Page 77 of Traces Of You
“Oh. Let’s see if it tastes just like my mother’s.”
She gave his arm a little nudge with her hand. “That’s not nice. I’m not sure I can do that and I don’t want to let you down.”
He felt like shit hearing that.
She might have been trying to joke, but last night she’d told him she’d lived her life in self-doubt. He’d seen the nervousness in her eyes when he moved off to undress too. As if she feared she’d done something to upset him.
“I’m only joking. I’m sorry.”
Her smile dropped. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Try to guard everything you say to me. You didn’t before so don’t now. I don’t want to worry about that.”
He inhaled until his chest filled. “I don’t want to do or say anything to hurt you.”
She turned and leaned on the counter while the bread was soaking in the mixture. “Ford, life hurts. Trust me, I know. I’m not crazy enough to think I’ll never be hurt again. I want you to be you. I want to be me. What we did last night was special, but I don’t want it to change anything between us either.”
“It already changed,” he said. “Not in a bad way.”
She sighed. “I know.”
She turned back to breakfast, put butter in the pan and lit the stovetop.
He could tell she didn’t want to talk about it, and he wouldn’t push. He didn’t want to ruin the past twenty-four hours they’d had together.
“The outlets open at eleven,” he said. “We can get some lunch too. Unless you’ve got plans today.”
“No plans,” she said.
“My mother was outside when I came back and stopped me. She invited us to dinner later. My siblings will all be there. She said it’s been a while since we’ve all been together.”
“You should go,” she said.
“You’re invited too,” he said.
He wanted her to feel part of the family. He knew his mother felt that way about Reenie. She’d even commented on him leaving early this morning. She didn’t ask whose house he stayed at, Clay’s or Reenie’s. He hadn’t stayed at Clay’s in a week and his mother’s smirk gave him the answer.
“I’d love to go,” she said. She dropped the soggy bread in the pan. “I hope everyone else is okay that I’m there, since it’s family.”
He wanted to add she was family but wouldn’t.
Too soon.
“They will expect it,” he said.
It’s not as if his family weren’t aware that Reenie was under protection. That they were all watching out for her and on alert.
“On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That we don’t talk about my problem. There isn’t anything new, right?”
“Not that I know of.”
Clay was still in contact with Grady. He was just glad she didn’t say her condition was that no one in their family know the two of them were together.
