Page 148 of Duke
It’s notcongratulations!orI’m so happy for you. But it is better thanfuck off. And maybe, for now anyway, that’s a win.
Wheeler and I watch her family drive away.
“I hope they don’t get lost in the dark on their way back to the New House,” she murmurs against my shoulder.
“I got Cash lookin’ out for them.”
“Of course you do.” She lets out a breath and burrows farther into my side. “ThankGodthat’s over. It went just as badly as I thought it would. But also…better somehow?”
Chuckling, I curl an arm around her shoulders. “The right people are gonna be happy for us. The wrong ones—”
“We ditch the wrong ones. Even if the wrong ones are—were—family.”
I look down at her. “You really do know what you want.”
“I do now.” She hooks a finger into my shirt. “I want you, baby.”
I let her have me, all night long.
CHAPTER 34
Pickle Tickle
Wheeler
I glance out the window at the knock on the door. My heart does a backflip when I see that it’s Mom.
Peeling myself off the couch is no small feat, especially after the emotional roller coaster of the past twenty-four hours. I woke up feeling sore inside my rib cage, like I’d just run a marathon in cold weather.
But it was a good sore. Like the weight that was bearing down on my heart and lungs is no longer there, and my body’s adjusting to the new lightness.
I push myself up to my feet and head for the door.
“Hey, Mom.”
She smiles when she sees me. Her eyes are bloodshot, her face pale.
My stomach drops. She didn’t sleep.
“Hey, honey. I’m sorry to just show up like this, but I—I had to talk to you in person. Do you have a minute?”
I motion her inside. “Of course I do. You want some coffee? Duke always has a pot going.”
“I’d love some, thanks.”
I pour her a mug, and we settle on the couch.
“Duke in the bathroom?” she asks.
I nod. “Man takes more showers than anyone I’ve ever met. Not like I mind.”
“I imagine those cowboys get filthy.”
“They do. They work hard. He was up cowboying at five.”
“His work has paid off. This place is spectacular.”
Smiling, I let my head fall back on the cushion. “I love it here.”
