“Am I that predictable?”
He meets my eyes. “Nah. Just knew you’d come. That’s all.”
A comfortable silence falls between us as he returns his attention to the sky.
“So howareyou feelin’? And don’t give me the answer you think I want to hear either.”
He sighs and runs his fingers through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. "I'm happy for him. Proud as punch, you know?" He looks at me and I nod. "It's just…"
“I know,” I say softly, understanding the weight of unspoken words hanging between us.
The night Anna and I first met Red and his rodeo friends at a rodeo event, I knew it was one of those life-changing moments. The second they laid eyes on each other, I knew they'd found their soulmate.
As their relationship flourished and deepened, so did my friendship with Red. He used to say that me and Anna were a package deal. Once they were married—in fact,attheir wedding reception—Red announced to everyone that he felt like he’d not only gained a wife, but her best friend too.
Since Anna's passing, our friendship has become an unbreakable bond. It was like we filled the Anna-sized hole that we had in our hearts.
We've always had a way of communicating without talking, just like now. Red's gaze reflects a mixture of emotions - pride, fear, a hint of sadness, and a little bit of wonder all wrapped up in one.
"Change is hard," I say. "It's worse when it's your flesh and blood growin’ up and leavin’ the nest. Believe me.”
Red nods slowly, his head tipping up to the stars above. “He hasn’t left yet, and I already know it’s goin’ to be hard.” He sighs.“Feels like just yesterday the kid was runnin' around my ankles while I was trainin’ Rhett on the road.”
“Or beggin’ me to let him help here in the kitchen to make one of hisconcoctions,” I add.
Red chuckles. “Or when he’d come home from school with dirty clothes and scraped-up knees?—”
“And a grin that could light up the whole dang room when he told us all about his day.”
“Ilivedfor his stories. I used to make sure I’d finished up for the day so I could be there when he got home. Now…”
I lean my head against his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around me as we both let the memories wash over us. "Now you've got to trust in the man you've raised him to be. The man you molded, Red. He's got a good head on him and he wants nothin’ more than to make you proud. You know that, right?”
“Iamproud,” he replies. “He’s the best of me and Anna.”
“That he is,” I say. “He's goin’ to do great out there, Red. You raised him right.”
“What trouble areyoutwo kids gettin’ up to?” We turn and break apart to find a smirking Wyatt standing behind us.
Red smiles. “Just reminiscin’. Nothin’ for you to worry about, kid.”
Wyatt raises an eyebrow. “Reminiscin’, huh? I’m thinkin’ it’s more like you talkin’ ‘bout me leavin’ in two weeks.”
I smirk up at my best friend. “I think he’s got your number, Red.”
“Wouldn't be me otherwise,” Wy replies.
Red chuckles again, the sound warm and familiar. “Just like your mother.”
Wyatt's smile softens at the mention of his mother, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes before he masks it with a playful expression. “Ah, well, I learned from the best then. YouandMom.”
The three of us stand there for a moment, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air once again.
“Y’all leavin’ now? Is that why you came to find us?” I ask, changing the subject.
Wyatt shakes his head. “Nah. I actually wanted to ask you two somethin’.”
Red arches a brow my way before looking back to Wy. “OK…”
