She stilled, and then slowly looked my way.
Oh fiddlesticks, I’ve overstepped.
A huge grin broke out over her face. “Okay with it? I’d be over the moon if you took that on! Are you sure? I’ve been doing it since day one, and to have Brock’s schedule off my list would lighten my load.”
I wanted to ask her why Kaci never did it, but I let it go. “Honestly, I’d love to do it. That way, if I decide to travel with him some weekends, I can easily book us together on flights.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she reached for my hand. “Thank you. Not for taking that on, but for supporting my son and being a part of something that means a lot to him. I know you talked to him before you got Blayze’s food. That little boy is a terrible secret keeper and spilled the beans as soon as you left.”
I chuckled, glancing over to Blayze, who was sitting on Lynn’s lap. Lynn was indeed a young woman, seventeen at the most, and it was obvious she had a heart of gold. She clearly loved her family and adored Blayze. She had done nothing but shower him with attention since she saw him.
My hand covered my mouth, and I nearly started to cry. This was not like me to be so emotional. “Oh, Stella! I have to tell someone or I’m going to burst. I tried calling Kaylee to tell her the news, but she didn’t answer.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
Another rider came out, and Stella held up her finger. We watched him ride the full eight. She wrote it down on the day sheet next to the rider’s name.
Then she focused back on me. “Go . . . before another rider comes out!”
Chewing on my lip, I blurted out, “Brock said he loved me.”
Her eyes widened, and I heard someone gasp from behind me.
Damn it. I’d said that really loud. I didn’t even want to know who was sitting back there and had overheard.
“Oh. My. Stars. What did you say?”
I grinned. “That I loved him. I mean, we have to talk about everything, but I’ve known from the moment Brock stepped into my barn that he was going to change my entire world.”
Stella wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. I did the same.
“Why you two huggin’? Can I have a hug?” Blayze asked, pushing the two of us apart.
I reached down, pulled him onto my lap, and hugged him.
“I wove you, Miss Lincoln.”
And there went my heart. The last piece given to a five-year-old little boy with blue eyes like his daddy’s. “Blayze, I love you too.”
From the corner of my eye, I watched Stella quickly wipe away a tear. I wasn’t sure if saying it to Blayze was the right thing. I didn’t want to confuse him, but at the same time, I did love him. I loved him like he was my own.
“Will you do me a favor?” I asked Blayze as he settled onto my lap and stared out at the arena.
“Sure!”
“Call me Lincoln, not Miss Lincoln.”
He didn’t bother to look at me when he replied, “When can I call you Mommy?”
Stella and I both froze. My eyes widened, and I snapped my head over to her, my breathing suddenly increasing tenfold.
What do I say? I mouthed to her.
Doing what she did best, Stella cleared her throat and acted like Blayze’s question had been the most natural thing in the world. “When your daddy and Lincoln get married, or when your daddy tells you that you can call Lincoln Mommy.”
I must have opened and closed my mouth ten times.
“Catching flies with that thing?”
Hearing her voice, I turned to see Kaylee standing there.
“You weren’t hard to spot with that shirt, Lincoln.”
I jumped up after sliding Blayze off my lap. “What in the world? How? When? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming so soon?”
Kaylee shrugged. “Turns out, I have nothing back in Atlanta at all. I put my condo on the market, fully furnished, and told my folks to trash or get rid of everything else. Packed up my car Tuesday night and drove pretty much straight here.”
“Kaylee, I’m so glad you’re here!” We hugged like we hadn’t seen each other in months, when in reality, it had only been a few days. “You must be exhausted!”
With a half shrug, she sat down in the empty seat next to me. “I’m fine. I told Dirk I’d be here and to make sure there was an open seat next to you.”
“I’m going to kill him for keeping this from me.”
She giggled. “Why? It was sort of fun, pulling one over on you.”
The announcer mentioned Dirk’s name, and we all focused on the arena.
Blayze called out, “Get ’em, Uncle Dirk!”
Kaylee yelled out her own good-luck message, which was about the same: “Give him hell, Dirk!”