Chapter Thirty-Two #2
“Then Ally took me down the hall. I wasn’t sure what she wanted; all I wanted to do was get the heck out of there,” he admitted. “Her mom was yelling that if we didn’t leave, she’d call the cops, and Ally said that if Ida did call the cops, Ally would tell them about all the heroin she found.”
The whole family had a physical reaction to that.
“I never saw the drugs, but I knew without a doubt her mom was on somethin’,” Colton went on.
“We went to a bedroom, and she went to the closet to grab somethin’.
I stood behind her and watched the door, like a guard dog, in case her mom came in, but she never did.
Ally found a box, and I took it to carry it outside.
” He looked exhausted as he rubbed his face.
I wanted to apologize for putting him through all this right before a ride.
“Ally followed me out of the room, and her mom grabbed her arm. Ally told Ida not to touch her, or she was gonna call the cops. Ida asked again and again for money, but Ally refused. She said she couldn’t give her the money to fuel an addiction. So Ida freaked out and shoved her a couple of times.”
Once again, the family physically reacted to the story. Dean and Alan shared a look while Dennis grabbed Jo’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. Jimmy shook his head in disgust.
“I dropped the box and…” his voice was starting to shake, “…I grabbed Ida’s hands and put them against the wall, holdin’ her back from tryin’ to go after Ally again.
Ally got up, grabbed the box, and got out of there.
” As soon as he finished his sentence, he dropped his head in his hands. His shoulders were shaking.
My heart crumpled as I watched Colton sob.
Should I go out and comfort him?
I didn’t need to.
Jo, Dennis, Alan, Dean, and Jimmy were on him in an instant, like a family huddle; they held him as he cried.
“How cou-” Colton sobbed, “how could anyone treat her like that?”
Now it was my turn for a physical reaction-I sat up in surprise.
He was crying because of how I was treated? I thought he was upset because my mother had yelled outrageous things, and he had to hold her back while I ran to the truck.
“She’s got us now,” Jo said, wiping her son’s tears with her thumb. “We’re going to take care of her.”
I lay back in bed, not wanting to eavesdrop on them any more than I already had.
I wanted to erase the last twenty-four hours and try again.
This time, I wouldn’t bother going to my mother’s house.
I would be the polite guest that the Nash family had invited on their road trip. I’d keep my head down and do my job.
How awkward was tomorrow morning going to be?
I lay in the darkness, trying to get my thoughts to settle for what felt like an hour, when I suddenly heard the curtain slide open. I lifted my head.
Colton’s silhouette was standing in the hallway.
“Hi,” I whispered, clicking the lamp on.
“Hi,” he whispered back, his bright green eyes puffy and bloodshot.
We stared at each other, neither of us knowing exactly where to start.
“Hey! Sorry I dragged you to my mother’s house, which by the way I forgot to tell you, she’s a drug addict, and I’ve been accidentally fueling her addiction for years!”
“I’m surprised you’re awake,” he said, the corner of his lips tugging at a smile. “You were out.” He took another step in the room and closed the curtain behind him, as if that would prevent Jimmy from hearing our entire conversation.
I patted the spot beside me.
He almost smiled again and walked all the way into the room, sitting on the empty side of the bed. He was staring at me, as if he was ready for me to break down all over again.
“Colton…”
His eyes lowered to mine. “I’m so sorry, Ally.”
I sighed. “If you apologize one more time, I think I’m gonna lose it,” I said with a teasing tone. “I need you to stop blaming yourself for what my mother did!”
It was painfully obvious what a beautiful childhood Colton was blessed with, especially now.
He had two parents who adored him and three brothers who had loved him no matter what.
He’d had a passion, and his entire family encouraged him to follow his dreams. He had no idea how to react to such an ugly scene from someone so close to me.
He raised an eyebrow as if to say, “I have to apologize.”
“It’s over and done with, and I’m ready to have fun with you again,” I said, pushing myself to sit up more.
“Your mother has been stealin’ from you, Ally. The things she said…” he responded, almost sternly. “I can’t just move on from that.”
Jo’s words echoed in my head, “He’s always been as stubborn as a mule, but sweetie, he would do anythin’ you ask.”
I took Colton’s head in my hands and rubbed his cheek, feeling a hint of stubble on my fingertips. “I need you to move on, for me.”
That did it. He put his hand on my arm and nodded sternly, as if he was convincing himself that’s what was right.
I knew he was probably drained after the trailer house and a physically exhausting, terrible ride. “Will you lie with me? Just for a little while?”
Colton seemed to light up at the idea. “Let me get out of my dusty pants really quick, and I’ll be right back.” He bounded out and closed the curtain behind him.
I pulled back the covers, ready for his warm presence beside me.
Colton was back in less than two minutes, wearing gym shorts and a vintage Wrangler shirt.
I frowned at his shirt.
He looked down at it, confused.
“I was just hoping to see your abs again,” I blurted out. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stop anything else from escaping my lips.
Colton actually laughed out loud. “Is that right?”
I just stared back at him, my traitor of a mouth still covered.
“Whatever helps you feel better,” he said with a cocky shrug. He peeled his shirt off and tossed it to the ground, now naked from the waist up. “Your turn.”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“I am just kiddin’!” Colton said as quickly as he could. “Gosh, that was a horrible joke. My bad, I’m really sorry.”
I laughed back at him, and suddenly it was like we were in his bathroom back in Oklahoma all over again. Staring at each other, not able to stop laughing. Soon, I was wiping tears from my eyes and gasping for breath. Colton was bending over, his hands on his knees, as we dissolved into hysterics.
It was an absolute explosion of emotions after all that happened today, and it felt so good.
There was a bang on the wall, and then Jimmy hollered, “Some of us are tryin’ to sleep here, ya wild hyenas!”
Of course, that was not helpful to the situation and made Colton and me make eye contact again and laugh even harder.
After a few minutes, when my ribs were sore and my cheeks physically hurt, we finally caught our breath and started to calm down.
Colton peeled back the covers and climbed in, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me against his bare chest.
It felt like heaven, his heartbeat echoing in my ears and his strong arms keeping me close.
The image of his ride, how close his head had gotten to hitting the metal pole, was replaying over and over again in my head.
I was nauseous all over again.
I didn’t know how much more of this I could take.
Two more rides.
Stephenville, Texas, The Cowboy Capital of the World.
Then, if he was still in the top twenty, it’d be off to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the Governor’s Cup
Things were getting intense. I could feel the tension starting to rise in Colton. It was time to be there for him, completely and fully.
Despite my ever-growing fear.