“That’s none of your business,” he responds. And I’m glad his grandparents are still in their recliners recovering from their carb comas so they can’t question us further.
Taylor starts the engine and backs up to turn around, bringing Phillip’s face directly in line with ours. “Remember you said being romantic is the same thing as being stupid,” the kid calls.
I blink. Those are not the words of a hero. Especially not one of my heroes.
“I’m an idiot,” Karson yells, either in his own defense or as a foreshadowing of the wooing he’s now willing to do.
Taylor cackles, waves, and rolls up Phillip’s window before pulling away.
Karson’s warm lips tickle the spot underneath my earlobe. “I might need a little help in the romance department,” he murmurs as an apology.
I turn to wrap my arms around his solid torso. “You’ve come to the right place.”
“Speaking of the right place.” He has to peer harder through the dimming light to see my eyes, and the growing darkness makes being in his arms that much more sensual. “Are you glad you came tonight? Was it too much too soon?”
“Hmm …” I replay the beautiful summer evening in my mind. Karson may have been raised by his grandparents, but they seem to have more energy than my folks. Mom wasn’t able to get pregnant until late in life after years of infertility treatments, so they never yelled or chased us around. He’s blessed to have the home he does. “I’m actually glad you invited me before I had time to stress about bringing a side dish or wearing the right thing. Your family is all really accepting. As if they’ve been waiting for you to bring a woman home for years.”
He’s quiet. Maybe embarrassed that it took him three decades to open himself up to a serious girlfriend. “About that …”
“It’s okay. Taylor told me.”
His spine stiffens. His muscles tense under my fingertips. “She did?”
“Yeah.” I rest my head on his shoulder to share my peace. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
He exhales, allowing me to sink deeper against him.
“That had to be so hard not growing up with a mom who loved well. I can see how it would affect dating relationships.”
He takes another deep breath, which pushes me away again momentarily. “You two talked about my mom?”
“She told me you don’t have good memories the way she does. When was the last time you saw her?”
He tilts his head back as though he’s looking for the first star of the night. Maybe this isn’t the right moment to ask, but coming over here made me feel like we are on the fast track to love. I presumed that meant I could ask hard questions. Though my questions seem to be squeezing between us.
“You don’t have to answer.”
He hugs me tighter but turns his face to the side. “I’m afraid you won’t like my answers.”
I reach up to cup his cheek and turn his face toward mine. “We can take our time getting to know each other. I mean, I’ve been waiting for this night quite a while, so I can wait a little longer.”
He leans his forehead against mine before his eyelashes lift and he looks at me, though the connection is more visceral than visual. “She didn’t come to my high school graduation.”
Pain crackles through my heart, igniting a million more questions. Was she in prison? Was she too drugged to make it in time? Was she invited? I don’t ask any of them, because that’s not what matters. What matters is that I’m here for him.
“She sent me a thousand dollars in a card.”
Oh, that’s more than I expected. A peace offering that could have led to reconciliation.
“I drove across the country to find her in South Carolina and return the money.” His tone hardens. Turns rigid. “If you could relate to Jacob and Esau, then I relate to Jacob’s son Joseph, who was abandoned in a pit. I’d made something of myself without her, and I told her that if I hadn’t needed anything from her before, then I didn’t need anything from her then.”
The broken pieces of my heart shatter even more for him. This was the last time Karson saw his mom. He’d picked up his weapons and attacked rather than run to her with open arms. “But you did need her.”
“No. I didn’t.”
Is this what Taylor was preparing me for? I knew Karson was angry, and now I know why. He doesn’t only need a trigger guard. He needs to drop the old firearm back into the lake.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
