“I might have read a page or two,” I mutter.
“When Aiden was dropped off at my apartment, and I called you from the ER because he wasso sick, you dropped everything and flew out to be with us.” She swallows hard. “You sent me money during the leanest months when I was getting my feet under me and had to hire an attorney to get legal custody of him, even though Sabrina had abandoned him to me, and the state of Montana was being a royal pain in my ass.You have always helped me.”
I shake my head.
“I’m not done.” She steps closer but doesn’t touch me, because I haven’t told her she can and she’s always respected boundaries. “I love you so much it hurts. I always have, from the moment that angry, hurt, skinny boy stepped out of that car in front of this house. You are my person. My best friend. And now you’re so much more than that, and I don’t ever want you to think that I would want to move Aiden and myself in here because you want to fix something for me. I only want you to love me.”
“I do, baby.” I reach for her now and take both of her hands in mine, threading our fingers together. “And I don’t want you here just because I think you need me to rescue you. You don’t. You’re fucking badass. You would replace the stupid fridge and get on with your life, but—”
“There is no getting on with my life unless you’re in it,” she says and loops her arms around my neck. “And as far as the rest? Well, your mom, your birth mom—you couldn’t have saved her, Ry. You were just a little boy.”
My chest is cracking open. That’s the only explanation for the pain just behind my sternum.
“I hated her for letting them do that to her,” I whisper. “And then I hated her for dying while I sat in that hospital room and watched.”
“God.” She pulls me down in a hug, and I bury my face in her neck. “I’m so sorry. That’s not okay.”
“No, it’s not okay.” I breathe her in and feel myself start to settle.
“You also couldn’t save Ray. He didn’t want to be saved. He just wanted Debbie.”
I nod, feeling the tears come. “I know. I get it. Because if anything ever happened to you—”
“Shh.” She pulls back so she can see my face. “Look me in the face. I’mright here. And I’m not going anywhere for a long, long time. I have too much to do. Of course Aiden and I will move in here. He can go to school in Paradise Valley.”
“He’s going to be really happy to hear that.”
“Only him?”
My lips twitch, and I feel better after my ... tantrum? Outburst? Fucking panic attack? I don’t know what that was. But I feel better.
“I’m happy too. Debbie and Ray would love it, you know. You and me here with Aiden.”
“Carrying on their tradition,” she says with a nod. “Yeah, they’d be happy about it.”
“So you’re going to let me handle things?”
She lifts an eyebrow. “No. I’m going to love you, and we’re going to work together to keep things running smoothly.”
“I’m going to handle you,” I reply, my voice getting deeper as I slide my hands down her back to her perfect ass.
“Oh, will you?”
“Yes. After you make dinner, because I’m fucking starving.”
“You can help me, and it’ll go faster.”
“Deal.”
The mood has lightened considerably as I help make the salad and get the grill going. Dinner is delicious, and I’ve just finished loading the dishwasher when my phone rings, and I see that it’s Dusty.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I found the cow murderer,” he says with a heavy sigh.
“What is it?”
“Coyotes. If you step outside, you can hear them.”
