The last month had been amazing. It’d been pretend. Ruby had rolled with every facet of myself I had exposed, but that didn’t mean it’d last. It only meant it’d hurt more if things didn’t work between us.
Good thing nothing was defined, then.
What the hell was I thinking?
I wasn’t. I couldn’t stay away from her. Weeks of trying, of striving to be the type of guy she should date, had sapped my restraint. Ruby had dismantled my guards. Now I was flying through space without my armor, waiting to get blasted through the chest by an Ork.
Mama fell into step beside me. She moved like the bad guy in a horror movie. I could run from her, but she’d only walk calmly and somehow still catch up with me before I made it to an exit.
“Hey, Mama.”
“Tenor.”
When I got to my pickup, she patted me on the back. “Just a minute. I have some cookies to send with you.”
“You don’t need to give me treats to tell me something.”
She smiled. The sun broke through some clouds, and her gray strands glinted in the light. “I was giving you the cookies anyway, but I wanted to ask how you’re doing.”
“I’m good.”
“Ruby’s a special girl.”
“She is.”
Mama tipped her head. “You’re a special guy too.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“She’s as lucky to have you as you are her.”
I bit back a grimace. Mama was the only one to think that, but she was my mother. It was her job. “I know, Mama. I heard your message the other night.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Mm.” Her expression saidDid you?“She treats you well.”
She apparently wanted to make a point and didn’t think it’d stuck the first time. “She didn’t run screaming when she saw I played with toys.”
Mama harrumphed. “All adults have toys, whether it’s games or fishing or engines.”
Sure. I did hunt and fish, and that had caused resentment with my ex too. Just another way I had ignored her needs.
“It’s been, what? A couple of months since you two started dating?”
To them? Yes. But officially dating? Zero weeks. “Yeah.”
The scrutiny intensified. “Mm-hmm. Have you met her parents yet?”
“It’s not that serious.” When her brows popped up, I backtracked. “We’re taking it slow. No rush. She already knew you and every other Bailey.”
“Have you been to Bozeman?”
“I don’t have business in Bozeman.” Dammit. Now she’d really suspect something. Not only was the other location of Copper Summit in Bozeman, but Ruby lived there. “I haven’t needed to travel. She’s in town every weekend.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. You never have.”
The berating I had gotten from Katrina’s dad suggested otherwise. “Thanks, Mama.”
She set her mouth in a line. She knew I was brushing off her pep talk. I wasn’t meeting Ruby’s parents anytime soon. We weren’t serious.
