“She said she wants me to be free to live my life and not be tied down to her and the kids.”
Karen slammed the tin bread pan on the counter. “And you believed her?”
He looked back and forth between the two women’s scornful faces. “Well, I did. Until you both looked at me like I shouldn’t have.”
Birdie pressed a finger to her temple as if she was trying to keep herself calm. “How long ago was this?”
Judd glanced down at his shirt—the one he’d worn for the past two days and nights. “Umm.”
“Mom! Help him.” Birdie tipped her head and threw back a gulp of soda like a cowboy in a spaghetti western.
Karen did that thing with her face where she arranged her features so that her true emotions were hidden. With lots of sons who’d admittedly done stupid things as teenagers, she had practice. “Honey, Wynn loves you. And it’s no secret that you love her. In fact, you’ve probably loved her longer than even you know.”
He clamped his mouth shut like a suspect in an interrogation room.
“When a woman loves a man and she’s not ready to commit, she’ll find an excuse to set him free.”
Birdie nodded. “I did the same thing with CJ.”
“The punk who drives for FedEx?”
“He was a senior and talking about life after high school and marriage and all these big things, and I was just a sophomore and wanted to go to prom and football games, and I wasn’t ready to promise him more than the rest of the school year. So I made up an excuse and broke his heart.”
Karen patted her hand. “It was the right thing for both of you—though you could have been kinder.”
Birdie flipped the tab on her can. “Maybe.”
Judd blocked Birdie’s wisdom. “Wynn isn’t in high school. Heck, we’re practically a family already. And I told her I wanted all of it. The kids. Her. Family life. I’m not looking for a fling.”
“How long have you two been making out?” asked Birdie.
He gave her a hard look.
Karen jumped in. “It’s an important question.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Two weeks, maybe.”
“And you jumped from that to getting married.” Birdie slapped her palm to her forehead. “No wonder she ran scared. Geez, bro. Desperate much?”
He stood up and began to pace.
Mom rose to her full height. “With no regard to how it makes her feel to be rushed.”
He leaned on the counter, letting the granite cool his hot palms.
“You’ve been thinking about yourself this whole time.” Birdie’s accusation was barbed.
Karen turned on her. “That’s not fair. Judd’s wholly unselfish when it comes to taking care of the kids and Wynn. He’s given countless hours to their well-being without a thought as to what he gets out of it.”
“Yeah.” Judd bobbed his head.
“Until now.”
“Huh?” He whipped his head around to look at his mom. “I thought you were on my side.”
“I am always and will forever be, on my grandchildren’s side.” Karen grinned. “And the best thing for those kids is for you and Wynn to be together.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I think Thatcher would agree.”
He paused. In all this, he’d avoided thinking about his brother. He just couldn’t face the idea that he was letting Thatcher down. “Do you really think so?” Liquid leaked out of the corner of his eye, and he shoved it away. “I can’t—I couldn’t—” Maybe this was why he couldn’t date Wynn like a normal guy, why he felt like he had to jump over all the traditional date nights—because courting his brother’s woman was unthinkable.
