acting as a weight.
"Walker,
I got a taxi and didn’t want to wake you. This was a mistake. Please don’t contact me. We will discuss Harrison when I am ready.
– Stacy."
My heart dropped to my stomach, the nauseous feeling returning as anger took hold. I crumpled the paper in my hand. I’d dozed off thinking that everything was finally the way it was supposed to be. Waking to find Stacy missing was a blow I hadn’t been prepared for emotionally.
My phone vibrated; seeing my mother’s name, I let it go to voicemail. The only person I wanted to talk to was Stacy. Whether she wanted to speak or not, we had issues to resolve. I wanted to be a part of my son's life, but I also wanted to be a part of hers. They were a package deal, one I’d do anything to have. Picking up my phone, I dialed Stacy’s number.
It rang a few times before going to voicemail. I let out the breath I’d been holding. Of course, she wouldn’t answer. She’d come over in good faith to talk, and I’d pounced on her like a wild animal. She did something to me, stirring the desire that I’d long ago put to bed. How could I make her understand what she meant to me?
As I ended the call, another came through. With my mind working faster than my fingers, I answered it. I cursed a little under my breath before bracing myself for what I knew was coming.
“Hi, mom,” I muttered. “How are you doing?”
“Don’t you even dare ‘hi mom’ me, young man! Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been about you?”
“I know, I’m sorry, I thought Jackson and Thompson would have cleared things up for you.”
“Of course, they didn’t! Those two are thick as thieves! They could give me a heart attack if I’d let them! They are keeping me as in the dark as you are! I am your mother! What did I do to deserve this kind of constant worrying?”
“Nothing, listen, I’ve just been a little off my game recently. I’m sorry I made you worry.”
“And what about the company? We had a sales meeting with the Fern brothers about buying half their herd, but you weren’t on the call!”
“I will give Darren a call; he won’t mind if we set up another one. We account for over half their yearly sales. He’ll jump at the opportunity to talk again. I’m guessing dad didn’t make any deals?”
“No, he wasn’t very happy about it, though. Do you know how much trouble you’ve stirred up? First, you want me to find someone suitable but not you for that poor girl you went out with last week, and now you’re acting like Jackson!”
I cringed. She was mad, alright. My father would be equally as upset with me over missing the call. The only people who wouldn’t care were the Fern brothers, who loved working with us. I’d always given them a fair price and lowered our stud fees to keep their cattle lines at the top of the market. It boiled down to my mother wanting information.
“Mom,” I said, “I promise I’m going to fix everything with the Fern brothers. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Does this have anything to do with the woman you were seen with in town?”
“Please don’t stick your nose into things, okay? Once I can share everything or want too, for that matter, you will be the first one to know.”
“You know I’ve heard she’s seeing someone. I don’t think you should be getting involved with a woman who has a child and a boyfriend.”
My fist balled. “While I’m sure you are coming from a good place, mother, I am a grown man who is perfectly capable of making his own decisions. Not everything has to be as cookie-cutter as you think.”
“Then you are interested in this woman? And what about the baby's father? Is he going to come after the family when you and this woman decide to go public?”
“If he does, I’m sure it will be a pretty fair fight. Can you please just let it go?”
“No. You are starting to interfere with business, and as much as I’d love it if you could just be honest with me, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. So, you have forty-eight hours to tell me what’s going on before I start digging on my own.”
It was enough to send a wave of heat course through me. My mother's