Lucky Forever - Cee Bowerman Page 0,52
She thinks I’m there out of pity or guilt. Fuck, I dont’ know what she’s thinking. She’ll barely fucking talk to me now.”
“Shit,” I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you love her?” Sierra asked and then her eyes got wide. “I’m sorry, I just met you. I don’t really know the situation and it’s none of my business.”
“Yeah, I love Jenna,” Fain admitted finally. “I have for too long and I fought it. But with the accident and all, I realized I was pushing away a good thing. I’d walk through fire for that woman. Hell, I do every time I get near her brothers.”
“The woman he’s talking about is Jenna Forrester,” I explained to Sierra. When she looked confused for a second, I added, “Her brothers are Bird, Kale, Clem, and Daughtry Forrester.”
“Oh,” Sierra raised her eyebrows. “Good luck, buddy. I’m going to let you two talk. Fain, it was a pleasure to meet you and I’ll be praying that your girl comes around. All I can say is stick by her side and keep trying. If you love her like you say you do, she’ll see it eventually. I’m going to find the girls and make sure they eat some real food before we cut the cake.”
“Thanks, Sierra,” Fain smiled. “I’ll come visit you guys next time I’m in town. I need to get to know my new sister and niece.”
“I look forward to it,” Sierra smiled at Fain and then tiptoed up to give me a kiss. “Come find me later.”
Fain and I watched her walk away and finally he turned to me and smiled, “You’re already lost, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Pretty much.”
◆◆◆
“Hey, babe,” I said as I walked up beside Sierra where she was talking to Summer, Willow, and Shannon. “The photographer wants to take some pictures of just us and the girls real quick. She suggested the corral with the horses in the background. Walk with me?”
Shannon smiled knowingly and reached to take Sierra’s drink out of her hand.
“You guys go on. Sierra, I’ll hold onto this for you.”
“Thanks,” Sierra looked at Shannon oddly, probably wondering why she was acting so strange. “I just saw the girls over there talking to Holly and Emerald.”
We walked hand in hand and found our daughters and when I told them we had more pictures to take, they both groaned.
“Come on, there’s a surprise in it for you,” I told the two. “Leia, you know I give good surprises.”
“He really does,” Leia told Lexi as she stood up. “Believe me.”
Sierra laughed at the girls and I led the three of them toward the corral. Once we got near the fence, I whistled shrilly and the barn doors opened. Nicole and two of her assistants, followed by the cameraman Kari had hired for the night, led out the three horses I had purchased by phone earlier in the week while we had been in Austin.
I heard Sierra’s gasp and Leia and Lexi’s excited screams as I vaulted over the fence into the corral to walk toward the horses and Nicole.
I took the reigns of the buckskin mare that I had chosen for Sierra and led her toward the fence. Sierra’s eyes were twinkling as she stepped up and leaned over the upper rail to reach the horse. It was instant love between the two when Sierra went straight for that spot between the horse’s eyes and scratched while she murmured sweet words with tears in her eyes.
I walked back to Nicole and took the reins of the other two horses and led them over to where Leia and Lexi were sitting on the fence. Both girls were smiling from ear to ear and nearly vibrating with nervous excitement.
“Daddy,” Leia whispered, tears streaming down her face. “You found her!”
“I did, love,” I smiled up at her and nudged the dappled gray mare closer so Leia could say hello and then handed her the reins.
I turned to Lexi and looked up into her wide eyes. “Lexi, honey, this gorgeous girl is your horse. She’s my wedding gift to you and she’s your responsibility from now on.”
The beautiful black mare sniffed Lexi’s hand as she put it closer and then nibbled Lexi’s palm with her lips causing Lexi to laugh. Lexi reached up and stroked the white forelock on the black mare’s head and whispered, “Thank you, Rowdy. Thank you so much. I’ll love her forever and ever.”
“We don’t have enough tack and saddles for you girls to