holding.
James turned to me and squeezed my hand under the blanket. “That wasn’t ideal,” he groaned. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “I’m terrified,” I confessed. “You saw the look on her face. She hates us. Get dressed and go get my clothes from the bathroom. I’m sure she’ll love seeing that.”
“Relax, Willow,” James insisted, his face calm. He got out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. “Mom has a tendency to over react. But she doesn’t hate us. Once she gets over the initial shock, she’ll see that we really love each other.”
“Please, just go get my clothes,” I begged. He nodded and left the room.
Shit, shit, shit! Why the hell did I fall asleep here? This isn’t how this was supposed to happen. Getting caught in the act makes it look ten times worse. Please God, let James be right. Let Renee understand that we’re truly in love with each other.
The bedroom door creaked open and James tossed my clothes onto the bed before shutting the door again. I dressed quickly and left the room, my stomach knotted with anxiety. When I sat down at the small kitchen table, I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my throat. Renee pushed a mug of coffee to me and studied the two of us in turn. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair.
“Okay, I want to know everything,” she said. “When did this start? Who knows about it? And most importantly, what the hell were the two of you thinking?” she finished, her eyes narrow.
James cleared his throat. “Mom, Willow and I have been seeing each other since before you and Cole started dating. Or at least before you told us you were dating.”
“And you thought that wasn’t worth mentioning?” she snapped.
“We didn’t know what to think, Mom,” he sighed. “The two of you said you were going to take things slow. Then suddenly, you were engaged. Willow and I tried to fight our feelings. We tried to stay away from each other. But we couldn’t.”
“We really did, Renee,” I meekly agreed.
“You tried to break Cole and me up,” Renee corrected us. “My God, everything’s starting to make sense now. This is why you punched Bradley after he kissed Willow in Kentucky. It’s why you suddenly settled down and stopped running from one rodeo to the next. It explains so much.” She let out a long sigh and folded her hands in her lap.
“I’m really sorry we didn’t tell you,” I said, searching her eyes for forgiveness. I had to find a way to make her understand how James and I felt about each other. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. You and Daddy are so happy together. But James and I are happy together too. We love each other, Renee.”
“Honey, I’m sure you think you do,” she said. Her eyes were kind but firm. “But you don’t even know what you’re talking about. This isn’t love. This is youth and the thrill of doing something you’re not supposed to. You’re both too caught up in the excitement to realize that this relationship is never going to work. It ends now, for both your sakes.”
My heart sank and I stared down at my coffee, fighting back tears.
Damn it, I was afraid this was going to happen. We should have told them weeks ago. I think it would be easier for Renee to talk about this if she hadn’t just caught us in bed.
James stared at Renee with patient eyes and folded his hands together on the table. “Mom, I know you’re worried about what people will think. But Willow’s not my sister. Maybe it would be different if you and Cole had gotten married when we were young. But we all met each other as adults. And we all have the right to act like adults.” He reached across the table and took my hand. My face flushed hot with anxiety, but I didn’t pull away.
“That’s just it, James,” Renee replied, her voice full of resolve. “You’re not adults at all. You certainly haven’t acted like it. I know you both think you’re grown, but
James turned to me and squeezed my hand under the blanket. “That wasn’t ideal,” he groaned. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “I’m terrified,” I confessed. “You saw the look on her face. She hates us. Get dressed and go get my clothes from the bathroom. I’m sure she’ll love seeing that.”
“Relax, Willow,” James insisted, his face calm. He got out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. “Mom has a tendency to over react. But she doesn’t hate us. Once she gets over the initial shock, she’ll see that we really love each other.”
“Please, just go get my clothes,” I begged. He nodded and left the room.
Shit, shit, shit! Why the hell did I fall asleep here? This isn’t how this was supposed to happen. Getting caught in the act makes it look ten times worse. Please God, let James be right. Let Renee understand that we’re truly in love with each other.
The bedroom door creaked open and James tossed my clothes onto the bed before shutting the door again. I dressed quickly and left the room, my stomach knotted with anxiety. When I sat down at the small kitchen table, I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my throat. Renee pushed a mug of coffee to me and studied the two of us in turn. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair.
“Okay, I want to know everything,” she said. “When did this start? Who knows about it? And most importantly, what the hell were the two of you thinking?” she finished, her eyes narrow.
James cleared his throat. “Mom, Willow and I have been seeing each other since before you and Cole started dating. Or at least before you told us you were dating.”
“And you thought that wasn’t worth mentioning?” she snapped.
“We didn’t know what to think, Mom,” he sighed. “The two of you said you were going to take things slow. Then suddenly, you were engaged. Willow and I tried to fight our feelings. We tried to stay away from each other. But we couldn’t.”
“We really did, Renee,” I meekly agreed.
“You tried to break Cole and me up,” Renee corrected us. “My God, everything’s starting to make sense now. This is why you punched Bradley after he kissed Willow in Kentucky. It’s why you suddenly settled down and stopped running from one rodeo to the next. It explains so much.” She let out a long sigh and folded her hands in her lap.
“I’m really sorry we didn’t tell you,” I said, searching her eyes for forgiveness. I had to find a way to make her understand how James and I felt about each other. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. You and Daddy are so happy together. But James and I are happy together too. We love each other, Renee.”
“Honey, I’m sure you think you do,” she said. Her eyes were kind but firm. “But you don’t even know what you’re talking about. This isn’t love. This is youth and the thrill of doing something you’re not supposed to. You’re both too caught up in the excitement to realize that this relationship is never going to work. It ends now, for both your sakes.”
My heart sank and I stared down at my coffee, fighting back tears.
Damn it, I was afraid this was going to happen. We should have told them weeks ago. I think it would be easier for Renee to talk about this if she hadn’t just caught us in bed.
James stared at Renee with patient eyes and folded his hands together on the table. “Mom, I know you’re worried about what people will think. But Willow’s not my sister. Maybe it would be different if you and Cole had gotten married when we were young. But we all met each other as adults. And we all have the right to act like adults.” He reached across the table and took my hand. My face flushed hot with anxiety, but I didn’t pull away.
“That’s just it, James,” Renee replied, her voice full of resolve. “You’re not adults at all. You certainly haven’t acted like it. I know you both think you’re grown, but
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