Because of a Cowboy

You Ruined Everything

Everyone around me was staring. Toby protectively put his arm around me.

"I can handle this," he said.

"It's okay, Pappa Bear. I got it," I said, stepping away and ahead of him.

I made my way through the crowd of people starting to gather around Holden. He stepped off his precious bike, dressed in his usual outfit. His cowboy hat was on, and so were his jeans. His shirt was nowhere to be found and his massive abs were glimmering in the sun.

It felt like my skin was tingling. I was completely falling for Toby, but something about the way Holden looked...I just couldn't shake it away...this feeling.

I'm stopping this before it goes any further.

"Oh, look who it is!" I said. "You don't answer any of my texts, but you show up uninvited to my baby's gender reveal!"

Holden was quiet. Smirking and puffing out his massive chest, but quiet. Everyone else, on the other hand, was whispering back and forth.

"You crashed my gender reveal and ruined everything. Are you happy?" I asked Holden.

I heard a voice behind me ask, "Who is this guy?"

My emotions were all over the place. I just found out I was having a boy and trying to process it. I wanted to pretend this wasn't happening, that Holden was just a mirage from a hot summer day. But here he was. This was getting resolved right here, right now. I could care less that my whole family was watching.

"Listen up everyone!" I said, turning around to all of them. All of their eyes met me at once. "This specimen here is the biological father of my baby, who has been a deadbeat and is just showing up now, out of nowhere!"

There were confused glances, but it was Whisper's hand-cupping-her-mouth-face that got to me.

"I had no idea," she said. "I thought Toby was the father this whole time..."

"I'm sorry I didn't disclose this to any of you," I said, raising my voice to project to the massive crowd. "In every aspect, Toby is my baby's father."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Holden said. Everyone grew silent. "After seeing the last ultrasound picture, I had a change of heart. That's...that's my kid."

"Oh really? Because he sure didn't seem like your kid the last time I saw you."

Holden took a step forward, his snarky grin turning into a sincere smile. "He?"

I looked over my shoulder for a second and realized Grandpa was blocking Holden and I from the rest of the crowd.

"Alright everyone, let the two crazy kids have some space! Go on, shoo!" he said.

The crowd fizzled out. Someone turned the music up on the speaker. Toby was right up against me, giving Holden the evil eye. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear.

"I'd like to do this alone."

"If you say so. I'll be close by," he said.

Toby walked off to grab some punch and talk with my parents. I looked right across from me at Holden. He looked the same, but there was something about his composure that was completely different from the night he ran out on me at the hayloft.

"What are you doing with that loser?" he asked. Nevermind. He was exactly the same. Holden took my hand in his. "You could do way better."

I quickly took my hand away. "Just tell me what you want and why you're here."

"Oh, we're feisty today! I like it." He smirked. "You need to give me another chance, baby. That little guy in there is a part of me. He deserves to be raised right. Not like—"

He nodded his head in the opposite direction. With a few of my siblings cheering him on, Toby was cautiously making his way towards Monet. He reached his hand out, and as Monet turned his head, hoping to get his muzzle rubbed, Toby shrieked and jumped back at least five feet.

"Like that," Holden said. I looked back over at him. "Come on. I don't want my kid to be some big pussy like that."

"Don't call my boyfriend anything like that ever again, or I swear, I will—"

"Whoa whoa, hold your horses, baby. I just came to talk."

"You can talk all you want. It's a free country. But it's a different story if you insult Toby." I crossed my arms over my chest. "You have no business being here. Just leave. Go."

"No. I want to be in my son's life. Whether you're sleeping with me or not. Which you should be, by the way." He winked. I rolled my eyes. "Ask Wesley if I can be a ranch hand again for the summer. I'll bust my ass. I'll show you I can be a good dad...a good role model."

"Hey, Wes!" I called out to my brother. Might as well humor the guy. Wesley jogged right over. "So, can Holden work here again this summer?"

"Absolutely not," Wesley said with his classic, straight face.

"I'll work free of charge the first month," Holden said.

"When can you start?" Wesley asked eagerly.

I nudged him with my elbow. "Wes! What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Willa, but we've got a tight budget around here. You know how it is. I can forgive a lot of things if it means I'll get free labor."

"If you want free labor so bad, just check in on Willa in five months when she's close to her due date!" Waldo, who was eavesdropping, shouted from a few feet away.

Wesley let out a long sigh and said, "When do you want to start, Holden? And the second I find you making a move on one of my sisters, you're done."

"I can be here next Monday," Holden said.

"Okay, see you Monday, then," Wesley said before walking off.

Holden chuckled to himself and stared at me with his deep, blue-grey eyes. "Looks like we'll be spending summer together again, won't we?"