charm, Colton would give it that.
American flags hung from every streetlight on Main Street, and the fire hydrants had been painted to look like trolls. They were cute, and Colton had smiled his way through town to his brother’s house.
He was secretly thrilled he could come help Ames before they’d both fly to Coral Canyon for Cy’s wedding. He could easily get time off at Springside, the lab where he worked a couple of days a week. Other than that, Colton had simply adjusted his workout schedule and how often he got to take his dog to the dog park—something that Coral Canyon had just opened two weeks ago—to get on a plane with only a few hours’ notice.
He went back down the steps, his pulse still bobbing somewhere in the back of his throat. Around the corner of the house and down the sidewalk sat the front door. The roof sloped over the front porch, which wasn’t very big. Maybe two people could stand there, if one of them wasn’t tall and broad-shouldered like Colton.
He rang the doorbell and knocked again, calling, “Ames?” this time. His brother didn’t come. This door was also locked, and the Texas heat and lack of his brother drove Colton back to the rental car.
He started the ignition again, because he’d bake to death in the car without air conditioning. In that moment, he was grateful for the cooler mountain temperatures, as he’d never felt heat like this before. “It’s humid too,” he told himself, as humidity wasn’t something he’d ever dealt with in Colorado or Wyoming.
When he’d lived in Virginia, he had experienced some humidity, but Texas seemed to be one degree away from the sun. He called Ames, his concern amplifying with every ring of the line.
He didn’t answer, and that only drove frustration through Colton. What was the point of him rearranging his life to come help his brother if the man wasn’t even around? If he’d gone to the grocery store or driven himself somewhere, he certainly didn’t need Colton.
“You aren’t giving anything up,” he muttered to himself. “Other than dealing with your jealousy.” He looked out the windshield, his heartbeat settling back to normal. He loved his new niece and his new nephew. He absolutely did, and he enjoyed spending time with Wes and his family. Some of the best times in Coral Canyon happened at Gray’s house in the woods, and Colton had never turned down an invitation to go there in the summer.
They’d returned to Coral Canyon for the next few months, and they had a seven-month old baby girl, who was literally the most adorable human on the planet.
Colton simply found himself wanting one of those tiny, precious, adorable humans for himself. Annie had noticed the change in him—he had a terrible time hiding anything from her as it was. She’d asked him about it, and he’d confessed his feelings to her, the same way he had Wes and Hunter last fall.
What should we do? she’d asked.
Colton had no answer for her. She didn’t want another baby, and he had never had one. Her daughters were grown and married, and he completely understood why she didn’t want to start over with an infant.
She had also told him that she was too old to physically have a baby, and Colton had assured her once that he was fine with it.
But now, he wasn’t sure he was. They’d been talking about becoming foster parents or even adopting. It wouldn’t need to be a baby, he’d told her. There are kids of all ages who need a good home.
They’d taken no steps yet, because neither of them really knew what to do. Colton didn’t even know what he wanted. Sometimes he watched Wes and Gray, and he didn’t want their lives. Other times, all he wanted was to snuggle with his wife and child on the couch.
Basically, he was a mess.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Clear my mind, Lord,” he murmured. He’d been praying for some version of having a clear vision to know what to do for some time now. The pathway before him still felt shrouded in darkness.
His phone rang, and he opened his eyes to see who it was. Annie. He tapped to connect the call. “Hey, love,” he said. “I just realized I never called you when I landed.”
“That’s why I called.”
“I’m alive. It’s hot here. And guess what? Ames isn’t even home.”
“He’s not home? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He