Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Mom sighed, walked over, and cupped my cheek. “I hate seeing this face so sad. I hate it when the best man I’ve ever known is hurting.”
Shaking my head, I leaned back so her hand fell away. “I’m not the best man you’ve ever known, Ma.”
“So, what? You’re in my head now? Don’t tell me how I feel. That’s not you.”
I shrugged, crossing my arms and pouting because my boyfriend ran away from me, I’d damn near broken my hand, and I deserved to pout, damn it.
Mom sat on the opposite side of the small, round table, both of us leaning against the wall. “When your father left…I was ready. It was okay, ya know? We were fighting a lot. I knew he couldn’t be what we needed him to be. I knew we would be better off without him. I didn’t worry about me at all. I didn’t worry about Kenny either, but you? You I worried about.”
“Gee, thanks. This isn’t helping me feel better. Did you really think I couldn’t handle it?”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant. I just… You have such a strong sense of loyalty, Beau, that I knew it would be harder for you to deal with, because leaving wasn’t something you’d ever do. You could have gone off to college, you could have played college football, but you didn’t. It’s my biggest regret, if I’m being honest—not pushing you to go. I was selfish, and I’m sorry about that—”
“What? No, you have no reason to feel bad. I made my decision, and nothing you could have said would have changed my mind. I like my life. I’m happy.” Kind of. I did like my life, but I hadn’t realized what it was like to truly be happy until I had Ash. Ugh, and of course everything had to go back to Ash again.
“No, I get it, and that’s where I’m going next. You’ve never made waves, Beau. You were always a good boy who did what was expected of you. You never got in trouble, you made sacrifices for other people. You never fought for something you truly wanted. You just…accept whatever comes your way. Don’t you think it’s time to fight for your happiness?”
A warm spark flared to life in my chest, but I quickly tried to stamp it down. “He’s the one who ran away. I’ve called and texted him. What else am I supposed to do? And should I really fight for someone who isn’t willing to fight for me?”
“Nope,” she replied. “You should never accept less than what you deserve. Never. And if Ashton can’t give you that, then you walk away. But I know you. Even if this hadn’t happened, you would have let him go. If he went to Texas and asked you to go with him, no matter how much you might have wanted to, you wouldn’t have gone. I’m not saying that Ash deserves you. I don’t know if he does, but it’s time you made some waves. Fight for what you want, say how you feel. Don’t write off your happiness because you think it’s easier for Ash, or me, or Kenny. It’s not your job to carry everyone you love on your shoulders.”
My eyes darted toward the ground. She was right. I knew she was. No matter what happened with Ash, I knew I would regret not saying my piece. “Even if I wanted to talk to him, I couldn’t. I don’t know where he is.”
“I have a feeling you could figure it out if you wanted to.” She stood up, walked over, and kissed my forehead. “I love you, and I’m proud of you. Don’t let that fire burn out of your eyes.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, the door swung open. Kenny stumbled inside, babbling and breathing heavily. Fear cascaded down my spine as I pushed to my feet and went to him.
“Hey, what is it? What happened?” I rubbed his back, tried to get him to settle down as Mom brushed the hair off his forehead. If someone had cornered him again…said something to him… He was supposed to be with Lori and her family. Mom had asked them not to leave him alone.
He kept rambling, his words mangled and coming out too quickly to understand. My heart was in my throat, my pulse pounding until Kenny shoved his phone at me. “Look, look, look,” he said over and over again.
I brushed my finger over the screen to open his phone, and when I did, an Instagram post popped up. Ashton Carmichael’s Instagram post. When I saw the photo attached, my knees went weak. They nearly collapsed beneath me as I made my way back to the chair and fell into it.
It was a photo of us…back in high school. It was taken from behind, at a distance. I doubted anyone would know it was me. The sun was setting, and we were on the football field, walking toward the end zone. We were silhouettes, shadows against the sunset, Ash with his arm around my shoulders and me with a football in my hand.