Page 70 of A Little More

Nash tried to join in. “We gave you the tenderloin. I know how you like that.”

She grunted, avoided eye contact, and focused on fixing her baked potato. Okay. So much for having a friendly conversation.

“Hey, I heard Junior took Gina down to Panama City Beach for the weekend.” Dewey waved his fork in Nash’s direction. “Looks like your fan club has moved on, brother.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Have you talked to Lexi?” Dewey asked.

Nash shot Dewey a look to keep quiet on that subject. He kept his answer soft. “No.” He’d tried. Called her each day. Texted her twice. No response. She’d cut him off, not giving a shit about his opinion on their relationship.

“I think the entire situation is ludicrous.” His mom set her fork down with a clang and snapped her eyes at Nash. “Two grown people acting foolish. I was lucky. I found your father early on and had fifty wonderful years with him. You and Lexi find one another and walk away like it didn’t mean a thing.”

“Mom…”

“I watched you two. You both look at each other with love when you think the other one isn’t looking. I see it. Now, you need to ask yourself how you feel about Lexi.”

“No.” His appetite vanished as quickly as Lexi had. “It’s not worth discussing. She made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want me in Atlanta. Doesn’t want me messing up her life.”

“It is exactly what we should be discussing. You should be up there.”

“And leave again? Too many people depend on me. Hell, I don’t want to leave. I love Statem. And I want Lexi. I’m in love with her. A long-distance relationship isn’t enough for either one of us, but I was willing to take something over nothing.”

His loud voice didn’t faze his mom. She flicked her wrist, like swatting at a mosquito. “Lexi Caden is an intelligent woman, but she needs to shut down her brain and listen to her heart to figure out that you are what she wants. Once she figures that out, then you can both sit down like rational adults and find a way to be together. She loves you.”

His heart lurched. Dewey took a sip of his tea, his eyes wide and waiting on Nash’s response. “She never said that—”

“She told me,” his mom announced with no more effect than if someone had asked her the time of day.

Nash sat up straight, every muscle in his body tight and ready. “She told you she loves me?” Why would she tell his mom before telling him? “When?”

“Before she left Statem. After she left your house, she stopped by mine and explained her reasons for ending it.”

His mom had to tell the whole story before getting to the important parts. “When did she say she loved me?”

“When I told her the philosophy about gambling.”

Dewey chuckled. “It all comes back to poker, doesn’t it?”

She shot him alookthat they all knew too well. Dewey snapped his mouth closed and focused back on his steak, mumbling, “yes, ma’am,” without a verbal question.

“I told her she should play the hand that was dealt like that’s the hand she wanted in life. We don’t always get to pick who we fall in love with. But when we do, we sure as the world shouldn’t walk away from it because it isn’t a perfect situation.”

Nash took a sip of his sweet tea, realizing that was some of the best advice his mom had ever given. “Great. How did she say she loved me?”

Her eyes finally softened. “I asked her why she wouldn’t give the two of you a chance. Why she was so against you coming up there. After she rambled on with a bunch of excuses about her job and compromising and being independent, she went slap in a circle with all her reasons, she finally fessed up that she loved you too much to be that selfish. That you belong down here. People need you here. She wouldn’t be the one to make you miserable.”

Nash pushed back from the table. “You’ve waited three days to tell me this?” He would have gone after her immediately. For him, his heart ripped open each day, each moment without Lexi. But he didn’t have a clue if she’d felt the same way.

Now he did.

“I waited to tell you to see if two grown people could make up their minds. But you two obviously needed a little help. Good thing I’m still around or Lord knows you’d be alone the rest of your life with only Dewey to talk to.” She reached over and patted Dewey’s arm. “No offense, honey.”

Nash ran a hand over his head, peering down at his half-innocent looking mother. “What do you mean you helped?”

She shrugged. “Nothing really. But I hadn’t told you about Lexi because I thought you’d come up with a grand gesture. Go riding up to Atlanta and sweep her off her feet. But, instead, you’ve sat around on your stubborn butt licking your wounds.” After dabbing her lips with her napkin, she pushed back from the table, rising in one graceful motion. “I can loan you a few of my romance novels if you need some ideas. You don’t have a horse, but your truck might work.”

Dewey stood as well, picking up his plate and headed to the kitchen, whistling like he didn’t have a care in the world. Nash’s heart, on the other hand, thumped ninety miles per minute.

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