Page 98 of Cowboy SEAL Homecoming

Alex studied something. Whether it was Mom’s car, the sky, the mountains, the ranch house itself, she couldn’t tell. She could only tell he was deep in thought, and she wasn’t sure she liked whatever he was thinking about.

“Did you tell your mother about what happened last night?” he asked, that dark, unreadable gaze finally turning to her.

“Yes, Alex. I texted my mother last night. Virginity finally shed. It was fantastic. You should probably bake me a celebratory sex cake.”

“I don’t know what women talk about with their mothers.”

But she couldn’t get over the idea this was more than that. “Do you…not want me to tell her?”

“I want you to do whatever you feel comfortable doing. And whatever you choose to do, I will stand by that.”

“You don’t want a say in it?”

He smiled a little at that. “No, sweetheart. I think whatever stand you’re trying to make with your mom probably starts with deciding what to tell her about your life.”

“That sounds reasonable and awful.”

“Welcome to life: reasonable and awful.”

Mom was swiftly approaching and Becca knew she had to make a decision. An adult decision. If she wanted her mom to treat her like one, she had to be one.

“Hi, Mom. What brings you out this way?”

“You weren’t answering my text messages,” Mom returned, though her glare was on Alex, who was standing there, as if he would, in fact, stand by whatever she said.

“I told you I’d be working in the stables, and I wouldn’t have time to text back. It didn’t necessitate a trip out.”

“Yes. Clearly you’re so busy working.”

Becca took a deep breath. There was being an adult, and there was being a masochist. Alex being around for this conversation was more masochist than adult. She turned to him and smiled thinly. “Why don’t you go call the plumber?”

“You sure?” he asked, searching her face.

God, she liked him. She nodded and gave his arm a squeeze. “Thanks.”

He took a few steps forward, nodding at Mom. “Sandra. Good to see you.”

Mom didn’t say anything, though she was clearly livid, but Alex didn’t say anything more. He walked toward the ranch, giving Becca one last look over his shoulder, and that bolstered her. Because if he were in this position, if he were standing here having to explain himself to his dad, she knew he would stand there with that soldier posture and do it. He’d be honest and certain, so that’s all she needed to do.

“Why are you really here?” Becca asked Mom as gently as she could manage.

“Because I’m worried about you. I didn’t like how we ended our conversation last week, and I don’t like how things have been. You weren’t answering my texts. All you would say was you’re busy, so I had to come out here. I am not a stupid woman, Becca Denton. I know what I saw.”

“I know what you saw too.”

“I told those boys to watch after you. I certainly didn’t mean…”

“What? You didn’t mean for them to like me? To be interested in me?” She’d never quite felt like this before. Like she was the rational one, arguing with her mother’s irrational behavior. She’d always felt wrong or ungrateful for arguing with Mom, but…she was too old for this. She was too… She couldn’t play the game anymore. She didn’t want to.

“You don’t have a clue what men are like,” Mom said firmly, eyes flashing with a million hurts Becca would never understand.

It softened her. “You’re right. I don’t. But I know what Alex is like.”

“After a few weeks?” Mom scoffed.

“Yes, actually. We’ve talked a lot, and we have a lot in common—a lot of shared people if not shared memories. I’ve never been afforded that—friendship. Companionship. No one has ever given me what he has.”

She hadn’t meant to hurt Mom, but she knew in the aftermath of those words, saying that someone else had given her something her mother never had was a cut. Which wasn’t fair to either of them, but there it was.