“At some point, you have to stop protecting him and think of me.” I finally looked her in the eyes. I needed her to know that I was done with all this. “I took it as a kid. I put up with the way you always protected him, but I can’t do that anymore. You can’t keep excusing the way he treats me. He’s your husband, but I’m your son. Your flesh and blood. I don’t need you to baby me and I don’t need you to protect me. But I need you to be on my side. I need you to stop telling yourself that he’ll change or that he’s been through so much. Eventually, those are just lies you tell yourself to excuse the fact that you never stood up for me when I was a kid. So make a decision. Because I’m never coming back here again.”
“Ryder,” she gasped, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“I love you.” I wrapped her in my arms and held her tight, knowing this might be the last time I saw her.
Was it right? No, but I had to stop putting my mother’s feelings ahead of my own. I had to quit pretending that she was ever really on my side. My dad had always and would always be her number one priority.
Sticking around and hoping that would change would be the biggest mistake of my life.
I shovedthe last of my things in my bag, not caring that I was wrinkling my clothes. In the past, that would have been a real concern of mine, but tonight?
Tonight, I just wanted to leave. I had to get out of here. It was foolish of me to think that coming home would somehow make things better. I headed into the bathroom and grabbed all my toiletries, shoving them into my small black bag, but the moment I caught my reflection in the mirror, I stopped.
Brown eyes stared back at me, telling me to stop running. If there was one thing my old man was right about, it was that I ran away from my problems. Maybe I should have stuck around New York and dealt with the fallout. Maybe I should have tried to make things work with Bianca.
In the end, I was here, and I was about to leave again.
Tossing my shit on the bed, I grabbed my keys and walked out of the rental on the Parker property. I was in no state of mind to make any decisions right now. The best thing I could do was get out of the house and have a drink or two.
I was only about halfway to my truck when Jeff pulled up, honking his horn at me a little too cheerily.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
“The bar.”
“The Beaver? Hey, what about a little gambling?” he grinned. “Up for a little fun?”
“Not tonight,” I said, yanking my door open and sliding inside.
I cranked the engine on the car and shifted into reverse, just about to hit the gas when the passenger side door flew open and Jeff got in.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Getting a ride. I thought that much was obvious.”
“You just drove here in a truck.”
“Right,” he nodded. “But I’m going the same way as you. It would look weird if I followed you into town and then into the bar.”
“It would look even weirder if you walked in like you were my date.”
He burst out laughing, “That’s a good one, but I’m pretty sure everyone in town knows I’m definitely not gay.”
“And how do they know that?”
“Well, because of my prowess with the ladies.”
“You don’t have any ladies,” I pointed out.
“Not currently. That’s why I’m going to the bar. To pick up the ladies.”
Not once in all the time I had been back had I heard anything about Jeff running around with a gaggle of women on his arm. And this town didn’t stop talking for anything. Hell, my name was brought up when I was in the diner the other day, and I was only one booth over. That didn’t stop the old biddies from gossiping about me.
“Look, I’m kind of on my own tonight.”
“Right,” he nodded. “Flying solo. Don’t worry. I won’t try to snatch any ladies from you.”
Rolling my eyes, I hit the gas and backed out of the drive, then headed into town, all the while Jeff rambled on about his plans for the night.
