Somee
Shit!
I stared at the text from my mother for at least five minutes before I decided how to respond.
I was twenty-eight years old but at the moment I felt like a child.
My mother loved me with all her heart, and although she always asserted that she wanted me to be my own person and pursue my individual goals and dreams, what she really meant was within the scope of what she approved.
There was no way in hell my mother would understand my choice to fly out here with Rylee as a logically sound decision. Exhaling a fortifying breath, I typed out my message and hit send.
Me: Everything is fine. You don’t need to worry.
The bubbles appeared and I felt the angry text pounded out on her side even though there were hundreds of miles of distance between us.
They started and stopped before a video call came through instead.
I cringed and watched it populate on my screen, knowing I wasn’t going to answer. Text, I could do, but seeing her face expressing her anger and disappointment, I could not.
Once the call ended, I typed another text.
Me: I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later.
Mom: Where the hell are you? What do you mean you can’t talk?
Me: I’m in Crescent Falls.
Mom: Why the hell are you in Crescent Falls? What’s going on?
Me: I’m with Rylee, helping her get situated out here with her brother.
Mom: Then why did you take leave from your job?
I frowned.
Me: How do you even know about that?
Mom: I wanted to surprise you with lunch. Imagine me being the one surprised when they told me you had taken a leave.
Well fuck!
Me: It’s temporary and not a big deal.
Mom: It’s a very big deal, Somee. This is your job and what about your bills and your life here?
Me: My bills are paid. I had the time so my job is fine. It will be there when I get back.
Mom: Did he ask you to do this? It’s incredibly selfish on his part. You can’t just drop your priorities for him and I know you care about Rylee but leaving your job was irresponsible.
Me: He’s not selfish. In fact, he’s very generous considering I’m being paid twice my salary just to spend a few months helping Rylee get adjusted. I get that it’s not a decision you would have made, but I’m not you. I love you. I need you to trust that I know what I’m doing.
But did I really know what I was doing? This was supposed to be easy. Fly out here, spend a few months helping Rylee adjust with Ryland, then leave and go back to my life.
In essence, it felt simple and easy, but it wasn’t. When I thought about leaving, my heart hurt because my life didn’t seem all that great anymore and it wasn’t just about Rylee.
The bubbles began then stopped and my stomach tensed in anticipation. When the message came through, it was so much worse.
Mom: I really hope you do.
That was it. Those simple words dropped a boulder the size of a basketball into my stomach because there was so much more to them, but overall, the one thing I felt the most was her disappointment.
No matter how I presented this to my mother, she would never accept that my decision to leave was about Rylee.
In her eyes, I was placing my life on hold for a man.
A hearing man who would break my heart the same way my father broke hers.
I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I locked my phone and tossed it onto the sofa next to me. After two minutes of being in my head, I couldn’t stand the thoughts that kept circulating because I had to be real. Rylee wasn’t the only reason I’d agreed to come out here.
I grabbed my phone and sent a text to the one person I knew would make me feel better.
Me: I talked to my mom…
Instead of a text, a video call came through and I smiled when Marlee’s face came into view. She was in her car, but based on what I could see in the background, she was parked in her garage.
“She on a flight to come get you?” she signed as soon as we were locked into the call.
I grinned and lifted my phone, propping it against the arm of the sofa. I moved back enough to be in view of the camera. Settling in, I brought my feet up on the cushion and crossed them at the ankles before I responded.
“No, worse. She hit me with ‘I really hope you know what you’re doing’ and left it at that.”
“Shit, that’s bad.”
“Yep, it is because even though I told her I do, she was pretty much telling me I didn’t. She’s pissed.”
“She’ll be okay. How did she even find out?”
“Came to the school to surprise me with lunch and they told her I was on an extended leave.”
“Ah damn.”
“Exactly. She asked if it was Ryland’s idea.”
Marlee arched a brow. “And I hope you lied and said no.”
“Hell yeah I lied or she really would have been on the first flight out here to slap me upside my head, ask me if I lost my mind, and drag me back home.”
“It’s her job to worry. She’s your mother.”
“I know…” I huffed. “But she doesn’t have to make me feel bad in the process. I don’t make her feel bad about her life choices, she shouldn’t make me feel bad about mine.”
