“Every single day, I’m afraid something is going to happen to you because you are theonlything on this earth that I truly care about.”
He blinked, sending a few tears down his cheek.
I eased onto the tailgate beside him, my thigh forcing him to scoot over.
“But if we wait for fear to go away before we live, then we will never start living, Cade. You know, we will probably struggle with the fear of losing people for the rest of our lives.”
Cade’s eyes went wide. “Therestof ourlives?”
“Yeah, think about it.” I tapped the top of his leg, where a knotted scar graced his kneecap beneath his faded work jeans. “Remember when you got your scar?”
A small smile curled into his cheek as he thought about his bicycle accident.
“Were you afraid to ride your bike after you fell?”
“A little.”
“But you did it anyway, right?”
Cade gave a slow nod, understanding where I was heading.
“A cut that needs a few stitches heals pretty quick. We eventually forget all about it. But hearts aren’t like that. They can takedecadesto heal. And, even then, they’ll ache. Sometimes they’ll ache forever.”
Cade shrugged. “That makes life seem kind of sad.”
“It is sad. Getting stuck in our hurt is part of being human, Cade. And I’m just as prone to that as you or anyone else. But, at some point, we have to make a choice. Are we going to get back on the bike or are we never gonna feel the wind on our faces again?”
“I don’t want to always be afraid.” His voice scraped.
“I don’t either.”
“Are you…disappointed in me because I didn’t go?”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Son.”
His deep green eyes rose.
“I’m not disappointed in you. Not now. Not ever.”
That made him smile. “I wish we would’ve had this conversation before.”
We’d had a thousand conversations just like it, but I didn’t correct him. “Why’s that?”
“Maybe I would’ve gone.”
“Well, there’s always next time.”
A low rumble sounded from down the driveway. I frowned as Hollie’s Volvo zoomed around the corner of the barn. Sliding off the tailgate, I waved my hand at her. She stopped and her passenger window rolled down as she leaned over the console to see me. Bracing my hand on the roof of her car, I looked into the window. “Thought you’d be long gone by now. Everything okay?”
She rolled her eyes in irritation. “I forgot my wallet.”
“Oh okay. Just making sure you were alri?—”
“Miss Hollie?” Cade stepped up to the passenger window, and I moved aside to make room for him. The girls shrieked enthusiastic greetings from the backseat.
My ribcage turned to steel as Cade pressed his lips together.
“Hey, Cade!” Hollie beamed.
