Broken Open. Lauren Dane

her as she steered him like a horse.

      He galloped away and Ezra loped after them. But not until he’d taken a look back over his shoulder to check on Tuesday. It was sweet. Tender even.

      Tuesday tried to pretend he didn’t totally fluster her as she spoke to Kelly again. “Thanks for having me over. Or whatever you’re supposed to say in this sort of situation.”

      Kelly laughed. “Thanks.”

      Two other little girls ran through with Kensey.

      “That’s Julie and Holly. Ross’s two.”

      Ezra and Vaughan headed out through the big sliding glass doors to a pretty yard beyond.

      Natalie was in the kitchen with Mary and Sharon. It wasn’t that Tuesday felt left out. After all, if she had wanted to she could have gone in. Not excluded, either, but they had a thing going and it would have been weird.

      “Would you like something to drink?” Kelly led her to a sideboard where a few pitchers of juice, water and tea sat. “I started coffee so it should be done soon if you’d like some of that.”

      “Tea is great, thanks. Ezra said Maddie is recovering well.”

      “Maddie’s doing great. She wanted to come home today but her dad managed to get through to her. They have that sort of connection.” Kelly’s gaze strayed over to where Vaughan and Ezra were huddled at the far end of the backyard. The girls had swarmed out there and were playing on the big play set and both men faced them, keeping an eye on the girls even as they talked. They were clearly up to something.

      There was a commotion at the front door and Kelly set her glass down. “That’ll be Ross. Excuse me a sec.”

      * * *

      EZRA TOOK ONE careful look back at Tuesday to make sure she was all right. She appeared to have hit it off with Kelly so he caught Vaughan’s attention, jerked a chin toward the backyard and headed out.

      The girls flew past them both in a hail of giggles and headed to the play set.

      “Apparently we got to the hospital today about ten minutes after the fiancé left. Fiancé. Jesus, Vaughan, what are you going to do?”

      “I don’t know. I should let it go. He’s good to the girls. They both really like him. They’d make a family together, his part and her part.”

      That pissed Ezra off. “But that’s your goddamn part. If you hadn’t stopped by here last night another man would have taken your baby to the hospital and sat up most of the night in the waiting room. You okay with that? Maddie calling him Dad, too? Is he going to take pictures before the prom and text them to you? Will she cry on his shoulder when she gets her heart broken the first time? You gonna be one of those guys drowning in regret when he’s sixty-five and his kids have kids of their own and he’s a stranger to them? Vaughan, these are your women. Your children and your woman. Why are you even hesitating?”

      Vaughan’s anguish was clear on his features. “Do you think I like it? I hate it. But what can I do, Ez? I walked away. I wanted a divorce and she gave me one and this is what the price of that act is. I made my decision and it fucked up everything. But I can’t take it back.”

      Hearing the misery in his brother’s tone tore at Ezra. “Bull. Yes, you screwed up. You were too damned young and you got married. You made stupid choices, but you’ve paid for them. Do you still love her? Because if you don’t, then yes, let her move on. But I see how she looks at you. I saw whose hand she reached for when the doctor came in today. You have a chance, not to undo your mess-ups, but to move past them and be a better man. Claim your family. Be worthy of them.”

      Kensey called out that both daddy and uncle watch as she went all the way across the monkey bars.

      “You rock, baby.” Vaughan kept his eyes on Kensey but he spoke to Ezra. “Once upon a time I loved Kelly. I loved her the first time I saw her. I loved her even when I fucked up so badly I broke the thing some other man is about to snatch up. She made these little creatures with me. Maddie and Kensey are the best parts of what Kelly and I were at one time. Do I love her now?” Vaughan shrugged. “I never stopped loving her. But I was stupid and selfish and too blind to see and appreciate what I had in front of me the whole time. I don’t know what to do. The tour ends tonight. I’m staying in the same hotel for the next few days. Thanks for the stuff you brought, by the way. Then after we get Maddie home and settled I’ll hang out a while and then I’m headed to my condo in Portland for a while. I need to get it together, man. I need to do it and I can’t do it at the ranch.”

      “I know how that is. Let me know what you need. I can get your mail and all that.”

      “Thanks.” Vaughan’s gaze slid to where Tuesday and Kelly stood together inside the house. “So what’s the story there?”

      “I’m taking that one a paragraph at a time.”

      “The two of you throw off some serious heat.”

      Ezra nodded. Startling how much.

      “She’s Paddy’s girlfriend’s best friend. Don’t be a dick or you’ll pay and pay.”

      “She and I are just cruising around one another. Beyond that? I don’t know. But she’s not insane and I’m not a dick so I think we can handle it.”

      Sharon opened the back doors. “Time to eat. Come on in, girls. There’s even some cake.”

      They flew off the play set and headed inside, with Ezra and Vaughan in their wake.

      “For the longest time I’ve felt like you needed to be loved by someone. Someone who knew all your secrets and didn’t give a shit.”

      Ezra caught Tuesday’s gaze where she stood with Natalie in the kitchen.

      “One paragraph at a time,” Ezra repeated. “Now, if I were you, I’d angle myself next to Kensey because then you’re on Kelly’s other side and the fiancé has to sit elsewhere.”

      Vaughan grinned as he sped his pace to do just that.

      Kelly approached with a very good-looking guy, who was clearly the fiancé everyone pretended Vaughan wasn’t upset by.

      “Ross, this is Tuesday. She’s here with Vaughan’s brother Ezra. Tuesday, this is Ross Porter.”

      They complemented one another. It was pretty easy to see they had an easy affection with one another and the kids.

      He shook Tuesday’s hand with an open, warm smile and there was nothing to be done but respond in kind. “Nice to meet you. Sorry about the circumstances, though.”

      “We caught it before it got scary. Maddie heals quickly so that’s a good thing.”

      Tuesday caught Ezra’s gaze as he came in with Vaughan. He moved straight to her and she waited, stuck in place by the sight of all that masculinity prowling toward her. Every bit of his attention was on her and it left her breathless.

      “Ready for some food?” He slid an arm around her waist.

      “Even if Mary did break out the little meatball things on the drive over I’d be open to having nine more.”

      His grin was nearly boyish.

      When they filled their plates in the large kitchen, Tuesday spied Vaughan setting himself up next to Kensey and Kelly. Which would have left Ross at the other end of the table.

      She didn’t frown. Because Tuesday knew what it meant to fight for someone. There’d been someone else once, between her and Eric. It was all fine and good to make proclamations about what you would or wouldn’t do in a situation like that. But the reality had been different.

      The world wasn’t perfect.

      People weren’t perfect.

      Love wasn’t enough. But the right kind of love would be worth a second chance.

      Tuesday