Free Rough Terrain (Vista Falls #1) by Cheryl Douglas

loves you.” Wes knew he didn’t have to remind her of that. He’d never known two women more connected than Gabrielle and Sage.
    “I think she loves us together, if you want the truth.” She laughed almost self-consciously. “You know how many times over the years she’s told me I haven’t gotten serious with anyone else because you were my soul mate?”
    Wes took a bite of pizza because if he didn’t, he would blurt out something stupid like… She’s right! Judging by the sudden color in her cheeks, Sage was wishing she could take her words back.
    “But she raised a good point,” he said, trying to give her a graceful way to change the subject. “Maybe I should reach out to him first. I can try to explain the situation. If he’s willing to see us again after that, he might be more receptive to seeing you, after he’s heard the story.”
    “No.” She shook her head emphatically, reminding him of the stubborn girl he used to love. Once she dug her heels in about something, there was no changing her mind. “I want to meet him. With you. I don’t want you to try to convince him he doesn’t have the right to feel hurt or angry or confused. He does. I don’t want to make him feel guilty for feeling that way. I’m sure we would in his position, right?”
    “I guess you’re right.”
    “You know I am.”
    They ate in silence for a few minutes with him polishing off two pieces of pizza to her one.
    “Have you started to do any digging yet?” she asked, reaching for her water. “You said something about hiring someone to help find him?”
    “Yeah, but the lawyer I contacted said that if it was an open adoption, the adoption agency should be able to tell us something. Do you have any paperwork that might help? You know, from the adoption agency you dealt with—something with their name or phone number?”
    “I do,” she said, jumping up. “It’s in my office. I’ll be right back.”
    He appreciated that she was making this easy for him. When he’d come back to town, he wasn’t sure what to expect. There had been a lot of hostility between them when he left, mainly because they’d disagreed about the right course of action.
    “Penny for your thoughts,” she said, standing in the doorway with a nondescript manila envelope pressed to her chest.
    “I was just thinking it’s nice we can be friends after everything that went down between us.” When she didn’t respond, he added, “Assuming that’s what we are? Friends?”
    “I think so.” She sat on the edge of the sofa, farther away than she’d been before. “I mean, I’d like to be friends.” She bit her lip, her eyes straying back to the photo. “Gabby has been amazing, but no one else really understands what it was like to give him up, to wonder all these years about what he’s like.”
    “What does he look like?” Wes said, knowing he was speaking her thoughts. “Does he have any of your mannerisms or mine?”
    “Is he an athlete like you or a writer like me?”
    “Does he love the outdoors?” Wes cleared his throat. “Did his adoptive dad ever take him fishing or hunting? Is that something they like to do together?”
    She surprised him by placing a hand on his knee. “Does he have a girlfriend?” She wrinkled her nose, making him laugh. “God, I’m not sure I could handle that. I still imagine him as a little boy, you know?”
    “Yeah, me too.” Thinking about all of the important moments they’d missed out on killed Wes. But if they were lucky enough to get a second chance to be a part of his life, they had a lot of amazing moments to look forward to. Like high school and college graduations. Maybe a wedding and grandbabies.
    She pulled her hand away, resting her elbows on her knees as she covered her face with her palms. “God, I just pray he doesn’t tell us to go to hell and he never wants to hear from us again.”
    Wes inched closer, resting his hand on her back. “Babe, there’s a chance of that happening.