Page 16 of Courageous Demands

“Don’t act like you don’t know…”

“I don’t. What happened a few months ago?”

“You stopped talking to him – again.”

“What? You mean when I texted him? I haven’t reached out again because he asked me to leave him alone!” Willow blurted out uncomfortably. “I don’t owe anyone an explanation – and my relationship, or lack of, is none of your business.”

“When it’s my son – it is my business!”

“Your son is a grown man,” Willow snapped hotly. “A grown man that doesn’t need his Mommy sticking up for him…”

“BOTH OF YOU SIT DOWN AND HUSH UP!”

Ruth’s voice reverberated against the walls and was quickly followed by a disgusted sigh as she looked at the two of them.

“Are you two finished for a moment so I can speak?” Ruth began, pointing at Mary Beckett. “I told you this is too close to home for you. His dad, Alec, all of it. You need to look at things objectively and try to befriend this pit viper…”

“HEY!”

“Because Alec is scared to death, hurting, and doesn’t know how to react to the feelings inside of him. That boy was at my house on Friday for my routine wellness check and spilled his guts.”

Willow’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“And you,” Ruth began openly, pointing her finger in Willow’s face. “I like you, because you remind me of me – so let me tell you that if you push someone too hard… they will break!”

Her voice cracked as her gnarled hand shook.

“There is no undoing the damage that gets done by words tossed casually, hoping someone understands. The brain is a vicious tool; memory warps things over time, and hurt feelings make loved ones into strangers before your very eyes. Trust me on this. I know this fact more than you will ever realize.”

Willow felt her whole being respond to this brutal truth when she realized that Ruth Kendall was talking about her son – the fire chief. Alec already was another person because the old Alec would have cracked some joke or shown up to schmooze his way back into her world if he wanted to be there. The fact that he was opening up, sharing his feelings, and in his mind, she was the ‘bad guy’… well, that really stung deep.

“You need to decide very quickly if you are going to be a withered old crone begging for scraps of attention,” Ruth continued, her voice trembling with intensity and emotion. “Or if you are going to let down those walls and be smart about what you do next.”

Willow looked at the two women, sitting silent for what felt like forever as her mind ticked silently. She wasn’t sure what he’d told them, but somehow, that door that had been slammed shut was quietly being opened a crack to allow her in.

Things might be different now. Alec might have actually moved on, but a part of her still cared for that young, impetuous boy from years ago. She hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings, but she felt so pressured about marriage and had just gotten a full ride on a scholarship to college. Her mother had told her that ‘if it was love, he’d wait for you’… but everything had blown up that night.

Ruth was right. Words tossed easily about hurt more than she would ever admit. She looked at them and swallowed.

“How do I reach him?”

6

* * *

ALEC

“All right, boys. You know the drill,” Justin said openly in the truck. All of them were completely exhausted. It had been a long night, and while they didn’t have a lot of calls, the one that they did have really kicked all of them in the pants. A storage unit had caught fire, and while the walls were insulated to slow the progression of the flames – it also made it difficult to attack.

‘Slow’ didn’t mean ‘No,’ Alec thought wretchedly, actually smelling his own musky body odor. He just wanted a shower, some food, and his bunk – in that order.

“Man, I am dragging…” Lance groaned beside him.

“Same…” Colton admitted.

“It’s a wellness check,” Justin reminded them. “Then we are heading back for some shut-eye.

“Ya’ know,” Alec began, letting his mouth take over. “I don’t see why we go on these things. If they are not well, then we need EMS… but somehow, they are always the last to arrive, it seems.”

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