Page 24 of Wasted On You

“Ma.” Pained at the turn in conversation he groaned and looked away. “We don’t need to do this. I’m a big boy.”

“You’re a big boy who’s hurting.” She tugged on his arm until he was forced to meet her eyes. “From the day you were born everything came easy. You walked early. Talked early. You made friends easily. You got good grades. Knew what you wanted to do with your life. Your veterinarian practice is thriving. Everything you’ve ever wanted to accomplish, you’ve done so with ease. With zero pushback. And your charm. My God, you have endless amounts of it. Too much for your own good.” A soft frown touched her brow. “That always worried me.”

“I can’t help it if I’m charming,” he quipped.

She shook her head. “No. Not that. You’ve always gotten what you wanted, so it doesn’t make for an easy time when you want something you can’t have. You’re not equipped to deal with it properly. It’s why you’re acting out. Throwing punches at walls.”

“Technically, I was aiming for Lafferty’s head.”

“What?” She was shocked.

“Mom.” He threw up his hands swore silently. “I’m good. I’m a grown man. You don’t need to worry about me.”

She attempted a smile, though it didn’t touch her eyes. “You might be a grown man, but you’ll always be my little boy.” She reached up and touched his jaw. “I want you to be happy. But if Ivy has chosen to be with this Kip Lafferty fellow, there’s not much you can do about it.”

“We’ll see,” he said, reaching for the leftover meatloaf he’d pulled from the fridge. Millie Sue had given it to him a few days earlier. He gave it a sniff.

“What do you mean, we’ll see? I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

He looked at his mother and grinned. “You probably shouldn’t, but you will.”

“And why is that?” Her face softened.

“Because you love me.” He winked. “On account of all that charm.”

“Promise me you won’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“I can’t promise that.” He tossed the meatloaf in the microwave. “But I won’t do anything to hurt anyone if that makes you feel any better.”

“I’m not worried about anyone else. Promise me you’ll protect your heart.”

Melody Darlington didn’t wait for a reply, likely because she knew he didn’t have one. She gave him one last kiss and then left. Mike Paul wandered over to the fireplace, Weiner and Bun on his heels, and stoked the fire his mother had started. He stared into the flames for so long his eyes blurred, and he rubbed at them before stepping away, brooding at the thought of what Saturday would bring.

He had a bachelor auction to get through.

Then, he could concentrate on Ivy Wilkens.

He smiled at the thought, though it dimmed a bit as his mother’s words echoed in his head. It was too late to protect his heart, which was why his only course of action was to save it. Because his mom was right—he didn’t know how to lose gracefully.

And losing Ivy Wilkens would wreck him in ways he didn’t want to think about.

Chapter7

Saturday fellover Big Bend and the surrounding area in a lazy manner. The sun rose slowly, spilling light across the Rockies, making the snow-capped peaks glisten and shimmer like diamonds.

Ivy was on her second cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. A quick glance at the clock in the kitchen told her it was too early to be Kip—he wasn’t due to fly into Bozeman until early afternoon. Besides, he had a key of his own. She yanked on the edge of her faded, ratty sweatshirt and grimaced at the dubious stains that laced the front of it. Sauce from last night’s pasta?

Her hair was a mess, pulled up into a bun, and there were two spots on her face coated with dried blue toothpaste. Who knew that hitting the big Three-O would give her more acne than she’d had the entirety of high school? It wasn’t fair.

She peeked out the window, then smiled when she spied Oliver Royce, the drummer in Cal’s band. A transplant from England, Cal and Ivy had first met the tall Britain in a seedy bar off the beaten path in Nashville. They’d bonded over a shared love of Elvis, Waylon, and barbecue. He’d been a part of Cal’s band ever since. With rehearsals being moved from Nashville to Big Bend, Ollie had found a place in town to rent and had been staying in the area.

He came inside like a storm, stomping his feet, shedding snow and gravel across the matt, then tossed his jacket and wool hat onto the bench by the door.

Ivy paused, a half-smile in place as she sipped from her mug. The entire time she’d known the man, he’d sported a shaved head, so it still took her by surprise to see the beautiful mop of blue-black hair he’d grown over the last year or so. It was longer than the last time she’d seen him and was now touching the tops of his shoulders.

He crossed the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

“Help yourself,” she said with a chuckle.

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