Page 109 of Nashville Cowboy
“Are you upset?”
“I’m just…shocked.” She could barely formulate thoughts, much less words. “Um, I guess I always thought of Hank as a father-figure. He almost became my father-in-law. I love him like a father. But I never saw you two together. I just never…I never thought…”
“I know.” Brenda studied the floor.
“Does Jackson know about this?”
“No. There’s nothingtoknow.”
“But if you two want to…um, date? You should be able to do that. Regardless of what’s going on between me and Jackson.”
“Whatisgoing on?” Brenda patted the bed next to her. “Tell me all about it.”
“He wants me to go with him to Nashville. And…I said I would go.”
“That’s wonderful!” Brenda stroked Eve’s cheek.
“It’s complicated.”
“Whatcomplicated? I hate that phrase. Complicated is for calculus. Love is simple. Tell me, querida. If you don’t love him, that’s okay. It’s not your fault. You can’t choose who you love.”
Up until this moment, Eve had been prepared to go with Jackson. But now, a sharp pang of fear hit her. She didn’t want to be away from her mother, from Sadie, Mima, Hank, and everyone she knew and loved. What if something happened while she was gone?
They were her safety and comfort as much as Jackson was.
“I love him. Maybe too much. I forget myself. Forget whatIwant just to give him whathewants. That’s not normal or healthy.”
“Maybe not.” Brenda laughed. “It’s true love, especially if he won’tletyou give everything up.”
Eve considered this. Jackson wanted her with him in Nashville, which would effectively mean giving everything up. Her practice here, her family, the town she loved so deeply. But tonight, there’d been such a deep pride for her in his words that he seemed to understand what she’d accomplishedmeantsomething. He understood what she’d be giving up and there was an expiration date.
She’d seen the kind of money that a successful career could provide. Certainly, more for their future children than she ever could. The problem was that money had never been all that important to her. Lord, she was so confused.
Later that night,even after the storm had stopped raging, everyone but Jolette Marie and Hank stayed in the Carver main house. Mima in Jackson’s room, Brenda and Eve in Mima’s bedroom.
When Eve came out a couple of hours later to get a drink of water after everyone had gone to bed, she found Jackson on the couch. He lay arms crossed behind his neck, staring up at the ceiling. When he heard her come in, he turned and gave her a slow smile. Despite the fact that she still wanted to sleep with her mother and make sure she’d be okay through the night, Eve felt a strong pull of longing wash over her. Seeing him so lonely on that uncomfortable couch wasn’t helping the situation.
“Hi,” she said, squeezing next to him. “I hope you don’t mind me staying with my mom tonight.”
His arm curled around her waist. “Is she okay?”
“I think so.”
He quirked a brow.
“Physically she’s okay. Emotionally? I’m not sure.”
“Hank told me something tonight,” Jackson said. “Apparently he wants a second chance with her.”
“Hetoldyou that?”
“In so many words.”
“Wow,” Eve whispered. “Just…wow.”
“I know.”
“I haven’t been able to think in anything other than one-syllable words since she told me about them. ‘Oh’ and ‘Wow.’ Ourparents.”
