Page 33 of Rowdy Boy
“It feels like my home is inside him. If I could curl up right into his chest, I would. When I’m with him, I don’t worry about hard times or dark days. I know I’ll always be safe and protected.”
These two. I would roll my eyes at her lovey-dovey explanation if I didn’t bear witness to their connection on a daily basis.
“Honestly, it feels like more than I deserve,” she continues quietly.
Thatgets my attention.
“I know this can’t last forever… I won’t let it…”
She trails off as worry rises inside me. What is she getting at?
“Baby…” I admonish softly. She’s dropped this on me a few times before; hinted that their relationship is on a time limit. I don’t know if it’s because of Rhett’s plans to go away for school, or if it’s about her mom… but it worries the shit out of me when she mentions it. Ironically, I don’t think she’s ever hinted at it in front of Rhett. At least not when I’m around. I doubt he’d even let her entertain the idea of them not being together. Stubborn fucker…
“You think he’s still going to let you call me that after tonight?”
I know what she’s doing. Changing the subject. But I won’t push back or give her a hard time. They’ll figure it out. I may not do relationships or even believe in love, but if I was going to, I’d place my bets on these two making it.
“You think I’m gonna give him a choice?” I can feel her smile through the dark.
“Just go easy on him for the next few days. Let him get over this…” She yawns as she trails off.
“Yeah. I owe him. I owe you both.” Reaching out then, I take her cold toes between my hands again before pulling a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapping it around her legs.
She didn’t ask me to promise her I’d get my shit together. She knows me well enough to know it needs to be my idea. But I feel compelled to let her know I heard her, and that I’m going to try.
“I’ll take what you said seriously, too. I’ll figure out what else I can do to manage my emotions… to keep myself safe.”
“You’re a good one, Jake Whitely.”
I let out my own yawn before responding. “Right back atcha, baby.”
Chapter 15
It’stakenmeaweek to make these plans. To coordinate the moving parts. To come up with how I’m going to do it, what I’m going to say. Once I decided how things had to go, it almost seemed too simple. Everything started clicking into place. Now it’s time to make it all happen.
I’ve been on edge all day, my anxiety and despair trying to make me believe this won’t work. But I can’t let that guide me. I won’t let fear win.
Rhett forced me to go on a long-ass run with him. At three p.m. In August. In Ohio. I think I lost four pounds of water weight. Then he made me admit that I felt better afterward. He and Tori have been tag-teaming me all week: taking turns encouraging me to do healthy shit with them each day as I go through the motions of making this change.
They both know the full story now. About what he did at The Grille. About what I overheard him say to Courtney.
Grandma Patty knows it all now, too. Or, at least the version of the story I was comfortable explaining to my seventy-two-year-old grandmother. She’s been my saving grace in all of this—a literal angel who came into town on Monday to help me.
The suitcase clunks down the stairs behind me, increasing my resolve with each whack of the wheels on the hardwood. I purposely took the front stairs instead of sneaking out the back. I want him to know I’m here. I want him to watch me go.
I pause outside the study door. His eyes are fixed on a document spread out on his desk. I wait for what feels like forever for him to finally look up.
“I’m moving out today.” My tone is emotionless, just like I rehearsed.
His lip curls up into a smirk. “You’re not leaving,” he sneers.
“I am. I’m moving out and getting my own place. Grandma Patty is helping me.”
He looks at me with utter disgust. “Oh yeah? When did that cunt start caring about you?”
I inhale through my nose and bite down on the inside of my cheek—a move I’ve watched Rhett do time and time again when I’m trying his patience. I steady my breathing and hear Tori’s voice in my head.Don’t give him your power.
“Once I explained how you force-fed me a bottle of gin and gave me alcohol poisoning, and that you were paying a girl to date me and to get herself knocked up, she agreed I’d be better off on my own. She’s been in town since Monday.”