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I sighed. That was far from what I considered to be sharing. “To make it so she is free to go back to the hospital, to what she loves to do, and not have her life in danger. The rest, I haven’t thought about. And until the election is over and I know Tabiq isn’t lost, I don’t have time to even think about it.”
It was true. Saving Reesa meant saving Tabiq. Maybe saving Tabiq would be a strong enough declaration of what she meant to me.
“It gets complicated when you’re in love,” he said.
Love? No. Not love...just...just very deep caring.
I don’t know why I wasn't willing to think about how deep that caring went. Maybe because it wasn’t just Meri who was going to have a hard time saying goodbye at the end of all of this. I’d dated many women and even had a couple of what I would’ve considered serious relationships, which only meant that we were exclusive. None of them ever made me stop and think about what it would be like waking up next to them for the rest of my life. But with Meri, I’d had that thought, and I actually entertained asking her to come to the States with me. I knew she wouldn’t move, but maybe if we worked at it, we could pull off a long-distance relationship. Visit each other a couple of times a year.
Hell no. She deserves someone who can be here for her all the time. I can’t be that guy.
I wasn’t going to get the happy ending that Bennett seemed to have. Don’t know how he made it work, but my sister-in-law seemed happy.
Changing the focus off me, I turned back to him and asked, “You mentioned protecting Zoey. Why don’t you tell me how the two of youreallymet?”
I had expected the original story that it was at a charity event. I wasn’t buying that any longer.
“That’s a long story.”
“One I need to hear,” I replied.
Bennett proceeded to tell me all about Zoey hiring him, and the day it turned from being a job to becoming personal. Through it all, I learned yet another huge piece of the puzzle of why he and the Hendersons ended up in Tabiq. Something I never would've guessed.
They are half Tabiqian.
Now I understood why the Hendersons were all in when it came to saving Tabiq. I was just not sure why Bennett insisted on my not sharing that information with anyone.
That was a Henderson family secret and wasn’t any of my business. As long as it didn’t affect Meri, or risk Reesa’s election, I was willing to keep my mouth shut.
I’ve got my own life and I need to figure out how Meri fits in it.
CHAPTER15
Meri
I never thought Ryker would be gone as long as he was. He didn’t call or text me. I could be angry with him, but since he was so agreeable when I asked him to swing by Reesa’s office on our way to go bowling, how could I stay mad?
“I’ll make it as quick as possible,” I said to Ryker, hinting at the fact I needed him to wait in the SUV.
“Take your time. I’ll get some work done while waiting for you.”
This was such a pleasant change from before. He didn’t want to leave my side for a second as though I was fragile. Maybe he was realizing that I was a lot tougher than he first thought.
Grabbing my medical bag, I went into the building, and she met me at the door.
“Hi, Meri. I’m sorry to have you come here like this. I’d have come to see you, but the resort has too many people watching.”
“I’m glad you called. What’s going on?” I asked, knowing she really must have felt ill to call me.
“I’m worried. I’ve never been under so much pressure, and I know it’s not good for the baby. I feel like my heart is going to explode at any moment. This isn’t good. I need something to help me relax,” she said.
“Okay, let me take your vitals.” She sat down, and I examined her. “Reesa, everything is normal. The baby’s heartbeat is strong. What’s going on? Why are you so worried?”
“The election. I need to win this election,” she said.
“Ryker is helping you, isn’t he?” I asked.
She nodded. “I don’t know what I would do without him.”
