Chapter 11
Weston
My mom’s name pops up on my phone, and I can’t help but smile. Usually, when she calls me out of the blue, it is to tell me a funny story about one of her chickens or a way Dad made her so mad she went cross-eyed. Both are very entertaining.
“Hello, mother dearest,” I greet her.
“Hi, honey,” she says, her voice teetering on nervousness, which is incredibly out of character for her. “Are you coming to dinner tonight?”
“If you’re cooking it, I’m there,” I assure her. Anytime my mom’s cooking is available over mine, I’m taking it. There’s only so many things you can master on the grill. And breakfast for dinner gets old and is pretty much the only thing I am good at making.
“Okay, so I might have done something that I should have asked you about first, but you know me, if someone shows up, I feel like it’s my duty to feed them.”
Well, now I’m a whole other level of confused. Maybe she ran into Willow. Her being at dinner wouldn’t be weird, though. Mom knows she’s here. Hell, she begged to stop by and visit with her, but I wasn’t sure how professional we were supposed to be, so I told her to hold off for now.
“You’re not making much sense, woman.”
“Well, Willow’s fiancé showed up to the ranch today looking for her, so I invited them to dinner.” She slowly spits out the last few words like she’s ripping off the metaphorical bandaid.
Making me speechless is pretty hard; I’m almost impossible to shut the fuck up, but after thirty-one years, my mom has done it.
My teeth grind at the thought of having to see Willow with another man.
If I had to paint a picture of a living hell, it would be that.
I thought seeing her here alone was hard, but now we get to add in Josh.
Fuck that guy. It’s worse because he’s a total tool.
I talked to him for a whopping thirty seconds and I was able to clock that.
“Honey, I am so sorry. Should I call and cancel?” she asks, her voice giving away how bad she feels. She would never intentionally do anything to hurt me, or anyone for that matter, so I try and deflect.
“No, it’ll be okay, Mom. I want her to be comfortable here and it’ll be nice to get to know Josh,” I lie through my teeth. His name tastes like shitty cow dirt on my tongue.
“Okay, if you need to leave early or skip out, I won’t be offended.”
“I’m a big boy, Mom. It’ll be okay.”
“Okay, well, I am going to get started on cooking. I really am sorry.”
“It’s all good, Mom. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
The second the phone call ends, I drop the phone and run my hands through my hair. Thank God I was home for this call, because no one needs to see a grown man spiral over this type of shit. I need to man up. This whole thing is my fault; the least I could do is be a good sport.
I stand in front of my parents’ door and strongly fight the urge to turn around, tuck my tail, and head home. But I’m a Taylor man, and I have to face my mistakes head-on if I want to learn anything from them.
I walk in and scan the room. Aspen is talking with Willow and the City Slicker.
Aspen has her professional face on, her smile so tight and forced, it looks painful.
Her eyes swing to meet mine and she widens them.
The best thing about being siblings is being able to talk without saying a word.
The raising of the eyebrows was code for “this guy sucks”, and you know what, I couldn’t agree more.
Unfortunately for Aspen and me, Willow does not share the sentiment. So, I’m going to put my best boot forward and try my best not to shove it up his ass.
My mom turns around in the kitchen, seeing me. “Just in time, honey. Dinner is ready. Everyone, come take a seat,” she hollers loud enough for everyone to hear.
Like usual, my eyes snap back to Willow, knowing she will be feeling a little anxious herself.
She has her hands clasped in front of her and she’s fiddling with her fingers, which means she’s got anxious energy she doesn’t know what to do with.
It’s almost amusing how well I still know her, but it’s not. It’s sad.
My mom, ever the hostess, swoops in, ushering everyone to the table.
“Here, you can take a seat. She puts her hands on the backs of the chairs she wants them to sit in and walks to the table, and my dad kisses her on the cheek before pulling out her chair. It’s fucking brutal watching them, knowing that was supposed to be Willow and me.
All of us in this room together feels like I'm suffocating on what could have been.
I watch Josh take a seat, not even bothering to pull out Willow’s chair. This man wouldn’t know how to treat a woman if someone wrote a fucking handbook and mailed it to him. So, I guess I will just do it for him.
Power walking over to the table, I pull out Willow’s seat, making direct eye contact with him. “Here, let me get that for you, Sunshine.”
Both of their heads whip to mine so fast, I can’t help but smile. He glowers at me, and it brings me such a deep level of satisfaction that I’m worried there might be something wrong with me. But I want him to know I’m not as out of the picture as he would hope.
