Page 60 of Only With Me
“Do you wanna continue putting Mom and Dad through this?” I ask seriously. “It’s not just me it’s affecting, but our parents, too. Dad might not say it in so many words, but losin’ you is his biggest fear.”
His gaze lowers to his lap, and even though I hate guilt-tripping him, sometimes it’s all that works on him to take shit seriously.
“He cried the night you nearly bled out in the bathroom. And you know him. He never cries.”
He blows out a breath, staring at the beige wall in front of him before he meets my eyes. “If I tell you I’ll think about it, will you leave me alone for a bit?”
“Depends how long you take to think about it.”
He contemplates for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. “Three months.”
“One,” I counter.
He scowls. “Two.”
“Fine,” I agree firmly. “You have two months to decide on your own or I drag your ass to a therapist’s office myself come the sixty-first day. Got it?”
Reluctantly, he holds out his hand. “Deal.”
I shake it. “We’ll go together.”
“Oh goody, couple’s counseling.”
I’d never force him, even though I act like I would, but I want him to think about it. At least take time to get used to the idea instead of shutting it down each time I bring it up.
“If I do this, you haveta get a woman so you stop focusin’ so much on me.”
“Prove to me that I can.”
“I will. Promise.”
Chapter Thirteen
Harlow
“So are you ready to get on a datin’ app now?” Natalie taunts after we finish three episodes ofGrey’s Anatomy. Now we’re just video chatting on my laptop. “I found one called CowboyMatch.”
“You’re jokin’,” I say skeptically.
“I swear it! It’s an app for ranchers and farmers to find wives. You could set your location to Montana and move to Big Sky Country.” She waggles her brows.
I snort. “I’d freeze up there.”
“Not with a beefy lumberjack-sized cowboy. He’d keep ya nice and sweaty.”
Laughing, I shake my head at her. “Sounds more like your thing.”
“Oh, I’m on there. I wanted to test out the waters for ya and now I have a date this weekend.”
“No way. With who?”
“His name is Jackson and he’s six-foot-six! That’s all I needed to know. He’s a whole foot taller than me,” she says with stars in her eyes.
“That’ll make things…interestin’,” I tease.
“I’ll be climbin’ him like a tree no matter what position he puts me in.”
“At least make him take ya out for dinner first.”
