Free Noah's Journey (Sawyer Brothers #3) by C. A. Harms

smiled brightly. “Hey, bud, you ready to go see Storm?”
    His face instantly brightened as he began to pull at his seat belt. Ed chuckled as he reached in and helped his grandson unbuckle. As Ed lowered him to the ground, Stacey shot her father a glare he chose to ignore. “Go on and have some fun with your daddy.”
    The sound of the front door shutting caught my attention, and I looked up to find Sharon walking toward us. She held a Batman backpack that was so full, it was about to bust at the seams. When she stepped up to her husband’s side, she held it out to me.
    “Thanks,” I said as I took it.
    “I packed enough clothes for the night, and his favorite fleece blanket is inside too,” Sharon said, and I looked at her in surprise.
    “No,” Stacey snapped as she reached for the bag.
    I picked up Austin with a smile so big my jaws ached. “You wanna spend the night at my place, little man?”
    He did that cute little bobble-head thing, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Sharon and Ed laughed as well, but Stacey crossed her arms over her chest, and her nostrils flared in irritation.
    Her reaction made something inside me ache. I didn’t want to keep Austin from her. Even with all the shit she was pulling, the thought never crossed my mind. She was his mother and he loved her, so taking him from her would only punish my son, which I would never do.
    “Around eight tonight, can I have him call you to say good night?” I asked, looking directly at Stacey. My stomach tightened at the glossy look in her eyes. She nodded as she stepped forward and reached out for Austin’s hand.
    When she spoke, the vibration of her lower lip was like a punch in the stomach. “I’ll miss you, handsome,” she whispered as she lifted up on her tiptoes before placing a soft kiss to his cheek. “You be a good boy, okay?”
    As she went to step back, I don’t know what possessed me, but I placed my hand on her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She pressed her face against my neck, and her body shook lightly.
    “I’ve never gone a night without him.” Her tears soaked my shirt as she took a moment to attempt to calm her sadness. When she stepped back and put on a happy face, I got a small glimpse of the girl I used to know. “You have fun with your daddy. And tomorrow when you get back, we will make the biggest batch of chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever made. Then we’ll watch your favorite movie while we eat them until we feel like we might pop.” She tickled his stomach, and he giggled as he wiggled in my arms.
    All my anger and disgust at her earlier actions faded away. Stacey was scared of the very same things I was. The thought of losing Austin had us both doing and saying things that weren’t fair to each other.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Thirteen
     
     
    Alena
     
    I had shown up at the ranch with Amber expecting to see Noah, but he was nowhere to be found. Apparently he ran into some issues while picking up Austin. No one actually knew when he would grace us with his presence, but it didn’t stop the family from moving on.
    I was pulled off toward the barn by Jackson and placed on the safest horse. Jackson described Stella, an older thoroughbred mare, as calm and less likely to spook than other horses. With my lack of experience when it came to riding, I needed as much help as I could get.
    On the third attempt, I was finally able to mount the horse. I sat frozen stiff atop this gorgeous brown horse, afraid to move from fear of falling to the ground and gripping her so hard with my thighs, I felt a little sorry for her.
    “Alena, honey, you have to nudge her along,” Bailey said from my left. I moved very slowly as I looked in her direction. There she sat, Miss City Girl, the high-heel queen herself, looking completely comfortable on Diamond, the beautiful black-and-white thoroughbred Jackson had bought her. I had never imagined Bailey being a country girl, but after she and Jackson became an