Tears pulsed behind Sera’s eyes. Her mother was pointing out all the worries that simmered under her surface, everything that kept her up at night, kept her mouth closed when she would have spoken up. She had changed since Wes died, since Luc was born. She’d pushed aside all of her own hopes and dreams in favor of making herself less of a target.
She’d made herself small and now she was allowing her guilt to keep her from something that could be wonderful. Harry.
“He stole the truck out from under me,” she said with a sniffle. “He manipulated everything so he could spend time with me. He’s a sneaky bastard, and I think I could really like him.”
She might be able to love him if she let herself try.
Her mom chuckled. “He’s a man who obviously knows what he wants.”
“He’s says he’s going to leave, but I’ll be honest, I think I’m more afraid that he’ll stay.”
“No one gets through life without facing their fears. Unless you want to end up like your Aunt Irene. You know there’s always a story under the surface. Irene wasn’t born hating the world. She wasn’t born a hermit. Something happened to her when she was a young woman. I don’t know what it was. I only know that your great-grandmother said she changed after she went away for college. I think someone hurt her and she came home and never left again, never dated. I don’t want that for you. Take a chance. Even if this isn’t something that lasts forever, it’s something you need. Unless you don’t think he’s worth it.”
That wasn’t the problem at all. “I could cost him a relationship with his aunt. He won’t let us hide if we’re dating.”
“I knew I liked him.” She could practically see her momma smiling. “He’s a man, Sera. Let him make his own choices. If you’ve talked about this and he’s made the decision, then you’re the only one holding you back. And you’re the only one who can free yourself. I love you, baby. I’ll be by your side no matter what you do, but I think there’s a reason you got caught with him tonight. Although I know that motel. Couldn’t you have gotten caught at a five-star in New Orleans?”
Sera laughed at the thought and wiped her tears away. Her mother had a point. Maybe it was time to start taking back some of her life. “What if I’m making another mistake and it ends up hurting people?”
“Are you going into this with any thought to hurt someone else?”
She was trying desperately not to. “No.”
“Then do your best and know that we love you. Know that your family stands by you.”
“Hey, Momma, are you trying to get Sera to jump Harry’s bones?” She could hear her brother in the background. “Because that would help me out enormously. I need to get that brother off the market or I won’t ever get a date again. You go for it, sis. Help baby brother out. Hey, I even have some condoms for you.”
Zep was the most obnoxious member of her family. “I’ll see you in the morning, Momma.”
She hung up.
What did she want? She wanted to stay here and live at Guidry Place, at least for a while. She wanted to build some kind of a future for herself and her son. She wanted something sweet in her life.
She wanted Harry.
She smoothed back her hair, happy that at least the place had a working hair dryer. Yes, she was wearing a T-shirt that had a massive beer bottle on it and she’d washed away all her makeup. Yes, she was in a motel where someone had likely been murdered recently. And yes, she didn’t have a lot to offer the man sitting outside, but she was going to walk out there and offer it to him anyway.
She stepped out of the bathroom and stopped because Harry was sitting at the small desk, his prosthetic leg propped against the bed. He’d taken off his jeans and sat there in a pair of boxers. His face was tight as he looked down at the place where they’d amputated.
All thoughts of being seductive and bold fled and her heart softened. She rushed to him. “What’s wrong?”
He grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
“You’ve got a cut.” She touched his leg right above his knee, a few inches from the scrape he’d taken. “We need to take care of it. Is it rubbing against the prosthesis?”
“No. It’s a little above where it sits. I slipped in the rain and scraped against something.”
“We need to get you in the bathroom and clean it up.” It wasn’t bad, but he definitely would need some soap and water. “You’re chilled all the way through. I’m sorry I took so long.”