AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Out with it,” he says.
Chapter 30
Blythe
We’re all silent as Gage repeats to the guys what he just told me.
“So you’re, like, rich then?” Tripp asks enthusiastically. As if that’s the most important detail out of everything Gage just said.
“You could say that,” Gage admits.
“And you still drive around that old truck,” Tripp laughs. “I never would have guessed.”
“I’m sorry for lying to you. I never considered you my employees, I think of you as my best friends. Money got in the way of that for me in the past. I didn’t want it to affect things for me anymore. I didn’t want you to treat me any differently.”
I’m not mad at him. But I could knee him right in the junk for keeping this all from me. From everyone here. There’s a genuine and sincere regret behind his words. He’s not sugarcoating it or begging us to believe that it wasn’t his fault that this all happened. He’s owning up to the fact that he lied by omission.
I don’t know if he thought I’d sprint out the door and block his number if I found out about what he’s been hiding, but that’s not the case. I just wish he would have told me sooner. I’m shocked is all. It’s a shit ton of new information that my brain is trying to take in all at once. I need a minute to process this.
And he said that someone is trying to kill him?
I don’t even know how to react to that, so I just cry.
I wipe my nose and the tears sliding down my chin with my sleeve. Maybe if I don’t look at him, I’ll forget that someone is out there plotting his death.
“I shouldn’t have, but I hid the fact that I was the owner of this ranch and came from money because it doesn’t define who I am. I wanted a life based on other things.Realthings that matter, not dollar signs. I understand if you no longer respect me, and maybe I deserve that. But I am sorry.
“Above all else though, I was trying to protect you all. I left a dangerous life. I didn’t want any of you to be caught up in that. I guess that didn’t really work out.”
“Can I get a raise?” Tripp blurts out.
“Dumb ass,” Heston mumbles and rubs his temple like this much new information is causing him a headache.
Gage ignores them and takes a few steps toward me. “Blythe…”
Warren stands abruptly and holds his hand up. “Don’t.”
Just yesterday I was telling Warren how much I cared about Gage. I’m sure he’s confused as to why I’m bawling my eyes out. He probably thinks I’m furious with him.
My eyes meet Gage’s.
“This can’t be the end of us,”his say.
“It’s not. I won’t let it be,”mine say back.
He doesn’t break our eye contact even when Tripp stands to pat him twice on the shoulder.
“I forgive you, man. Water under the bridge.”
Gage’s phone ringing is what finally pulls his gaze away. He reaches into his pocket and looks at the screen, but furrows his brow. A realization crosses his face and he sets that phone down and pulls out the little black flip phone from his other pocket instead. I recognize it as the one the man at the gate gave to him before he left.
“Yeah,” he barks into the phone after opening it.
One hand moves to his hip, and he gives a pensive stare down at his boots as he listens to the person on the other end of the line. Heston and Warren look at each other, then at me as I try to suppress the worry on my face. Not a minute later, Gage hangs up and pockets the phone back into his jeans.
It’s been an emotional morning so far, but suddenly his voice is confident and even.
“I need you all to be saddled up and ready to go in the next ten minutes,” he demands.
