thought back to last night and my conversation with my father.
His glass froze at his lips. Moving around in my seat, I glanced at Trevor and Steed. They both wore huge smiles.
Turning back to my father, I said, “Dad? Are you okay?”
Trevor let out a hearty laugh. “Hell, yes, he’s okay. He’s in shock, like I am. Happy, but in shock.”
“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Steed added.
After taking a long drink, my father set his scotch down onto the table and focused back on me.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited to hear those words from your lips? I have to ask though, why now?”
I swallowed. I’d become a cop for so many reasons. The main one was proving to my father that I wasn’t going to take Steed’s place at the ranch. Once Steed left for Colorado, my father assumed I would fall in line. Hell, at the time I wanted to work on the ranch. At least, I thought I did. I had big ideas, things I wanted to try, ways to branch out—until my father mentioned I was going to have to take Steed’s place. I didn’t want to work on the ranch to take someone’s place. I wanted to work on it because my father saw something in me. A place for me.
“So, you went off to college and became a cop because you thought I expected you to take Steed’s place?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
My father stared at me for the longest time. “Mitchell Parker, this ranch has a place for each of you kids. From the day you boys first climbed up onto a horse and rode out into those pastures, it was in your blood. Waylynn and Amelia have it in them, too. Do I want all of y’all here working? Call me selfish, but yes. I do. Will I force you? No, I won’t. But if you for one second think I don’t believe you belong on this ranch…”
His voice trailed off. He closed his eyes and then looked back at me. “Boy, I’d like to slap you upside your damn head.”
Trevor and Steed laughed as I jerked back. “Excuse me?”
My father leaned forward, his arms resting on the tops of his legs, his blue eyes blazing as he stared into mine. “Mitchell, I can’t run this ranch without you boys. Whether you’re here full time or part. Steed, Trevor, and Wade do a hell of a good job, but son, I need all of you boys. I’ll take whatever your heart wants to give.”
I felt the tears stinging my eyes. “I love being a Texas Ranger, Dad. I’ve put everything into it. A hundred and ten percent.”
“Good. That’s how your mother and I raised you.”
Smiling, I took a look over to Trevor. He sat quietly off to the side, yet every now and then, he’d bob his head and give me the encouragement he knew I needed to do this.
Focusing on my father, I continued. “But things have changed. Corina made me see what I really want in life. I want to marry her, start a family, and—”
My voice broke. “I want to work on the ranch full time. And it’s not because I’m worried that something’s gonna happen to me. I know the risks of my job and so does Corina. I won’t lie and say that’s not one of the reasons, though.”
With a lift of his brows, my father asked, “What’s the main reason?”
My hand went over my chest, where for the last few years I’d felt empty. “I’m missing something. There’s a hole in me, and it took me a little bit to figure out why it was there. Corina has filled most of it…but it’s still a hole.”
The corners of my father’s mouth rose into a smile. His eyes brightened, and I swore they cast a light into the room. He reached for his drink, finished it off and stood. I followed his lead, as did Trevor and Steed.