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Everything Callie pointed out to me on the drive was right. And as painful as it is to admit—I have been the one distancing myself from them. They’ve never given me a reason to stay away. If anything, they’ve practically begged for me to come home over the years.
I may not have always seen eye-to-eye with my siblings and parents growing up, but they have always loved and cared for me.
I should appreciate them more.
And I really hope that I can make things right, which is why Callie and I agreed we are going to stay at the ranch for two more weeks. As much as we both hate to drag out the fake fiancée narrative, we want to be mindful of my dad’s health, and now’s not really the best time to stage a breakup, or worse, come clean about this whole thing.
We don’t want to be the reason my dad has another heart attack.
I force myself to sit up in bed, not wanting to fall back asleep and leave Callie fending for herself with the rest of the family.
Not that she needs my help.
She stayed up late last night with Bailey, Layla, and Emma. They’ve all hit it off better than I could’ve expected—or imagined. So, I went to bed long before she did—but only after she assured me she could find her way to her room.
It’s safe to say that Callie fits in better with my family than I do.
I get ready and pull on a pair of my old jeans and a white t-shirt. After growing up in a three-story home, I told myself I would never live in a house with three levels ever again. Not because of the pain of cleaning or moving things—no, it’s because of the sheer exercise it takes to just get down to the freaking kitchen on the bottom floor.
“Hey, honey,” Mom greets me, standing in the kitchen, washing up breakfast dishes. “How’d you sleep? You must’ve really been tired to sleep all the way ‘til 10 A.M., but then again, you are one of those late-night fellas, aren’t you?” She laughs, giving me her typical mom look.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be here this morning,” I say, ignoring the comment. “I thought that you’d be at the hospital with Dad.”
She waves me off. “I tried to be. But your dad insisted I should stay home and hang out with my long-lost son.”
“Of course he did,” I respond, sliding onto a bar stool across from her on the island. “You know, Dad really needs to start taking it easy. The man is a workaholic; I don’t think he’s taken a day off in over forty years. It’s no wonder he had a dang heart attack.”
Mom chuckles, shaking her head. “Your father is a hardworking man, and I doubt this will slow him down.”
“I don’t understand how anyone can be that work-oriented.”
“Believe it or not, I think you are just as work-oriented as your father. You made your way in a business that none of us have any clue about—not to mention, somehow, you wound up with the magical talent of singing and playing nearly every instrument in the book. I’d like to say that’s thanks to those awesome piano lessons I gave you, but I don’t think it’s me.”
I smile across the bar at her. “You know you sing really well, Mom. I’ve only heard you like a million times in the shower. Your bathroom is on the other side of the house, but when Shania Twain comes on, I think your voice would carry across New York City.”
“Well, what can I say? She really makes me feel like a woman, sometimes,” Mom teases, before we both burst into laughter. “I missed you, Wade Aaron. I sure wish you’d come around more than you do—and I know your brothers are well ... your brothers, but you don’t have to be ropin’ cattle out there.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll save myself the embarrassment.” I groan. “And I hope to goodness, they don’t make me work cattle in front of Callie. She’s gonna laugh so hard.”
“She sure loves you, doesn’t she?” Mom smiles this dreamy, happy smile at me, her eyes bright and vibrant. “I see how she is with you—and the way you look at her ... She really is the one. I could tell the moment I saw you two.”
“Yeah,” I mumble, the guilt rushing over me. It’s gonna be even worse when I have to tell her that we broke up. “I guess so.”
“You deserve someone who loves you for who you are, and I can just see it in her face that she’s one of those women that just loves with everything they have—I see that in you, too. Well, minus the woman part.” She laughs, setting a cleaned plate on the drying rack.
“I don’t know about all that,” I say, looking out the window across the pasture. “I need to find her though. I don’t need anyone convincing her to up and run away,” I say with a laugh, surprised that I genuinely mean what I just said.
I want to spend more time with her.
“Oh, she went on a ride with Ava and Emma,” Mom answers. “So, tell me more about how you met her, Wade? She doesn’t seem like the kind of girl you meet at one of those crazy parties that you always go to.”
“I met her at a coffee shop,” I say, smiling at the memory of shocking her with her pen. “She dropped her pen on the floor while she was standing in line to order. I, uh, picked it up for her. I don’t know—there was just something about her,” I say with a shrug, though my mouth is going dry as I picture her messy auburn hair and black sweatshirt.
“You look like you have stars in your eyes,” Mom says, grabbing my attention. “I just can’t believe my Wade—my hard-headed, wild child—is finally star-struck by a woman. She must be something really special to grab your attention like that. You’ve never been one to fall easily.”
“How do you just know all this stuff about me?” I ask, laughing. “You act like you just read a manual about me.”
“I’m your mother,” she retorts. “I wrote the manual. Not to mention you mostly take after me, and maybe a little bit of your dad. There wasn’t anything you did that I didn’t do growing up. Your personality is at least ninety percent me.”
