Page 17 of My Mountain Man Boss
There’s a box of tissues on my desk, and I grab one and gently wipe the juices from her thighs. Then I pull her skirt back into place.
“Is it always like that?” she whispers.
“It will always be like that with me.”
I expect her to smile, but the crease in her brow returns. She’s still not sure about us. Her damn commitment to my daughter is holding her back.
I’m happy my daughter has a loyal friend, but it’s also none of Izzie’s business who I date. I want to tell the world that Amy is mine.
“You want to go get something to eat?”
She shakes her head. “I need to get back home to Mom.”
She won’t look at me as she straightens her skirt. And I wonder what I did wrong. This has got to be about more than Izzie. Something’s holding her back.
“Amy, I…” My sentence is cut short by the fire bell.
“Shit. I have to go.”
I pull open the door to my office, and Amy scurries out. Whatever is holding her back, I need to convince her it doesn’t matter. If she wants to be with me, then we can overcome any problem.
8
AMY
My body tingles all over from what I just did with Landon. I never knew it could feel this good to be with a man. It’s not just the things he does to my body. My heart flutters whenever he’s in the room.
I watch the fire truck scream out of the station, and apprehension grips my heart. I check the call log, and it’s a medical emergency. It’s a relief knowing Landon’s not going to face a fire.
The first splattering of rain starts as I run to my car. I dive into the seat and sit for a while, watching the rain splash on the windscreen.
I can no longer deny the feelings I have for Landon. I tried to ignore him, to push him away, but ever since I’ve been back on Wild Heart Mountain, he’s all I think about.
But I can’t do that to Izzie, can I? And what if he’s only after the physical side? Or, my heart whispers, what if he wants more?
The thought makes my stomach clench. I’ve seen the bad side of marriage. I’ve seen what happens when two people can’t be together anymore.
When Dad left, I swore I’d never get married. That I’d never make the same mistakes as my parents. Yet here I am, for the first time considering letting a man into my life.
Maybe I should just go back to France and forget about Landon.
It’s dark by the time I reach home. Mom’s sitting up watching TV.
She takes one look at me and turns off the TV.
“What’s wrong, love?”
I don’t know what to tell her. Our relationship was never close. I could never tell her the things I was up to when I was a teenager, and the distance seems too great now.
She smiles gently. “You want a hot chocolate?”
I follow Mom into the kitchen. She’s having a good day, and her movements are normal. She’s the bustling mom I remember as she moves around the kitchen, boiling the water and spooning hot chocolate into two mugs. She’s improved a lot since dialysis started. She’s gotten used to the routine, the lethargy straight after, and then the renewed energy for a day or two until she has to do it all over again. She’s been back at work a few days a week.
Mom adds warm milk to the mugs, and we sit at the kitchen table with our drinks.
“Has this got anything to do with the man who sent the roses?”
I sip my hot chocolate. I’ve never spoken to Mom about a man before. There was never anything to tell.