Willow looks between the two of us, utterly speechless, but then she pulls her lip into her mouth, trying to hide her smile, and I know I did the right thing. Maybe if anything, he will start to be self-conscious and treat her better out of fear of losing her.
She takes a seat in the chair, and I help scoot it in. When she looks away, I make sure to make eye contact with City Slicker one more time, and because I feel like being a dick, I shoot him a wink. That should make him feel about two feet tall.
I take a seat next to my sister and across from the happy couple. “Here, West,” Aspen offers as she passes the bowl of mashed potatoes to me, and I plop a big glob down on my plate and hand it across the table to Josh.
“Thanks.” His voice is as cold as ice. “Are these vegan by chance?”
All talks at the table cease and heads whip toward Josh.
Even Willow's face looks slightly distraught. “Since when are you vegan?”
“It’s just something that I’ve been trying. Is that not a thing around here?” He genuinely looks confused as to why we are all slack-jawed.
“Boy, you do know this is a cattle ranch? There probably isn’t an item you will eat tonight that doesn’t have some sort of something beefy in it,” my dad says, clearly flabbergasted by our guest.
“Actually, I can get you a salad.” My mom stands from her chair, walks to the kitchen, and pulls open the fridge.
“That’s very nice of you, thank you, Mavis.” Josh pulls his hands from the table, leaving me holding the potatoes.
“Her name is Mabel,” Willow reminds him, her cheeks flushed with rosy hues, and she offers me a small, tight smile. I hate when she forces smiles, and I hate even more that she’s having to make up for his lack of people skills.
I hold no judgment that he’s vegan; there are some health benefits, like a good cholesterol level, but what I can’t get behind is not taking care of your woman.
It takes no effort to hold the potatoes while she dishes herself some.
Does he help her dish up her plate? No. Can he remember the woman's name who went above and beyond to make a nice meal? Also no.
It’s now that I’m completely confident that the man in front of me is a fucking pussy.
“Right, sorry.” His cheeks are now shaded a bright red, also, so at least he has the decency to be embarrassed about that.
The rest of dinner goes by without any more outbursts until Josh’s phone rings. “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to step away for a second.”
“No problem.” Aspen sags with relief the second he’s out of the room.
Willow looks around at everyone, silently moving what’s left on her plate around, worrying her lip. “I’ll be right back. I just need to run to the restroom.”
“Let me show you where it is,” I volunteer. She hasn’t been in the new house before and I’d love a second alone with her.
“Oh. Yeah. Okay.” She nods, and I let myself up and walk to the hallway toward the bathroom and away from my eavesdropping siblings.
“Thanks for showing me—"
I whirl and turn on her. “What the hell are you doing with a guy like that?”
Her shoulders instantly tense, rising up to her ears. “What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about?” I encroach further in her space, caging her against the walls.
Her breathing gets quicker as she stares up at me, wild eyed.
“I’m talking about you deserving better. You deserve someone who takes care of you. Someone who cherishes you. That man does not know what he has in his hands and it’s a damn shame.”
“Weston—" her mouth opens, but no more words come out.
“I may not be good enough for you, but I can tell you right now, I’m better for you than that worthless excuse of a man.
If you were ever to be mine again, there wouldn’t be a second of the day that you would question my devotion.
Now ask yourself, can you say the same thing about the man who gave you that ring? ”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her brows knit together as she stands taller. She can be mad at me, that’s fine. When she gets over it, she’s going to realize I’m right.
“I may not know a lot of anything else, but the one thing I know better than anything is you. We could be apart for decades and I’d still be able to read you like a book.
But I’m not going to push you. When you realize I’m what you need, I’ll be here.
I’m never making the mistake of letting you go again. ”
She stares at me like she’s a deer in headlights. Her throat bobs, and my fingers inch to run over it, run my thumb against the underside of her jaw. But this isn’t the time for that.
I lean in and nearly close the distance between our lips.
Her mouth is calling to me like I’m a man starved, because I am.
For her taste, her tongue battling mine.
“Bathrooms on the left,” I whisper. As much as I want my lips to sear into her skin and for her to feel me hours after I’ve left, I pull myself away.
When I claim her, she will be mine completely.
I walk down the hall, finally feeling something settle in. She may have a ring on her finger, but I can tell you right now, she ain’t marrying him. The only person who’s going to change her name is me. I’ve seen my competition and it’s only a matter of time now.