Beating Heart: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 4)

J.T. had, in fact, broken his arm, and Cutler was sitting on my lap in the waiting area. Emerson had jumped into action the minute we walked through the doors. The hospital had him sitting there crying in a chair, while Jay and Susannah were trying to fill out paperwork, and they were both notably upset.

My girl took charge and got him back into a room with the on-call doctor, and she stayed right there with him. Cutler and I were waiting for her to come out when Jay strode through the doors and walked our way.

He had a smile on his face, but he looked exhausted. “Man, Emerson got things moving real fast back there.”

“I knew Sunny would take care of J.T. Is he okay?” Cutler asked, sitting up and looking exhausted himself.

“Yep. He broke his arm, and they’re almost done putting the cast on him now. He can’t wait for you to see it,” Jay said, rubbing a hand down his face. “Never a dull moment, huh? Sorry to pull you guys away from your night out. But man, that woman of yours sure did make things better for my boy a lot sooner than it would have been if she weren’t here. They weren’t in any hurry before she took charge.”

My chest puffed up with pride. My girl was a fucking rock star.

“Glad to hear it, and don’t give it a thought. I would have been pissed if you didn’t call and tell us what was going on. This is exactly where we wanted to be.”

“My girl, Sunny, is the best doctor around. That’s why the best hospital wants her in Boston. But me and Pops will see her all the time and eat all the chowder.”

Jay’s empathetic gaze moved to mine, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “I get why they want her, but Magnolia Falls wants her, too. I’m sure you guys will all figure it out. It’s nice to see you all so happy.”

Emerson, Susannah, and J.T. came walking out together, and my son ran to his best friend. “That’s a cool cast,” Cutler said.

“I want you to be the first one to sign it, Beefcake!”

Cutler signed the cast, and he took his sweet time while we were all looking at one another because it had been a long night, and we wanted to get these boys home.

We all said our goodbyes, and Emerson said she’d stop by tomorrow to check on him. It surprised me when we got into the truck that Emerson climbed into the back seat with Cutler after strapping him into his booster.

“You going to sit back here with me, Sunny?” Cutler said, his voice sleepy.

“Yep. I know you were upset, and I just want to make sure you’re okay, angel face,” she said, and when I glanced in the rearview mirror to back out, they had their fingers intertwined.

“I’m okay now,” my son said.

Yeah, you and me both, buddy.

There was a feeling of peace that came over me whenever I was with these two.

I drove the short distance home, and when we pulled into the driveway, movement on my front porch caught my attention.

Fuck me.

“Who is that?” Emerson asked, as she unbuckled Cutler, who was staring out the window.

“I guess Tara forgot to call and say she was coming today.” I cleared my throat, as I climbed out of the car and opened the back door to help Emerson and Cutler out.

I did my best to remain calm, but I was anything but. It was late, and there was no reason for her to be here on my front porch with a suitcase beside her.

“Hey, I was getting worried about you,” she said, as she pushed to her feet.

Tara looked exactly the same. She had dark hair and dark eyes, like Cutler’s. She was petite and slim. She knew she was attractive, and she used it to her benefit most of the time. I learned quickly that her exterior beauty did not match who she was on the inside.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone harsh but necessary. When it came to Tara, I needed to keep boundaries in place.

“Well, hello to you, too,” she said before she bent down, and her gaze moved to Cutler. “Hey there, sweetheart. It’s Mama. Do you remember me?”

He had his hand in Emerson’s, and he was standing a bit behind her. I didn’t know who positioned them that way. If it had been self-preservation on his part or the need to protect him on her part.

Neither would surprise me.

“Hi, Tara.” Those were the only words he said, and for a chatty little dude, it spoke volumes.

Emerson caught it, and she tightened her grip on Cutler and glanced over at me before Tara noticed.

“And who is this? Are we bringing random women around our child?”

“We’re not doing this, Tara. You haven’t come around for two years, and you think you can call the shots?” I hissed, and Emerson’s free hand landed on my back, as if she were trying to calm me.

I shouldn’t have this conversation in front of my son. I knew better.

“Sorry, I was just excited to see my boys,” Tara said, moving forward and wrapping her arms around Cutler.

His hand dropped from Emerson’s, and Tara scooped him up in her arms.

My boys.

She’d never used that term, and it was clear that it was meant to bother Emerson. I reached for her hand, and her posture was stiff, her smile forced.

