“You want to know what I think? I think you should be groveling to the one person who’s been capable of making you smile again since shortly after you and Victoria got together.”
Mathew sent him a sharp look. It wasn’t a secret that Jason didn’t like Victoria. And while everything had remained civil, neither of his siblings had anything nice to say about her. Pushing that thought aside, Mathew focused on the bigger issue. “I’ve tried. Don’t you think I’ve tried? I call. I text. I email. I even snuck onto the farm last night when her guard dogs weren’t doing their job.”
Jason lifted a brow. “Guard dogs?”
“Rose and Emerson. Though our lovely cousin caught me sneaking away from River’s apartment and probably woke up everybody with her rather loud lecture.”
“Well, Victoria isn’t going anywhere if she still thinks she has a chance to win you over. I don’t care how mean you are to her. She’s like a leech.”
“She’s not that bad.”
One look from his brother indicated that perhaps Mathew still wore his rose-colored glasses. He didn’t, though. Whateversoftness Victoria still had under all that armor, it hadn’t been enough to save their marriage. The two of them weren’t a good fit, but Victoria still deserved to find love. She deserved to be happy.
Jason wagged a finger in his face. “I know that look. You need to cut it out.”
Mathew scowled at his brother. “I’m not doing anything.”
“You’re falling on your sword, and for what? A woman who was toxic when you two were together? Come on. You can’t honestly be thinking that you want to get back together with her.”
“Of course I’m not thinking that. I just don’t like making anyone out to be the villain.” He sighed. “I want to see River. But I can’t exactly force her to see me when she doesn’t want to, now, can I? I’ve already done what I can. I don’t want to push her any further than I already have.”
His brother groaned with exaggeration. “No one understands the need to step back and let the dust settle better than me. You were there. You saw the person I became when I thought I was doing right by Isabelle. But this situation is nothing like that. You know what you want, and I’m pretty sure that River does too. This is all a big misunderstanding. You’re not being pushy. You’re fighting for her.”
Mathew’s irritation won over and he jumped to his feet to pace. “I lied to her.”
“You withheld information.”
“Like that’s any better!” He stopped and faced his brother. “Whose side are you on anyway? Aren’t you supposed to support the person who’s been wronged?”
His brother chuckled. “I might not agree with what you did, but I’m not going to leave you lying in the ditch on the side of the road.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Jason slapped his knees and got to his feet. “It means that I’m not as blind as you and Penny seem to believe. I can tell when you guys are hurting. I can tell when you’re happy. And even though I know my opinion doesn’t matter all that much, I don’t want to see either one of you suffer unnecessarily. You love River. I don’t know if you’ve admitted it to her or even yourself, but you do. And you made a mistake. You’ll make more. But the important part is to do something to fix it. Don’t give up just because she’s giving you a run for your money.”
Mathew soaked in his words. He wanted to argue that Jason’s opinion mattered but thought better of it. He didn’t want to detract from what Jason was doing for him. “So, what do you suggest?”
“Open up. Be honest. Don’t be afraid of showing her the damaged side of you.”
That wasn’t an issue. River had seen how his father’s death had affected him. She’d helped him through it and been there when he wanted to make a change. He merely needed a chance to talk. “And how exactly do I do that when she won’t give me the time of day?”
For a moment, Jason seemed to consider the predicament at hand. He pulled his mouth to the side with contemplation, shook his head a few times, then his eyes sparked. “I think I have an idea. You said that Rose and Emerson are blocking your attempts to see her?”
Mathew nodded. “She doesn’t head out to town often, from what I’ve heard, and when she does, someone is with her. Besides, I don’t want to make a scene if she decides that she doesn’t want to hear me out.”
“Okay, so what if we find a way to get her out of the house, off the property, and free of her secret service?”
Snorting, Mathew shook his head. “Good luck with that.”
Jason scratched his cheek, mischief in his eyes. “First we need to get Emerson off the premises.”
“Emerson isn’t going anywhere. Ever since this whole thing started, he’s been glued to her. I don’t know how he gets any work done when he’s helping with the farming and she’s working on the equipment.”
“I bet Penny could get him to meet her for coffee or something. She’s not dating anyone.”
Disbelief rolled through him. “Penny is hardly someone who would go along with this just to get to River. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was on River’s side as it is.”
Jason shrugged. “Like I said. We’re family. And even if she’s on River’s side, she’ll be on board with it if we tell her it’s about closure. Because let’s face it, that’s what this whole thing is about anyway.”
