scooped her phone up from the dirt and tapped her finger on the screen. “Hi, Mother. I know, I know. I’m fine, everything’s fine, you don’t need to worry. I had my phone on silent, and I didn’t know you were calling.”
Colton was totally into Gracie, but the mother? Damned if she wasn’t one hell of a pain in the ass. He watched as Gracie paced and frantically made her apologies. Even before she gestured towards the truck, he knew what was coming. They’re fun was over, and it was time to return the pretty little virgin to her overbearing mother. Again, Colton tried to convince his throbbing cock that it would get what it wanted in time.
Colton wasn’t a fan of the saying, “Good things come to those who wait,” but as he saw Gracie pass in front of the headlights to get into the truck, he told himself that Gracie wasn’t a good thing. She was a bad thing just waiting for her chance to let loose.
“We’re on our way back to the hotel right now, I promise.” Gracie gave him the saddest, most apologetic look Colton had ever seen. He fired up the truck to take her back to the real world.
“You’re lucky I don’t send that awful boy away. You realize he needs us, not the other way around, right? He’s just hitching a ride on your popularity. It makes me sick. And then for him to pull what he did tonight?” Kathleen’s heart was at full steam. Her talk with Roger had calmed her down some, but the second that she saw Gracie, all those emotions flew right back.
Her daughter wasn’t listening. She was just waiting for her moment to fire back, saying “He didn’t pull anything, Mother. I’m not stupid, you know. I knew exactly what was going on.” Gracie’s voice grew louder. Kathleen looked around, as if she would see a crowd in their hotel room. “I’m an adult. I can make adult decisions. Jesus, I don’t even know why you hate Colton so much.”
Gracie threw herself down on the bed, her body shaking as she silently cried. Kathleen thought it was an attempt to get her to soften, and it wasn’t going to work.
“Because he’s exactly like your father.” Kathleen’s voice was hard and sharp. Her daughter spun around in the bed, her eyes already red from the tears.
Kathleen was fully aware that bringing up Gracie’s father could backfire on her, but she spoke from a place of impulse. Kathleen rarely talked about Eric. She didn’t like bringing up the memories, and she didn’t want to encourage Gracie to go out and find him. Kathleen half-expected him to show up every time a royalty check came in the mail. She feared that he would come with flowers for the daughter he had never shown interest in. She feared that Gracie would fall for it, too. Eric was just charming enough in that way.
Gracie’s sadness turned to anger in a split second. “How would I know?”
“I’m sorry, but your father is not the type of person that you want to know. He’s a user. He used me, and as soon as things changed, he left me, Gracie. He left us. He never wanted to get to know you, and he never wanted to be a part of your life. Being a single mother is hard enough, but I’ve also had to carry that guilt with me.”
“What guilt?”
A sad smile came to Kathleen. She had to admire and envy Gracie’s innocence. She longed for that innocence on tough days. Today is one of those tough days, she told herself.
“What guilt?” Kathleen was glad that they had moved from fighting to a dialogue, even if it was a dialogue about something she detested. Lowering herself down to the bed, Kathleen turned to her daughter. “I feel guilty for everything he never did. I feel guilty for every birthday he misses, every Christmas when it’s just the two of us, and for stumbling through everything he should’ve been here to teach you. Shepard was a big awakening for me. I taught you everything I could, but I think a father figure could’ve done a better job.”
“What could he have taught me?” Gracie
Colton was totally into Gracie, but the mother? Damned if she wasn’t one hell of a pain in the ass. He watched as Gracie paced and frantically made her apologies. Even before she gestured towards the truck, he knew what was coming. They’re fun was over, and it was time to return the pretty little virgin to her overbearing mother. Again, Colton tried to convince his throbbing cock that it would get what it wanted in time.
Colton wasn’t a fan of the saying, “Good things come to those who wait,” but as he saw Gracie pass in front of the headlights to get into the truck, he told himself that Gracie wasn’t a good thing. She was a bad thing just waiting for her chance to let loose.
“We’re on our way back to the hotel right now, I promise.” Gracie gave him the saddest, most apologetic look Colton had ever seen. He fired up the truck to take her back to the real world.
“You’re lucky I don’t send that awful boy away. You realize he needs us, not the other way around, right? He’s just hitching a ride on your popularity. It makes me sick. And then for him to pull what he did tonight?” Kathleen’s heart was at full steam. Her talk with Roger had calmed her down some, but the second that she saw Gracie, all those emotions flew right back.
Her daughter wasn’t listening. She was just waiting for her moment to fire back, saying “He didn’t pull anything, Mother. I’m not stupid, you know. I knew exactly what was going on.” Gracie’s voice grew louder. Kathleen looked around, as if she would see a crowd in their hotel room. “I’m an adult. I can make adult decisions. Jesus, I don’t even know why you hate Colton so much.”
Gracie threw herself down on the bed, her body shaking as she silently cried. Kathleen thought it was an attempt to get her to soften, and it wasn’t going to work.
“Because he’s exactly like your father.” Kathleen’s voice was hard and sharp. Her daughter spun around in the bed, her eyes already red from the tears.
Kathleen was fully aware that bringing up Gracie’s father could backfire on her, but she spoke from a place of impulse. Kathleen rarely talked about Eric. She didn’t like bringing up the memories, and she didn’t want to encourage Gracie to go out and find him. Kathleen half-expected him to show up every time a royalty check came in the mail. She feared that he would come with flowers for the daughter he had never shown interest in. She feared that Gracie would fall for it, too. Eric was just charming enough in that way.
Gracie’s sadness turned to anger in a split second. “How would I know?”
“I’m sorry, but your father is not the type of person that you want to know. He’s a user. He used me, and as soon as things changed, he left me, Gracie. He left us. He never wanted to get to know you, and he never wanted to be a part of your life. Being a single mother is hard enough, but I’ve also had to carry that guilt with me.”
“What guilt?”
A sad smile came to Kathleen. She had to admire and envy Gracie’s innocence. She longed for that innocence on tough days. Today is one of those tough days, she told herself.
“What guilt?” Kathleen was glad that they had moved from fighting to a dialogue, even if it was a dialogue about something she detested. Lowering herself down to the bed, Kathleen turned to her daughter. “I feel guilty for everything he never did. I feel guilty for every birthday he misses, every Christmas when it’s just the two of us, and for stumbling through everything he should’ve been here to teach you. Shepard was a big awakening for me. I taught you everything I could, but I think a father figure could’ve done a better job.”
“What could he have taught me?” Gracie
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