Page 90 of Pretty Wild

It’s my turn to nod now. “Thank you for helping.”

She waves off my comment. “It was nothing. Not only do I enjoy organizing a party, but I did it for my daughter’s first winter product line reveal, as well as the introduction of the face of her company. It’s an honor, darling.”

I give her a small smile, one that probably doesn’t reach my eyes.

“Tell me about Pine Village,” she says, leaning her elbows on the counter in front of me.

This time, my smile is real. “It’s this quaint little town, where everyone knows everyone. It sits along a big national park, with a lake, lots of cabins, and trails for riding four-wheelers and snowmobiles.”

“Four-wheelers?” she asks, her eyes dancing with delight.

I nod in confirmation. “I rode a four-wheeler.”

“Wow, look at you! Our little adventurer,” she quips with a beautiful smile.

Lifting my shoulders, I tell her, “It was fun.”

And it was. Marcus took me all over his property and around part of the lake. He even showed me how to get to Blair and Gabe’s house from the trails. It was a great time, and while I was nervous—and maybe a bit scared at first—I loved every second of it.

It was freeing and wild.

Much like my time with Marcus.

Her smile remains as she sips her coffee. “Tell me about him. Marcus.”

I close my eyes, picturing him. “There’s nothing much to say, really,” I say lamely, making her chuckle.

“I beg to differ. It sounds like there’s plenty to say, including how much you care for him.”

I shrug my shoulders and keep my focus on my coffee. “I, uh, might have fallen in love with him.”

When she doesn’t respond, I glance up. I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but her grinning from ear to ear wasn’t it.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m just so happy for you,” she says, taking another small sip of her hot beverage.

“Happy? Why?” I don’t seem to follow her line of thought.

“Love is a beautiful thing,” she insists. “I fell in love with your father almost immediately. It was a classic case of love at first sight.”

“Mom, did you miss the part where he lives in Wisconsin, and I live here?” I ask incredulously.

She shrugs. “The heart wants what it wants, Ryan.”

I feel my eyes well with tears as my head shakes. “It can’t work, Mom. His life is…so simple there. And mine is complicated. I have the TV show and my makeup line.”

“Two things you can do from Wisconsin.”

I snort a very unladylike noise. “Who wants to watch a TV show set in Wisconsin?”

She shrugs. “You never know, honey. It could be a hit, just like the one here. And you and I both know your work can be done anywhere. You’d have to do some travel, sure, but it’s completely doable.”

Air deflates from my sails. “I understand what you’re saying, but…it can’t work.”

“Can’t? Or you won’t let it?”

I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out.

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