She huffed. “It sounds like you’ve made up your mind, Julian. It sounds like it doesn’t matter to you what Ithink.”
I swallowed. I hated that she was hurt,hatedit. And even as a part of me knew logically that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I couldn’t stand to leave things the way theywere.
“I do care what you think, Mama. I just think you’re being overprotective, the way you always are with Theo, Con, and me.” I hoped my voice was soothing enough to take the sting out of thewords.
“I hate that you couldn’t tell me that you were dating this…this…”
“Daniel?” Isupplied.
“Yes! You’re my boys. You’re all I have,” she saidsadly.
Anotherpang.
The wind blew hard against the car and leaves hit the windshield only to scatter off, lost among the millions of other leaves that littered theground.
“You still have me. Nothing has changed.” Literally, nothing. I hesitated. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d stop spreading gossip about him. He’s not a criminal, for goodnesssake.”
She huffed again and changed tacks. “I expect you at dinnertomorrow.”
I could imagine how that wouldgo.
“I’ll come,” I agreed. “But Daniel is a very private person. I won’t discuss our relationship. I won’t discuss him atall.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Julian. Be anadult.”
I felt like I was eleven and she’d caught me feeding a squirrel in our shedagain.
“Believe it or not, I’m trying.” I took the turn down Daniel’s driveway. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” But because I’d learned when my young, perfectly healthy dad had died of a heart attack that I might not get another chance to say it, I told her, “I loveyou.”
I pulled my car the rest of the way down the driveway and parked in my customary spot on the side of the house. For a second, I rested my head on the steeringwheel.
Nothing like having to defend a relationship I wasn’t actuallyin.
And now I got to go tell my best friend that we weredating.
I mean, whowouldn’twanna be with me? Ten pounds of fun in a five-pound bag, righthere.
I opened my door, and a black-and-white blob jumped off the porch and attackedme.
“Hey, Honoria!” I said kneeling down to rub the head of the sheepdog Daniel had rescued after Joe Cross brought her to me a few months back. She wobbled unsteadily on her three legs and licked at myhand.
I grabbed a bag of treats from the backseat and turned toward thehouse.
The cabin was something out of a fairytale. The logs practically glowed in the sunlight beneath a steeply slanted green metal roof, a plume of wood smoke curled out of the rock-and-mortar chimney, and sitting on one of the hand-carved rockers on the front porch sat an incredibly handsome giant carving something from a block of wood with his enormous, stronghands.
Let me repeat: Carving. Something. From. Wood. With. His.Hands.
Gah.
If life were fair, I would have been given a medal of valor for the restraint required to remain standing despite the tidal wave ofwantthat swamped me. I wanted to get on my knees andcrawlfor thisman.
But life wasn’t generally fair, and that was nothingnew.
“I think your girlfriend here likes mebest.”
Daniel’s hazel eyes were warm and steady on myface.
“Poor thing doesn’t know you don’t play for herteam.”
I felt a blush climb my cheeks as I settled into the chair next toDaniel’s.
Daniel didn’t play for my team either, but that didn’t seem to stop me from wanting him. In fact, I wanted more from him than I knew he could give, both as a friendandas a lover. He wasn’t gay. He didn’t talk about his past. And yet every time I saw him, I mentally jumped around like Honoria, practically panting with giddyexcitement.
“Come inside,” he said, setting down the thing he was carving and standing up. “I lit a fireearlier.”
And of course, Ifollowed.
No more sense than thedog.
