Page 48 of Eat Your Heart Out
I narrowed my gaze. I tensed but wanted to tell her without upsetting her. If I skipped part of the story, though, there would be no context. I wasn’t sure how to tell her everything, but I wanted to. “All right. But promise not to judge until the end.”
She stood taller. “I’ll try.”
My heart twisted. I wasn’t sure where to start. I wasn’t the stupid kid I had been in the story. “Fair enough.”
I walked her to the table. Soon, it would be night and colder air would swoop in, so I decided to watch her arms for goosebumps. “When I was eighteen, before college started, Elon bet me that I couldn’t survive the summer without cash or our last name.”
She smiled. “So did you?”
My lips curved higher, though my heartbeat grew, as I wasn’t sure where to edit the story. “I took him up on it. I ended up in Wyoming, working on a ranch for a few months, acting like a cowboy.”
Her eyes widened. “That must have been fun.”
For most of the summer, it had been great. I’d slept in hay and gazed at the stars. “I was moving cattle and doing a decent job of staying on my horse. It was fun.”
She curled her arms around her chest. “What happened?”
Heat rose to my face. I knew better, but I told her everything. “It was fun until the rancher’s daughter snuck into my bed in the middle of the night.”
She let out a sigh.
I closed my eyes and wished I could change that part of the story.
“How old was she?” Ali asked.
It wasn’t the best story. I hated telling her about it. My voice grew tighter, but I told her the truth. “She was nineteen, but her father woke up early and found her with me.”
She let out a giggle. “Oh no.”
Her laugh made it easier. I sat back. “It was bad. He chased me out of town, threatening to shoot my cock off. And I lost the bet two days before I would have won because I had to call Pedar to send the helicopter to pick me up. Her father had formed a posse to hunt me down.”
She laughed.
I closed my eyes until I was sure I could face her.
When I did, she asked, “What happened to her?”
I put my hands on the table. “A few months later, I sent her a million dollars and an apology for leaving. She emailed me back a thank you, moved to Kansas City, got married, and had a bunch of children.”
She scooted closer as goose bumps started growing on her skin. “How do you know?”
I rubbed the back of my head. “We follow each other online.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You’re sure none of the kids are yours?”
I stood then offered my hand to help her up. “The oldest is four years too young. And I hope you’re not jealous of the sex story. I don’t normally mention other women, as it’s bad form.”
She stood with me. “What’s bad form?”
As I walked her inside the ship, I said, “To talk about anyone else when the truth is you’re the first woman in my life I want to impress.”
She bumped me. “You don’t have to impress me. Seriously, you’re giving me the world.”
I motioned her toward the bottom deck, where we could look at the ocean under us as we sat on the couches if she wanted.
“If you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have told that story at all. I don’t know why it came out of my mouth.”
She stopped, swinging her hips on the landing, and waited for me. “Relax. It didn’t bother me, though I asked how it upset your parents.”
Pressing against her in the hall turned me on, but I hugged her hips then let her go. “A group of men with guns wanted to shoot me. Maman was very upset and lectured me for months that she’d raised me better.”
She took my hand, but she giggled. “That’s it?”
We made it near the bottom level. “Yeah. What about you? What did you do that upset your mom?”
She turned away from me, remaining silent long enough that I debated retracting the question before she answered, “She died.” She sobbed. “In the car… I miss her every second of every day.”
I tugged her into a hug. I hadn’t meant to upset her. “Now I really put my foot in my mouth.”
If I’d had the power to take her pain away, I would. And if I had known Ali at that time, then the story would have been very different. As she was in my arms, my heart settled, and I realized I would do anything for Ali because she was in my heart.
