Page 62 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
“He’s becoming quite the little rancher.” I can picture it — Bradley’s serious face as he demonstrates the proper way to hold out a carrot, palm flat like Carly taught him. Like she taught me.
“He is.” Her voice softens when she talks about her son. “He asked about you again.”
The guilt hits me like a physical blow. “What did you tell him?”
“The same thing I always tell him. That you’re working, and you’ll be back soon.” She pauses. “Though I’m starting to feel like a liar.”
Her words hang between us. I close my eyes, pressing my fingers to my temple where a headache is forming.
“Carly, I?—”
“When are you coming back, Oliver? Really?”
The directness of her question takes me by surprise, though it shouldn’t. She’s never been one to dance around issues.
“Things are complicated right now,” I begin. “The deal I had to come back here for was just the beginning. Things are hot right now. We have another major acquisition on the table, and if we pull it off, it could double our profits this quarter.”
“So that’s more important to you.” It’s not a question.
“That’s not fair. This company is what I’ve built my entire life around. I can’t walk away when things get critical.”
“I’m not asking you to walk away,” she says, frustration clear in her voice. “I’m asking when you’re coming back, like you promised you would. You said one day. It’s been almost two weeks.”
I stand up, unable to sit still with this tension building inside me. “I know what I said. But this isn’t just any job, Carly. I’m not punching a clock here. This company employs hundreds of people. Their livelihoods depend on me making the right decisions.”
“I understand that.” She softens. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you give up your company or anything. It’s just… you came to Miralena to get away from the stress, and now you’re right back in it. Plus, you said you would be able to do most of the work remotely, that you were staying at the ranch. And now that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Her words cut deep because she’s right. I did make promises. Promises I meant with every fiber of my being when I made them.
“I’m trying to figure it out,” I say, pacing to the window. The city spreads out beneath me, endless and bright. It’s so different from the star-filled sky over Miralena. “Maybe you and Bradley could come visit Houston instead? I could show you both around, take you to the museums, the zoo?—”
“That’s not the point, Oliver,” she interrupts. “This isn’t about visiting each other. This is about what you said you wanted — a life with us in Miralena. Something easier that wasn’t going to drive you to another panic attack or worse.”
I press my forehead against the cool glass of the window. “I meant it when I said it.”
“But not anymore?”
“It’s not that simple. Yes, I want to be with you there. And it’s stressful?—”
“Actually, it is that simple.” Her voice has gone quiet, which is somehow worse than if she were shouting. “You’re choosing your old life over the one you said you wanted with us.”
“I’m not choosing—” But I stop, because I am, aren’t I? Every day I stay in Houston is a choice. Every meeting I take, every deal I pursue, is a choice to be here and not there.
“This isn’t working for me, Oliver,” she says after a long silence. “This limbo. These short calls. Bradley asking every day when you’re coming back, and me not having an answer.”
Something cold settles in my chest. She’s done with me. With this. With us.
“I understand,” I say, my voice sounding strange to my own ears. “You deserve better than this uncertainty.”
“That’s not what I’m saying?—”
“No, you’re right,” I cut in, the words tumbling out. “You deserve someone who can be there for you both. Not someone who can’t even make a proper phone call without getting interrupted.”
The silence stretches between us. I’ve misstepped, but I’m not sure how.
“So that’s it?” she finally asks. “You’re giving up?”
Am I? Is that what I’m doing? The thought makes me sick, but what other option is there? I can’t be in two places at once, and right now, the company needs me here.
