Take Me Instead

Coming Home pt. 1

A/N: Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for being so patient with me while I've been dealing with the GRE, a historic snowstorm, and power outages. Enjoy this week's chapter!

Chapter 11: Coming Home pt. 1

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I considered coming back to the main house, especially after my talk with Daddy. But even with that relationship on the mends, I had come such a long way by living in Lee's house and felt more at home there than I ever had in the fucking mansion.

When I woke up the next morning, bright and early before dawn, there was a new sense of purity, like the slate was washed clean, or at least things would be quiet for now. But knowing my family, that wouldn't last long. Hell, it was only a matter of time until I ran into Beth again.

As I retrieved my bagel and coffee from Gator, I noticed all of the trailers parked down by the corral. Various cowboys were galloping around the pen in every which way. Daddy and Rip eyeballed the stallions as they loped and spun in the dirt.

Probably replacing that damn mustang from Kayce, I chuckled to myself and sipped my coffee. Jamie was right on Daddy's heels, undoubtedly in his ear about how much we were spending or how much we weren't making, and I was certain that a new horse was not on his to-do list.

I had made it to the front porch by the time I heard Kayce's rickety pickup rattle up the driveway. Strange, not only the way that he left yesterday indicated he may not be back anytime soon but that Monica was in the driver's seat as she threw it in park.

I liked Monica. She had this way about her that hinted she was a nurturing person, slow to judge and quick to help. But maybe that was me projecting my own needs onto her. She was the perfect mother for Tate; patient, wise, loving. To an embarrassing degree, I envied my nephew.

She was only a few years older than me, but not too old to where we couldn't be friends. I liked to think that perhaps if things were different we would be closers like sisters-in-law could be. Though it was awkward between us, ever since Kayce strayed away from our family.

"Monica?" I called out to her as she helped Tate out of the passenger seat. "What's going on? You ok?"

When she looked over her shoulder her eyes were filled with hesitation as she tried to determine if she could tell me or not. Instead, she asked, "Where's your father?"

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I kept my distance. I didn't need to butt into the conversation to know something was up with Kayce. It wasn't every day that his wife and child drove onto the property, much less without him. And Monica didn't need yet another Dutton fretting over her as Jamie made his way to the chopper. Instead, I guided my nephew by the shoulders into the kitchen, steering him this way and that.

"What kind do you want?" I asked as he hopped up onto the barstool.

His lips pursed to the side as he surveyed the tray, his eyes digging through the mound of sugar and candies until he spotted a giant cookie embedded with M&M's on it. "This one!" He exclaimed. "They're huge!"

"Well, we don't do anything small around here," I snorted with my eyebrows raised.

"Do you have cookies for breakfast all the time?" he gazed up at me in awe.

Though Gator would undoubtedly oblige, I wasn't one to dive headfirst into the sweets. "Do you think you could eat cookies every day for breakfast?" I countered, leaning forward on my elbows.