Page 106 of That One Night
He opened his mouth. Then closed it again.
“Wasn’t there?” Pres asked.
“It’s complicated,” Hendrix told him.
“How complicated?”
“The kind of complicated where I don’t even know where to start,” Hendrix told him, a wave of dizziness washing over him. “And I’m so damn tired. I haven’t slept in days. I haven’t done anything but work in the fields and if I don’t get inside and lie down I think I might collapse.”
Pres stared at him. “Okay. Go inside and get some sleep. But come to Mom’s tomorrow. You can sign those papers. We can talk.” His brother’s voice was soft, for once. And yeah, maybe that’s what he needed.
A friend. A brother. Somebody who understood that he’d given up the one woman he loved to make sure she and his mom had the future they deserved.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
“Oh my goodness,”his mom said the next day when he arrived at his parent’s ranch at the edge of town. “Pres was right. You do look tired.” She took Hendrix’s hand in her own. “You need to slow down, sweetheart. I’m worried about you.”
“You don’t need to worry. I told you that.” He forced a smile onto his lips, following her inside the house he’d grown up in.
He and his brothers had experienced a privileged upbringing, no matter how much their parents tried to keep things real. Sure, they’d gone to public school, had to work for their allowances, and were never allowed to slack off from helping out around the house, but not many kids got to grow up in a sprawling ranch complete with its own recording studio at the back.
“Where’s Dad?” he asked when they made it to the kitchen at the back of the house.
“Fiddling about in the studio. He’ll be in soon. Coffee?” his mom asked.
“Yes, please.”
For a second they were both silent as she grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and started up the machine their dad hadbought her for Christmas. It was a bean to cup model, and she loved it.
“Pres said you have something you need me to sign,” Hendrix reminded her when she passed him his cup. Black, no cream or sugar. He took a long sip, enjoying the hit.
He’d left home early again this morning. Heading to the farm before coming here. Sure, he told himself it was because he was busy, but there was also the fact that the thought of watching Emery go to Trenton’s parents today would kill him.
He wanted to protect her. Wanted to run over and tell her to be careful, to watch out for that devious asshole.
But why would she listen? Hendrix was the one who’d hurt her more than anybody. She’d made that clear.
The only person he should be protecting her from was himself.
His mom pulled out a brown envelope, passing it over to him. “You’ll be a signatory on the charity bank account along with me, your dad, and your brothers.”
Hendrix took the pen she offered and signed his name on the line, dating below it. She smiled softly at him and put the form back into the envelope.
“So…” She let out a breath.
“So.” He lifted a brow.
“Emery Reed…”
She was really going there.
“Mom, we don’t have to talk about this. Whatever you saw, it’s dealt with. Over and done. I promise I won’t do anything else to embarrass you.”
Her brows pinched. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
“It wasn’t?”
