“What?”
“I’m not going back today.”
“Wait. Why not?”
“Because you still need me here.”
“You can’t stay here forever, Billy.”
“Willow is in good hands, happy as can be, and you’re not. So I’m not leaving yet.”
“It’s okay—”
“No, it isn’t okay. I’m not leaving until I know, in my heart, you won’t shut me out of your life again.”
She wanted to tell him he was wrong, that she’d be fine if he went home. But he was right. As soon as he said he was thinking about leaving, she started to freak out about how hard it would be for them to be apart again. She did need him with her, and although she knew he had to get back to Monument, back to Willow, she was thankful she’d have another day or two with him.
“What about after Thanksgiving?”
“After? You mean Christmas?”
“No, in general.”
“I don’t know, Renie. We have to wait and see how things go. We’ll keep talking, that’s the important thing. Keep talking, keep communicating, and keep making sure we’re on the same page.”
He sounded so…adult. He had changed in the last few months, more than she had. He’d grown up. But, he hadn’t left her behind. Maybe that was one of the things she’d been worried about. Billy was so much older than she was. What if he woke up one day and realized she was still a kid? She felt like one, whether he saw her that way or not.
She quit college, gave up her dream of being a vet. She worked as a wrangler at a dude ranch for the summer, and now she was waitressing in a bar. Even to herself she sounded like a kid who didn’t know what she would do with the rest of her life. How could she expect anyone else to view her differently?
Her mom called Dottie and made arrangements for her and Bill to come to the ranch for Thanksgiving. Dottie promised to come early to help, since Liv had never hosted Thanksgiving before. She also invited Paige and Mark, and said she hoped Blythe would join them.
“All set?” Renie asked when her mom hung up from the second call.
“They’re all staying here, we have plenty of room. Oh, and Dottie is ordering turkeys and having them sent directly here.”
“Is that a thing?”
Her mom shrugged her shoulders. “I guess so.”
“Did she say anything about Willow?” The words came out, without her planning to say them.
“You sure you want to know?”
“No, but I asked anyway.”
“She’s fine.” Her mom paused. “I want you to know that I’ve seen her. More than once.”
“I know, Mom. I eavesdropped on a conversation between you and Dottie. I was mad at first, and hurt, but now I see how silly that was.”
“Are you ready for this?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I won’t know until Billy brings her here.”
“You’ve agreed to it, though. That’s a step in the right direction.”
“I know. I wish I could explain the way I feel, but I can’t because I don’t understand it myself. I’m sure everyone thinks I’m a spoiled brat, unwilling to share my boyfriend with his daughter.”
“No one thinks that, Renie.”