Wishing for a Cowboy (Wishing River #3) - Victoria James Page 0,63
he could have imagined. “Well, you did good.”
He ignored the absurd amount of sentimental thoughts he was having and tried to focus on the practical. “Did he say what time he wanted to be picked up?”
She shook her head. “He said Logan will drive him home after lunch.”
Great. It was just the two of them until lunch. He made a mental note to thank his friend. “What are your plans for the day?”
“It’s my day off. Maybe you and I should start talking about what happens next with Will. I know he loves his time with you, and he loves the ranch…but I can’t imagine just leaving him here and going back to Chicago. But it’s also too soon for that. I mean, I’m assuming he’s coming back with me…finish the school year and then come back here for summer? I don’t know, I’m just tossing ideas out there. We have one week left.”
It felt like Janie had just ripped his guts out. He didn’t want to think that far ahead because…he didn’t know. “And your needs, too,” he said. “I don’t want you to leave because you feel there’s no place for you here. You…could come this summer. You have been a mother to Will, and there is always a place for you wherever Will is.”
She blinked furiously and glanced down into her mug. “Okay,” she said softly.
He gripped the edge of the counter and resisted the urge to walk over there and pull her into his arms. He wanted to offer her everything, even though that was impossible. He had given up wishing a hell of a long time ago; he knew there was no point in any of that. But, he supposed, if he were to wish, he’d wish for part of his past to be rewritten. He’d wish for Janie to be Will’s biological mother. He’d wish for their lives to be uncomplicated and that they could just raise Will together. “Has Will said anything to you about what he wants to do?”
She shook her head. “No. I haven’t wanted to push. But I do know he said that he does love Wishing River…and he’s really, really fond of you, Aiden. You are filling this hole he had inside. You are restoring his faith in adults. Maxi unintentionally made him distrust adults, I think. But you… He knows you genuinely care about him, and he loves it here. I, um, now that you gave me the generous gift of being debt-free, I need to look into finishing veterinary college. I don’t want to put it off for too long because I’m afraid I’ll never go back. I’m so close.”
He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “You should finish. Logan said you’re a natural. That you’re really talented. Do you have to go back to Chicago, though? Can you transfer your credits to a school out here?”
She averted her gaze and took a sip of coffee. “I don’t know. I…don’t know what to do. I can’t imagine my life without Will. Speaking of, when he comes back today, we have to pretend like nothing ever happened.”
“Right.”
She looked down in her mug, and he wanted to tell her she wouldn’t find any answers in there, either. “So, let’s just be friends who support each other moving on.”
It was all so wrong. But she was right, because there were no other options for them. “Okay. Friends.”
“Great. And we should talk to Will about options.”
“Yeah. Want another coffee? I think I’m going to make a fresh pot,” he said, grabbing the carafe and rinsing it out.
“Yes please. And this weekend never happened. Whatever momentary bout of whatever that was between us has passed. We will carry on like two family members caring for a child. We can even pretend we’re related,” she said, lifting her chin.
“We’re not pretending we’re related,” he said flatly.
“Fine. Then we’re just two people…friends…family…who are caring for a child.”
“Sure.” He took a drink of the piping-hot coffee, not caring that it burned his lip and throat as it went down, a blistering symbol of how crappy this all was. For her sake, for Will’s sake, he was going to have to step aside. He raised his mug. “Here’s to family.”
…
“You exhausted yet?” Logan asked as Janie entered the exam room at his clinic. It was well after nine p.m., and the entire day had been packed with emergency cases and regularly scheduled vet appointments. She had been glad for how busy it was here. It