“True, but in her defense, her life choices are why she’s critiquing yours. Your mother doesn’t want history to repeat itself, and in her eyes, it will.”
“My side, Marlee. You’re supposed to be on my side, not hers.”
She grinned. “I’m not choosing sides. I’m only giving you the facts to see both sides of this. She loves you. Because she loves you, she wants to prevent you from being hurt or disappointed.”
“If that’s what happens, I can handle it, but she doesn’t know him…”
I cringed when I realized my mistake.
“Oh, so this is about him. It’s not just about you wanting that man to knock your walls down. You like him.”
“Yes and what’s wrong with that?”
Besides the fact that his life was here and mine was in Chicago and I didn’t have a damn clue if this was one-sided. Flirting didn’t mean he saw me as anything other than a temporary distraction.
“If he asked you to stay, would you?”
I froze and frowned.
“I can’t answer that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I just can’t,” I signed roughly.
Marlee stared at me for a minute before her hands started moving.
“I’m going to ask you again. This time I want you to answer without thinking about anything other than how you feel.
If you knew Ryland wanted you to stay, not for Rylee, but for him, because he’s feeling you just as much as you’re feeling him, would you stay? ”
“Yes,” I answered with confidence.
She shrugged. “Then no, there’s nothing wrong with liking him, with wanting to be there, with making the decision to be there. Your mother might not like it, but you’re grown. She’ll get over it. Do whatever makes you happy. Now how was the dick?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t had it yet.”
“Bitch…” She glared. “You have me wasting my good advice and you don’t even know what the dick can do?”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “You brought it up. That’s on you.”
“Whatever, man. Where’s my Rylee Bear?”
“At school.” I pouted. “And I miss her already.”
“So where’s your man?”
“He’s not my man.”
“You want him to be, so that’s basically your man, girl.”
“He had football stuff.”
“So you’re just at his crib chilling like W-I-F-E-Y. Okay, I see you.”
“Very much a stretch. I’m just here.”
And not even relevant at this point because Ryland and Rylee were already settling into their own rhythm without me.
“Then we need a plan.”
“I don’t need a plan. I need to figure out why the hell this man has me stuck on stupid.”
Marlee grinned. “See, you just proved we need a plan, friend. He’s fine as hell, so it very much could be that potential has you stuck, which is why you need to get the dick to see if you still feel the same after he makes you cum. Get the dick, then we’ll reconvene to reevaluate.”
I laughed. “That’s a terrible plan.”
“Is it though?” She arched a brow and I groaned.
“Yes, it is.”
“You’re a horrible liar. Call me back when the mission is complete.
I need to get to the grocery store. It’s supposed to snow and I literally have nothing at my house to eat.
I really need you to decide whether or not you’re trying to be a W-A-G so I can decide if I need to find a man who knows how to cook.
If you’re not feeding me, somebody has to. ”
I was the cook in our duo. It wasn’t that I had any profound skills in the kitchen but I was decent. With Marlee, boiling water was an act of congress. So when she was at my house or I was visiting hers, most of the time I cooked for us or we ordered.
“So you’re just going to replace me like that?”
“Hell yeah and don’t act like you feel a way. I legit could have said I was taking applications for a new best friend since you’re trying to leave me. However, you can relax. You will be my one and only best friend…ever.”
“Aww, you love me.”
“No, I love me and value my time. Do you know how much I invested in making sure you were up to my standards in the friend department? This thing we have taken years to build and perfect. Ain’t nobody trying to start all over. No new friends, friend.”
I laughed hard. “You ain’t shit.”
“Well ain’t shit or not, we’re in this; so I’m all you got. Blood in, blood out. I love you. Bye, H-O-E.”
She ended the call and my mood was two million percent better. But when I noticed Ryland and his arrogantly sexy walk come into view, with his long, deft fingers moving, my mood heightened even more.
“Business is done. I’m all yours. Let me change, then we can head out?”
All mine…
Don’t threaten me with a good time.
“Do I need to change?” I was in boyfriend jeans and a hoodie with a striped button up underneath. I was casually cute at the moment.
“You’re good. We’re just chilling.” His smile was going to be my downfall but that smile paired with the heat of his eyes on me would have me risking it all.
“I’ll get my shoes.” I uncrossed my legs and turned, dropping my socked feet to the floor.
“Be ready in twenty.”