Cutler looked uncomfortable as he hung in Tara’s arms, and his gaze found mine over her shoulder.

Confusion.

Apprehension.

Maybe even a little fear.

That’s what I saw when I looked at my boy.

Hell, he barely knew this woman. Why’d she have to come on so strong? This was her shtick. She never stuck around long, so everything was intense and fast and aggressive.

I was fucking tired, and all I wanted was to get my son into his bed and my woman into mine.

Tara set Cutler down and turned to face me. “So, I got here, and I had confused the dates. Turns out, my Airbnb isn’t ready until tomorrow, so I figured I could snuggle with my boy tonight.”

Cutler’s eyes were wide, and he moved to step between me and Emerson.

“Are you serious? Why didn’t you just go check into the Magnolia Falls hotel?” I said, unlocking my door as I tried to figure out how to handle this. “Cutler, go get your pajamas on. No bath tonight. I’ll be right in.”

Emerson, Tara, and I all stood in the entryway, and the tension was thick.

“Nash, it’s really late. Are you seriously not going to allow the mother of your child to stay one night at your house?” She sneered at Emerson, which pissed me the fuck off.

“Okay, this ends here. This is my girlfriend, Emerson. Stop with the looks and the cheap shots, got it?” I narrowed my gaze. “It’s confusing to Cutler when you show up like this. I thought you were coming in a few days?”

“Mark and I broke up. I wanted to come see my son. I need him right now.”

The fucking balls on this woman. I leaned forward to keep my voice down, unable to hide my anger. “You need him right now? Are you for fucking real?”

“Oh, I’m sorry that we’re not all like you, Nash. I’m not made of stone. Sometimes I need people,” she said. “I missed my family.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying hard to tamp down this growing anger. “You can’t do this, Tara. If you want to come and have lunch with Cutler, I’ll allow it. But you’re not staying here, and you’re not fucking with my son’s head. No games. No bullshit. You got it?”

Emerson stiffened beside me, as she obviously didn’t know what to do in this situation. This was very on par for Tara. Of course, she’d show up now, when our lives were better than ever.

She was the most selfish woman I’d ever met.

“Don’t worry, Pops. Tara can read me a story, okay?” Cutler’s voice broke through the chaos in my head.

Did he want her here?

Was I the one being selfish?

I scrubbed a hand down my face and glanced at Emerson, who gave me the slightest nod.

“Yeah, sure, buddy. She can read you a story,” I said.

Tara smirked and walked right by me, following Cutler down the hall. I moved to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the refrigerator, holding one up for Emerson, but she shook her head no.

I tipped my head back and took a long pull.

“Hey, you need to relax. We knew she was coming. She just arrived a little early,” Emerson said, her hand running up and down my back.

I turned to face her. “This is bullshit. She planned it. So where the hell should I have her stay? It’s almost midnight. Should we let her stay here with us on the couch for one night?”

“I’m going to head home and take Winnie out. I think you should have her stay here on the couch with you and Cutler. This is not something I should be in the middle of, Nash.”

“What? Don’t leave, baby. That’s what she wants you to do.” I could feel her pulling away, and it pissed me the fuck off that Tara had shown up and pulled her usual bullshit.

“Remember the other day when Collin showed up, and I told you that I needed to handle it?” she said, wrapping her arms around my middle and resting her cheek on my chest.

“Yep. And I hated every damn second that he was there.”

“We both have pasts. That’s what led us here, right? And Cutler wanted her to read him a book, and you need to respect that.” I looked down, and I swear I saw something flash in her eyes. Maybe it was hurt or doubt. And I hated that my ex had put it there. “He deserves to explore this relationship. It’s been missing from his life. And you’ll be the bad guy if you don’t allow this to play out. I will not take part in denying him anything that he wants, so I’m going to head home.”

“Hey.” I reached beneath her chin and tipped her head up to look at me. “I love you.”

“I know you do.” She smiled, but it was forced. And then she pushed up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick kiss. “I love you, too. Goodnight.”

She walked out the door as laughter came from down the hallway. I stood out on the porch and watched Emerson walk across the yard.

When I made my way back inside, I walked down the hallway. I paused in the doorway and watched as Tara made her voice high and low for different characters. Cutler was laughing, but there was still apprehension there. The way his shoulders were stiff and his smile was forced. I could see the discomfort, even if he didn’t want to say it aloud.

