Willa stands up straight now, arm slung around Luke, who is still clinging to her. “I was the one out partying. Cade stayed home to, uh, clean the house. He’s very tidy. You did well in that department.”

My dad scoffs. “That boy only cleans when he’s anxious.”

Dick.

“Well then, his anxiety must be off the charts,” Willa quips, trying to keep things light. Her bartender banter is on point, but my dad doesn’t fall for it.

“He’s looking mighty relaxed this morning,” he replies, grinning ear-to-ear.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, kicking at a stone in the packed dirt beneath my work boot.

Willa snickers and looks away. We both know we’re busted. Old Harvey’s fucking eagle eyes never miss a beat. And that’s what I get for staring at Willa like she hung the moon.

It’s been all of ten minutes since we left the house, and I’m already failing at keeping things between us under wraps. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to, but I also don’t want all the pitying looks when she leaves. The throat clearing and the back pats. And if people don’t know about us, they won’t know why I’m miserable. And that just feels a lot more bearable to me.

“What’s the plan today?” I stare down at Luke, opting to ignore my dad entirely.

“Planning my birthday! Willa, you’ll come right? Even though it’s on the weekend?”

She smiles down at him, giving his small shoulders a tight squeeze. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Will you play happy birthday to me on your guitar?”

She laughs and my dick goes hard. Watching Willa play the guitar is up there for me. All unplugged and stripped down, just her soft raspy voice and the gentle strumming of her dainty fingers, with long hair splayed against the stained wood.

It’s almost as hot as watching her sit on a bucking horse and stick the ride.

“I have an even better idea,” Willa says. “I’ll teach you how to play it too.”

Luke’s eyes go wide. “In front of everyone?”

“Only if you want to.” She ruffles his hair, and my brain snags on everyone. Because Luke’s birthday is the one day of the year that Talia likes to crawl out of the woodwork.

I glance over at my dad. We spent enough years working this land together, learned to read each other pretty well, and I see he’s thinking the same thing.

I’ve never wanted to keep Talia away from Luke. I’ve given her every opportunity to be a part of his life, even if she hasn’t taken those chances.