“Willow.”
“For Christ’s sake, Billy. I’ll stay with Willow. Go find her.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know!” Liv was yelling at him now. He’d better leave or she’d wake up Willow, or maybe hit him with something.
When he went out the front door, Renie was sitting on the porch steps. He sat down next to her.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she answered.
“I’m sorry.”
“Billy, just because things seem—”
“Stop.” He put his hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that.”
She looked away from him.
“This won’t be easy, I know that. And I’m sorry I got mad at you.”
“But?”
“Nope. No buts. I’m sorry, and I’m not gonna make any excuses.”
“But you’re still mad at me.”
“Yeah, I am. I might be mad at you for a while, but that’s my problem. And it isn’t so much that I’m mad at you, I’m hurt. You hurt me.”
She started to say something.
“But,” he said before she could. “That’s how I feel if I’m thinkin’ about me. If I start thinkin’ about you, I’m not mad. I have to keep workin’ on it, Renie.”
“I thought you understood.”
“I did. I do. I get confused sometimes. Your mom told me that I can’t tell you that I understand how you felt, but then turn around and say that I don’t understand what you did. That made a lot of sense to me. I’m hurt by your actions, but I understand how you feel. It’s gotta be one or the other.”
“And?”
“I’m here and I’m not goin’ anywhere. Unless you come with me, that is.”
He took her hand in his. “You didn’t throw
your ring out in the pasture. That’s a good sign.”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t do that, Billy.”
“Nah, you wouldn’t. Sounds more like somethin’ I’d do.”
23
“Hey, Mom,” Renie said when she walked in the front door.
“Hey, honey, or should I say, honeys.”
Renie set Willow down. She ran over and wrapped her arms around Liv’s legs. “Gah-ma.”