“Hey, you can stay one night. Cutler, I want you to go get in my bed. You can sleep with me tonight. Tara can sleep in here.”

“I love sleeping in Pops’ bed.” He pumped his fist upward, crawling from beneath the sheets.

I followed him into my room and tucked him in. “Goodnight, buddy. I love you. I’ll be in in a little bit.”

“Daddy,” he said, catching me off guard that he didn’t call me Pops.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think Tara came because she knows it’s my Star Student Day next week?”

“I don’t think she knows about it. Do you want her to be here for that?” I asked.

“Well, Sunny is going to make me unicorn Krispies for my big day. I didn’t know Tara would be here, so I don’t know what to do.”

“Listen, you don’t have to do anything tonight, okay?” I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “It’s been a long day. I’ll be back in a little while. I love you. Get some sleep.”

“I love you, Pops. Will you text Sunny and tell her I love her, too? I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“Of course I will.” I pulled the door closed and walked out to the kitchen, where I heard Tara’s muffled voice.

“I don’t care, Mark. Two can play that game. I’m going to spend some time with my family.” She stood in the corner, sipping a glass of wine and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m staying at the house with Nash and Cutler.”

I made my presence known and moved around the counter to empty my half-drank beer in the sink before tossing it into the recycle bin. She turned to look at me and quickly ended the call. “Nash is here, and we want to hang out. I’ve got to go.”

She set her phone down on the table and walked back to the counter to refill her wineglass.

“Don’t be using me to make your boyfriend jealous. You weren’t invited here. You left me no choice.”

“So what is this? Now you have a girlfriend, so I’m the enemy?”

“That’s not it, and you know it. You can’t just show up and expect to stay here. We have lives of our own. You don’t get to come and disrupt everything just because you and your boyfriend are fighting. For once, think about that little boy in the next fucking room. Don’t complicate his life just to make your boyfriend jealous.”

“Fuck you, Nash. You know nothing.” She tipped her head back and downed the whole glass she’d just poured.

“I know enough. What are you here for, Tara?”

“I’m here to spend time with my son. And I don’t appreciate you making that hard for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry that I’m not making your unplanned visits easy for you. You haven’t seen that boy in two years. I can count on one hand how many times you’ve called during that time.” I moved closer, squaring my shoulders. “It’s not about making it easy on you. It’s about making it easy on Cutler.”

She caught me off guard when she lunged forward and tried to kiss me. I caught her by the wrists and pulled her back. “What the fuck are you doing, Tara?”

Her gaze hardened, and I wasn’t sure what the hell she was up to. We’d never once hooked up since the day she walked out that door over six years ago.

“I came here to see if I still had a family worth coming back for.”

“You’re delusional if you think I’ve been waiting for you.” I took the wineglass from her hand and set it in the sink. “You’re upset about your boyfriend, so you came here. Come on, Tara. Do the right fucking thing, and don’t be selfish when it comes to Cutler.”

“Fuck you, Nash. You think you have all the power?” Her words were slurring a little now as she’d obviously downed the two glasses of wine in a short period of time.

“It’s not about power. It’s about being a parent to that little kid in there,” I hissed, pointing toward the hallway.

“Well, don’t be so quick to write me off. You don’t have a leg to stand on where our son is concerned. Remember that.”

“The fuck did you just say to me?” I moved close, venom leaving my lips.

“You never wanted a paternity test after I gave birth. That’s a card that’s yet to be played. So watch yourself when you start thinking you’re calling the shots.”

My head spun as she marched down the hallway toward my son’s room, like she didn’t just drop a bomb on me.

I picked up my phone and typed into the group text.

Tara’s here. She was just sitting on my porch and insisted on staying the night. She just made a comment, questioning my paternity. I’m trying to remain fucking calm, but I’m ready to lose my shit.

River

What the fuck? Don’t react. Say nothing. I’ll be there first thing in the morning. She’s signing something this time. She’s not going to hold paternity over your head.

Hayes

I never fucking liked that girl.

Romeo

Who the fuck comes into town after being away all this time and fucks with the dude who has been raising that little boy?

King

Ride or die, brother. We’ve got you.

I was shaking as I made my way down to my room and shut and locked the bedroom door. I quickly changed clothes and got into bed, and I lay on my side just staring at my little boy.

The light of my life.

And I’d do whatever I needed to make sure she didn’t fuck with either one of us again.

I was done playing games.