Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch (The Ryan Family #1) by Carolyn Brown

“For what?” Jesse asked.

Mia raised her head again. “For being such a horrible person, and for all the mean things I’ve said about my father being a bum off the streets. And for lying to you and Jesse, and Poppa and Nana tonight.”

“Did you go see Ricky?” Jesse asked.

“Of course not!” Her tone turned a little edgy. “I lied about going to see Justine. I went to the drugstore.”

“Are you sick?” Addy’s stomach turned over and nausea set in.

Mia shook her head. “I went to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test. I’m a week late.”

The room spun a couple of times and started to fade into a gray fog before Addy remembered to straighten up and take a deep breath. “Have you taken the test?”

“I went to a truck stop and did it in the bathroom. That was the longest three minutes of my life. I thought they would never pass, and then I was afraid to look at the test. I knew I would be sick if it was positive and guilty for hating Ricky so much if it was negative since it wouldn’t be a little baby’s fault,” Mia said. “It was negative. I guess I’m just late because of all the stress.”

“Then why are you so upset?” Jesse asked gently.

“Because of the way I’ve felt and treated Mama about my own father. I didn’t want to be pregnant with Ricky’s baby. Like Justine, I would be terrified to even tell all y’all, and I’d live in fear that my baby would grow up to act like Ricky.” She stopped talking long enough to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. “Then I got to thinking about how you felt, Mama, when you looked at me. Did you see my father in me? Did you worry that I’d grow up and act like him?”

“Yes, and yes, but your father is a good man. It was my decision, not his, to not tell him. If he had known about you, he would have married me, and I wasn’t sure it would have been for the right reasons,” Addy explained.

“Then why wouldn’t you tell me who he is or was all these years?” she asked.

“Because if he had known, he would have given up on his dream and rushed back here to do the right thing, and well…” Addy glanced over at Jesse.

“After a time,” Jesse said, “I imagine it just got easier to move on with her life, right, Addy?”

“Did you ever forget him? Did you love him?” Mia asked. “I don’t want to remember Ricky, and I don’t think I ever loved him. I just wanted someone to love me like Poppa loves Nana. We even talked about that before we moved in together, and he said he wanted the same thing. How can I ever trust another guy?”

“Question one.” Addy held up one hand. “I never forgot him.” She held up another finger. “And I did love him, but I wasn’t sure it was the marryin’ kind of love. I thought it was most likely the best friend love that got out of hand one night.”

Jesse patted her on the back. “When the right guy comes along, he will respect you, and he will never want to change you.”

Mia’s eyes shifted from Jesse to Addy and back again several times. She finally cocked her head to one side and then blinked rapidly a dozen times. “Best friend love…” she whispered. “Jesse, are you my father?”

“Yes, he is,” Addy said before he could answer.

“And everything your mother said is true. I’d always talked about making a career out of the military. I would have given all that up in a split second if I’d known about you. Our friendship was so strong that she didn’t tell me about you so that I could have my dream,” Jesse added.

“I had dreams, too,” Addy said. “I wanted to be a nurse, and I am one. I have a beautiful daughter that has brought joy to me…well, until she got all sassy and headstrong and ran off with a bad boy. I have no regrets about the decisions I made, except that I feel that I’ve cheated you two out of knowing each other. That’s the one thing I’m sorry for.”

Mia stared at Jesse the whole time both he and her mother were talking. Addy wondered if she was in shock or in a trance. She started to snap her fingers in front of her daughter’s eyes when the girl finally spoke.

“I have your eyes, and that’s why I’m so tall.”

“Yep.” Jesse nodded.

“You really didn’t know about me?” she asked.

“Not until I came home. I knew Addy had a daughter, but I didn’t know you were my child,” Jesse answered.

“Did you ever wonder?” she asked.

“No, I didn’t. We only had that one night together,” he said.

“Didn’t Poppa and Nana talk about me? Did they ever send pictures, like at Christmas, or didn’t you see the ones on the mantel of me and Mama?” Mia pressured for more.

“They did, and yes, I saw the pictures when I came home, but I never made the connection until I came home a few weeks ago. If I had, I would have gotten to know you,” he said.

“Part of Jesse not seeing you is my fault. When he came home, I made sure we were in Cactus for Thanksgiving,” Addy said.

“I didn’t figure it out for myself until I was told when your birthday was,” Jesse told her.

“I’ve got to think about this for a while,” Mia said as she stood up. “I should have known it all along because Mama has always had a picture of you in her wallet, but…” She frowned at Jesse. “I figured my dad was someone she was ashamed of, not her best friend. I don’t think I’m ready to call you daddy or dad.”