Love, Exes, and Ohs (Cactus Creek #4)(49)

“It’s okay to feel conflicted,” whispered Vivian.

No, she wasn’t conflicted. It wasn’t a war of emotions. Far from it.

Every inch of her soul was beyond ecstatic that Darcy was okay. Every cell in her body, every fiber of her being. There was no question of that.

Just like there was no question that every inch of her soul, every cell in her body, and every fiber of her being was also hurting right now.

Because she’d just lost her son for the second time.





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE


“SWEETHEART, WHY’RE YOU working? I’m sure your staff would understand if you took tonight off,” reasoned Isaac gently.

To a less than receptive Xoey.

When Quinn had texted him to let him know that she’d just caught a glimpse of Xoey walking into Ocotillos, he’d dropped everything and raced over.

It’d only been two days since Darcy had woken up from her coma.

Two days since Xoey had removed all traces of her stay in Darcy’s house.

Two days since he’d driven her over to Vivian’s to drop off the last of the things Blake had left in his truck and her car.

To her credit, Vivian had asked her if she wanted Blake to sleep over in Cactus Creek.

But she’d declined.

“Because that would just be to make me feel better. It wouldn’t be for him. I know I’m not his guardian anymore, but if I were, I’d be the most selfish one alive if I allowed myself to do that.”

Her words had barely been airborne when Blake had excitedly rounded the corner and bounded over to slam into her with a hug, talking a mile-a-minute about his day.

Like nothing had changed.

Isaac caught Xoey close her eyes for one brief moment and squeeze Blake just a tiny bit tighter before she let him go. She then ruffled his hair and said the same exact greeting Isaac had heard her giving Blake all those weeks ago.

“Hey, B.W. What’s shaking?”

Just the sort of greeting a family friend—not a mom—would give an eight year old.

He’d silently raged then at the universe for putting the woman he loved through this.

For making it so he too had to go back to that ‘before’ greeting as well.

Before he’d known he had a son.

“Hey Blake, cool shirt.”

He couldn’t begin to imagine what Xoey had been feeling that day, but on his part, he’d felt a little piece of his heart break off untethered when he’d kneeled down then to fistbump his own son. The amazing little boy who, just the other day, had written on a homework assignment a list of his family, which consisted of a mom, a biological mother, an aunt, an uncle, and two cousins.

No father.

“I’m fine, Isaac. And we’re short-staffed tonight.”

Xoey’s dull words brought him crashing back to the present in an instant.

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to do this. Be this strong. Not now.”

She gazed up at him sadly. “But I do have to. If not, I’m afraid I’ll unravel, and keep unraveling until there’s nothing left of me but an empty spool.”

His heart clenched in his chest. “What can I do, sweetheart? How can I help you through this?”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. “This. Just keep doing this to help keep me from coming apart at the seams.”

For a brief minute they stood there and held each other right in the middle of Ocotillos, mindless to hustle and bustle around them. We’ll make it through this. Somehow, someway, they would. His future was with Xoey, and hers with him. He had no idea how Blake was going to factor into everything and vice versa, but right now, that’s what he clung to.

Their future.

…Until one loud, slightly drunk voice brought their past barreling into the present, shattering that sliver of hope into a million irrevocable pieces.

“Hey, small world! I didn’t know you two knew each other.”



*



XOEY PULLED BACK and smothered a grimace when she saw it was Bachelor #3, aka Mr. Octopus Hands, breaking apart the one moment of comfort she’d felt in days.

“Griffin, hi. How are you?” she offered genially.

“Can’t complain,” replied an even louder than she remembered Griffin, who had on a top shelf whiskey slap-happy grin on his face as he swung his glance from her to Isaac. “So you two are dating now? Congrats. Again, small world. Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since you both know Quinn and Luke.” He slung an arm around Isaac’s shoulder. “I don’t say this often but in this case, it’s the truth. I couldn’t have lost out to a better guy.”

Lost out? Griffin hadn’t even been a contender.

Her thoughts must have been showing through on her expression because Isaac’s mouth twitched up into a tiny grin.

Xoey found herself smiling as well in response, which had her momentarily giving Mr. Octopus Hands a pass for everything he’d done to earn that moniker.

He had her and Isaac smiling again. That had to count for something. So instead of brushing him off, she smiled politely as he continued to disprove the myth that folks don’t actually talk like they do on TV crime shows.

“I’m telling you,” continued Griffin. “This guy is the greatest. He saved my ass more than a few times back in business school. Am I right?” He triple-patted Isaac’s cheek in that mafia sort of way.