Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
She closed the door behind me.
“Yeah, but Tony was a dick and I didn’t like him, so he doesn’t count.”
“Well, look at you. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the word dick come out of your mouth before. It’s a little disturbing.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, maybe I’m making some changes in my life. Maybe it’s about time.”
I closed my eyes, fought off the anger running through my veins. “Ma…you don’t need to change a damn thing. He does. And he doesn’t deserve you. I’m done with him.” Turning, I went for the kitchen. It was a peachy color, with a wall of windows on one side, and a large farm sink that was nice for cleaning out moto shit.
“Rush…no matter what happens between us, he’s still your father.”
“No, actually he isn’t. A deserving father wouldn’t hurt my mom the way he’s hurt you.” I opened the fridge, grabbed a glass, and fumbled with the orange juice. The container hit the glass, and it spilled everywhere. “Goddamn it!” I hated not having two arms. Don’t ask me why I was struggling. I was a grown-ass man. I should be able to pour some OJ with one hand and not fuck it up.
“Sit down, Rush. I’ll get you some orange juice and clean up this mess.”
“I can do it,” I snapped before realizing how I sounded. “I’m sorry, Ma. I’m in a shitty mood.”
“Of course you are…between your dad and your injury. We need to talk about it.”
I shook her off. “No, I’m fine. I don’t need to talk. I think I just need a nap. Where’s Jude?”
“He ran to pick up a few things at the store for me.”
That was Jude. He was our family. He’d do anything for us and we for him.
“You know…I always thought one day you and Jude would be together.”
I ran my good hand through my hair. “Ma, you know Jude is straight. You sound just like Linc.”
“Uh-oh. Is he jealous?”
“No, he’s not jealous. Linc knows who I want.” He just didn’t seem to want me quite as much as I wanted him. “Why did Jude come with you, anyway?” Not that I minded. It had been too long since I’d seen my best friend.
Mom sighed. “Because I needed him and…well, Jude and Tabitha broke up.”
“What?” Now I felt like an ass. Jude was funny that way. He had a lot of girlfriends in his life, yet they always seemed to break up as soon as things got too serious. That didn’t mean he wasn’t hurting, though.
“He thought it’d be good to get away for a while. He was going to tell you, but then with the crash and everything…”
Mentally, I added Jude to my list of people to worry about, but right then, I was exhausted. “Are you sure you don’t mind cleaning that up for me? I really need to lie down.”
“Hush, you. That’s what moms are for.” She tucked her curly brown hair behind her ear.
I smiled, then made my way through the kitchen toward the hallway leading to my room. There were three other bedrooms, but on the opposite side of the house. My room faced the back, with another long row of windows looking out onto my property, and down just a little bit was the pool. My king-size bed with gray bedding was the centerpiece, with a sturdy wooden headboard with swirls and swashes carved into it. The room was peaceful, and I could see the trail leading to my track, my dream. Motocross was the only thing in the world I’d ever wanted.
Sighing, I sat on the edge of my bed and pulled out the card I’d gotten from Linc. Dean Browning. Fucking sports journalist.
I had to set the card on the bed in order to pull my cell phone out. I hated doing shit with one arm. Once I dialed, I put the phone back to my ear. Two rings later he answered.
“Dean Browning.”
“Hi, this is Rush Alexander. You left your card with a friend of mine at the hospital.”
“Oh, wow. You called. I didn’t think you would.”
“Well, when I heard you wanted to write about the gay supercross racer, what did you expect?”
“No, no,” he replied. “You make it sound different from what it is. I’ve been watching you race for years, Rush. That’s not what this is about…well, not fully. It’s about your racing…and who you are, and yes, being gay is part of that. The league does a good job of erasing your sexuality, and no, that’s not going to be my primary focus here, but it’s not the only thing I hope to get out of this article.”
My jaw ached, I locked it down so tightly. “I don’t erase my sexuality.” Maybe the league did, but I didn’t. Did I?
“Don’t you?” Dean asked as if he read my thoughts.