Page 18 of Wilde Abandon
“I spoke to my mom and dad this morning.They’d love it if you stopped by the ranch to see them soon.They told me about that day and how they kept track of you all these years.”Her hand settled over his on the table.“We don’t have to talk about it.You don’t need to say anything.I just want you to know, I’m here if you need someone to listen.”
He appreciated that she gave him an out from dredging up his nightmares.“Thank you.”
“I also want you to know, I’m concerned about your mother.”
“The new drugs they’ve got her on seem to be working.She’s not getting any better, but she’s also not getting worse.”He didn’t have any wishful thinking when it came to Tanya’s diagnosis and prognosis.
“That’s good news.But that’s not what I’m talking about.Are you sure being here, helping her, is healthy for you after what they put you through?”
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.“You never stop, do you?”
Those big blue eyes held a world of concern.“Stop what?”
“Caring about me.”
She pulled back and stared at him.“Never.I never forgot you.I never stopped wondering about you.I never let myself forget that I hurt you, even if I was helping you.Because of what I did, I lost you.But if I hadn’t done it, I’d have lost you forever.”
He leaned in close.“Nothing is going to pull us apart again.It’s time for both of us to leave what happened in the past where it belongs.”
“Are you sure about me?Because you’ve been in town long enough to hear the rumors about me.It’s not just my name.I’ve been called the wild Wilde child since middle school.”
“I don’t get what that has to do with me and you.From everything I’ve heard, yes, you like to have a good time.You’re the life of the party and the bar is a party every night.I’ve seen the way guys look at you.I’ve seen them put their hands on you.”
“And how did that make you feel?”
She was going to judge whatever he said, so he went with the truth.“Like I wanted to kick every one of their asses.”He twirled a long strand of her dark hair around his finger.“But I didn’t do anything because I paid more attention to you than them and realized, none of them held your interest in the slightest.You blew them all off.Politely.With a smile.With a few playful words.Because you’re not mean.You know what you want.And it’s not them, because we had our online thing going.Right?”
She nodded.
Good.“You’re loyal.You like a good time.You like to have fun.I’ve seen you join in dancing with everyone and singing along to your favorite songs.I don’t see anything wrong with what you do, or the way you let yourself enjoy the moments.I wish I was more like you.I spend far too much time alone.And mostly I’m okay with that.I’m not comfortable dancing or partying just for the hell of it.”
“You could have anyone you want.I got no less than a dozen requests for introductions once the women in the bar saw me with you.”
Nerves fluttered in his belly.“And what did you tell them?”
“That they could have at Dean all they wanted, but you were off-limits.”
He liked that she’d staked a claim and gave her a cocky grin.“I like that.And this.You and me having a conversation, spending time together.But I also love to watch you move when you dance at the bar, too.”
Her gaze turned sultry.“Yeah?”
He raked his gaze over her.“Oh, yeah.”
She sucked in a steadying breath.“I don’t know how you stayed under the radar at the bar and I never saw you.”
“Simple.I never sat in your section.Dean and I stuck to the back where it’s the darkest in the bar.There’s always a crowd, so anytime you got close, I simply looked away.You saw me, you just didn’t know it was me.”
Her gaze dropped down, then swept up him.“You grew into a very good-looking man, Fox.I am not the only woman to notice.You must have been fending off advances in the bar left and right.”
He shrugged.“Like you, I dismissed them with a little charm and a simple, ‘I’m taken.’”
A lopsided grin tilted her lips.“You were that sure of yourself.”
“Based on the chats we shared and how you flirted with me, I hoped.”A lot.“You insisted we meet in person, letting me know you wanted more than just us hiding behind our computers where it was safe to say whatever we wanted without looking at each other.So, yeah, I knew you wanted more than just a friendship.”
She studied him, probably saw his nerves.“At first, you needed that distance.”
He nodded.“It helped break the ice.I’m not great with new people.”