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“You weren’t there yet, and it needed to be done. Plus, I won’t chance you reinjuring your shoulder. It’s not a big deal.”
He sighs. “It is a big deal. Who helps you out when you have big loads like that?”
“Usually it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“And if it is?”
“I call Coop or Sean.”
“Not anymore. Now you call me. Got it?”
“I’ll do whatever you say as long you promise to keep massaging.” I roll my head to the side. Rhett moves his hands to knead the area I just opened up.
“Mo, you really need to get some extra help at Animal Haven. I don’t know how you’ve managed all these years by yourself—”
“I haven’t been completely by myself. I have volunteers.”
“No,” he corrects. “You have Claire and Tess.”
“I have a couple more, but they’ve been busy lately and haven’t been able to help out as much.”
“That’s a start, Mo, but you need someone more regularly. I hate to think about you out there doing all that shit on your own when I go back to Houston.”
My heart stops, along with my breathing. It’s the first time either one us of has mentioned Houston. What’s going to happen to us when he leaves? What happens to me?
Swallowing, I blink back tears, grateful I’m facing away from him. “I, uh…I can’t afford to hire anyone. All the money we make from donations and adoptions goes straight back into the business. I don’t keep a dime for myself.”
His hands pause for a second on my shoulders, then pick back up again. “How do you pay the bills?”
“I just told you; all the money goes back into the business.”
“I mean at home. How do you pay the bills at home?”
“The house is paid off; so is my truck. Dad gets Social Security, and we have the money he made from selling Ruff Times, along with what he draws from his retirement. I also make a decent amount in tips on the weekends. Why all the questions?”
“I just worry about you, that’s all.”
I rest my head against his shoulder, melting into him as he wraps his arms around me. We sit like this until the suds start to fade and the water cools. I’m not ready to leave our little cocoon, so I pull the plug, drain some of the cool water, and refill the tub with hot so I can relax back into Rhett’s arms.
“Have you ever thought about going back to school?” he asks, his voice echoing off the walls.
That’s a tough question to answer. “I gave up on that a long time ago. The money isn’t there, and I’ve grown to love Animal Haven.”
“What if the money was there? Would you go back?”
“They probably wouldn’t let me into the program since I gave up my seat.”
“Christ, Mo, this is a what-if situation. Play along, would ya?”
“Fine. Yes, if I didn’t have Animal Haven and the money was there, I would go back to school. Happy?”
“Yes.” He kisses the side of my head. “Sorry for pushing you; I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Rhett,” I say, turning in his arms. I feel like I’m having the same conversation I just had with my dad, only with Rhett I can be brutally honest. “I haven’t always been, but I’m getting there, and you play a big part in that. Before you, I had nothing to live for. I worked, took care of my father, ate and slept, and on rare occasions, I’d hang out with Claire. I was depressed and lonely. Now I have moments like this to look forward to. Quiet bubble baths, family dinners, someone to share my day with—it’s the small things like that I didn’t realize I was missing.”
Rhett kisses me softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “We need to talk about what we’re going to do when I go back to work.”
“Have you been cleared?”
