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Twenty-Two
Holden
I charged into the house. “What the hell, Mom?”
Cameron had stayed on the couch with Bruce, his empty plate on the end table. Stetson had migrated to the island, along with Willow, to hang by Nora and Isla. Mom sat at the table, not one ounce of guilt showing on her face.
I should have waited for everyone to leave before I confronted her, but I couldn’t. We’d all seen what happened. I figured they might as well be here to watch the rest play out.
She folded her arms across her chest. The cream turtleneck she wore didn’t soften her harsh visage. “Someone’s gotta be thinking about this. You get serious with these girls that don’t want to live in Coal Haven. Then you’re going after the ones who don’t want kids. And now one that has a full brood.”
“I get that you want me to stay in the family business, but you can’t predict the future.” My volume ramped up as I spoke. “You didn’t know that I wouldn’t come home again.”
“Not if Teagan had any say.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about her,” I said bitterly. I’d been left to support myself once I left college and didn’t move home right away when I was done. And I’d been left to get myself through the worst thing that had ever happened to me.
Mom snorted. “Oh, I still worry because of Teagan. She left you high and dry after that baby died, and here you are, single with no kids, in your thirties.”
The place went quiet. The only movement was Willow putting her fingers to her mouth as if she could stuff words she didn’t say back into nothing. Nora looked just as horrified, but Isla was the only one left in shock. Bruce and Cameron took Stetson’s method of staying out of it by staring at the floor.
“You knew?”
Mom’s expression turned incredulous. “You think something like that can happen without us finding out? You were listed as the father in the obituary.”
Teagan hadn’t wanted a big funeral, but her parents had taken over a lot. Perhaps they’d done an obituary. I’d been lost in a haze of grief and coasted through that time until Teagan walked out.
I gave my head a shake. Mom had known and offered me nothing. NoI’m sorry. No hug. No sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
Hadn’t I wanted it that way? She’d given me the room I had asked for with my lack of explanation and distance. And I’d returned home like she wanted.
I stuffed a hand through my hair and curled my fingers into a fist. Frustration and confusion raged with so many other emotions I couldn’t identify them all. “So you’ve been waiting it out? For me to get over it and give you a grandson like this isn’t the twenty-first century?”
“It’s not like that and you know it,” Mom shot back. “This isn’t exactly the refinery that Cameron works at where we can just hire a new CEO when he decides to retire.”
I didn’t bother with thewell, actuallyrebuttal. Both of us could retire and we could hire a ranch manager. Colt functioned as one for Mom anyway; we’d just hire more. I knew the point Mom was trying to make. She wanted to make sure the ranch stayed a family business.
I couldn’t fault her for wanting to have something to hand down to me and to her grandkids. But I could fault her for getting between me and someone I cared about in order to get her way.
“Emery’s important to me,” I said quietly.
Mom’s expression softened, but the underlying hardness didn’t go away. “I know. She seems nice. But we all heard it, Holden. Her priority is her kids. If you stay with her, your priority will be her. She might have to move, and then what? You wait until you fall in love before you realize that you’re living her ex’s life in order to stay with her?”
I didn’t have a good reply. Hopelessness threatened to fog my brain, but it wasn’t like this was a decision I could make overnight. I didn’t know whether there was a decision to be made.
“You’re my priority,” Mom said, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Nora’s head drop down. Dammit, Mom. “I’m not apologizing for it.”
“If I’m your priority, maybe quit trying to run off people I fall in love with because they don’t tick all the boxes you think are important. Just because you can’t let anyone in doesn’t mean I should keep them locked out unless they can shoot out children and irrevocably tie themselves to this place.”
I yanked my coat off the hook by the door. “You all are welcome to stay and enjoy yourselves, but I’m heading to town.”
“Wait.” Nora jumped up. “Go get your pickup warmed up. I’ll bring out some dessert for you to take to her.”
Grateful I had some support in my immediate family, I left a flurry of activity behind in the kitchen.
I was in my pickup waiting for the windshield to defrost when Nora rushed out. She had a bag filled with containers in her hands.
She opened the passenger door and climbed in, carefully setting the bag on the floor. “Whatever you decide, just know that I’m here.”
