Page 16 of Hard To Love

Morning turned to the next day. Then another. Then that day and night rolled into another.

Time had a way of doing that.

It kept moving no matter what happened, no matter how beautiful your life felt or how badly you wanted to press a pause button on life to soak in the moment. It just kept going.

Time was a tricky fucker. Sliding through your fingers like sand in an hourglass.

But even though two months had slipped past us, I didn’t mind. Not when the last eight weeks had been the best of my life. The only other highlight was the day I met her.

“August?” My mom called out the moment I stepped foot into the main house. I winced.

I’d been avoiding my family.

Not because I was worried about how they would react to Sandy and me being together or them having any kind of objection. Hell, my mom had been on me about how Sandy was my other half since my junior year of high school.

“Yea, Ma!” I shouted back, sighing as I made my way to the kitchen.

“Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” She wiped her hands with a kitchen towel, leaning against the kitchen counter as she stared at me.

“Hey.” I waved. I felt like a kid who was about to get in trouble.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen my mom or brothers or sister. It was more of the fact that I’d avoided spending any real amount of time with them.

But they hadn’t said shit.

They hadn’t pressed if I thought about it. If anything, they seemed to give me a wide berth. Me and Sandy both.

“Hey? That’s all you have to say to me?” she asked, but it wasn’t with half the attitude I’d expected. If anything, she seemed to be fighting back a smile and was almost bouncing on the heels of her feet. “You doing okay?”

“Great.” The answer came out easily.

Too easily, and January West was way too damn observant. “Great, huh?” Her lips tipped up. “You finally gonna tell me what I know, or we still going to pretend I’m dumb, blind, and oblivious?”

“Mom,” I groaned with a chuckle. “I don’t know what you’re—"

“Don’t do that.” She pointed at me, and I tried not to wince at the disappointment that flashed through her blue eyes. “Do not lie to me.”

“Mom.”

“Especially when there is no reason to.”

“Mom—”

“Just, please, please, tell me it’s Sandy.” She begged. My body went stock still.

“What?” I frowned, and she rolled her eyes.

“Honey, you’re a grown man. It’s not any of my business who you spend your time with, or your nights. But I know you, and in so, being your mama, I know your heart. And that heart has always belonged to one girl.Thatgirl. So, please tell me you two are finally together.”

“Mom—" I wanted to tell my family, but I didn’t want to do it without Sandy at my side.

We’d talked about it. Coming out as a couple was a big thing.

Not that I was stressed. I wasn’t. I’d waited what felt like a lifetime to have her by my side as my woman for the world to see. To be the man who was proud to stand next to her and claim her as mine.

But we’d been realistic.

At first, we’d wanted some time for just the two of us. That’s what I’d wanted because I was a selfish, greedy bastard when it came to any spare moment we had at the same time. We hadn’t slept apart since the night of our first date, but that didn’t mean time together overflowed when the sun was out. Not when I worked on a ranch that always seemed short-handed, no matter how many people worked it, while she had a thriving business she ran from home.

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