Chapter 93

Justin stalled in the doorway, watching the trio. His children and the woman they adored. Allena had been a pivotal part of their lives for so long it would be difficult to imagine life on the ranch without her. Almost impossible. She created balance and harmony. She was the steadiness they all needed after so much loss and was an essential part of their everyday lives. She was…family.

He watched as Cassie clutched her hand as they bent over, looking into a small box in the corner of the stables. Jayden said something and Allena laughed, the sound echoing and somehow hitting him directly in the center of the chest. It occurred to him that he hadn’t heard her laugh much lately. Oh, sure, sometimes when she was in the garden with Mittie or in the kitchen with the kids, or reading the paper with his dad when his father dropped in. But around him…not so much.

Had it always been like that? Had he simply been blinded by the fact she was essential to his kids and therefore didn’t think about