Page 65 of Giddy-Up
Picking himself off the comfy cushions, he levelled her with the calmest stare he could muster.
“I don’t believe for one second that giving up your life is the right thing to do.”
Her hands shot to her hips and more dread swirled.“So you’re telling me you wouldn’t do the same thing for your parents if they needed you?”
“They wouldn’t ask.”He was quick to reply.The feeling of his nostrils flaring was a reminder his composure was slipping.
“So my parents are in the wrong for needing my help?”That was a fucking trap.Which meant he didn’t reply.Which also meant, Riley went on.“Not everyone has three other siblings to share the load.I’m all my parents have.”
Her voice was getting louder, while Wade’s muscles were getting tighter.
“Your uncle is there,” he pointed out.Regretting it the moment he witnessed steam radiate off his woman.
“Say what you need to say, Wade,” she goaded.Another trap.“You obviously have an opinion on this that you’re holding back.”
He wasn’t going to fall for that, either.“You don’t need to move back home to help them, Riley.That’s all I’m saying.Don’t let guilt make this decision.”
“Guilt?You think I feel guilty?You think that’s what this is about.I’m going to help them out of guilt?Well sorry to break it to you, but you’re wrong.I’m going to do it because this is what you do for family.What you do for love.”
That was a lie.Not that he didn’t believe a person would do what she was doing out of love.Plenty would.And did.She, however, was doing it out of guilt.
“Fine,” he snapped.“Let’s talk about love, darlin’.Let’s talk about what happens when you love someone.”
His voice rising only made the wall Riley had already put between them stronger as her facial expression hardened.It didn’t deter him though.If she wanted his opinion, then she was going to get it.
“When you love someone, all you want is for them to be happy.Even if that means being without them.”She wasn’t getting it, so he continued.“You told me that for the first time in your life, you’re happy, Riley.Here, in Woodvalley.Your parents know that too.Now think about it.Really think.”He paused, giving her time to try and absorb what he was saying.“When or if you have kids—is that what you’d want for them?Knowing they were finally happy after however many years and asking them to give that up, to look after you?”
Moisture pooled in her big brown eyes.He wanted to go to her.Pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.But the second he saw her denial blaze; he knew he’d lost her.
A moment later, she was gone.
***
“She’s gone?”His motherwas frowning almost as much as he was.
“She’s gone,” he confirmed.But the nausea hadn’t.
After their discussion, he’d given her some time to cool off before heading down to her trailer.When he got there, she was gone, and so were her things.
Not knowing what to do or where to turn, he’d gone running to his mom.Over coffee and cake on her white wood deck, he’d told her everything.
He’d never been much of a sharer.He was questioning that now.It felt good to get everything off his chest.How he felt about the woman he’d only been seeing two and a half months.His concern about Riley’s parents.And everything in between.
His ma just listened.She didn’t judge.She didn’t interrupt.She simply nodded.But now he’d got to the end of the story, he needed more.He needed her to tell him what to do.
“So?”he asked.
“So...what?”His mother cut off another slice of orange sponge cake and pushed it onto her plate.
“What do I do?”
“You know what to do, son,” she declared before taking a big bite of cake.
She was wrong.He hadn’t a damn clue what to do.Which was exactly why he was there.Begging his mom for help.
When he didn’t reply and likely pulled some sort of hopeless expression, her eyes flicked up in disbelief mid-chew.He waited out her eating, only to hear his mother sigh.
“Wade Evans,” she hissed as a pointed finger waved in his direction.“Don’t you dare sit there and pretend you don’t know what to do.”
