Don't Forget Me Tomorrow(5)

“Do I has to, Gammy?” he hollered like his grandma was going to come to his rescue.

She moved to lean against the jamb of the wide kitchen entryway, crossing her arms over her chest with a tease dancing on her face. “Um, yes, you has to. You destroyed Gammy’s house. Blew it down like you are the Big Bad Wolf. Now you have to put it back together again.”

He howled with laughter, and he started running in place and puffing out his cheeks, spluttering as he blew between his adorable full lips. “I bwow it down! I bwow it down!”

I glanced at my mother.

Tenderness was knitted into her expression, woven with the lines that were just beginning to show on her face. Her eyes a warm brown that always met you with a sweep of soft encouragement.

Love squeezed me in the deepest place.

“You’d better get at it so I can help your gammy finish dinner. It looks like you’ve worn her out,” I told my son, glancing at my mother again.

Her curly brown hair was frizzy, her white tee dappled with stains. But she still always managed to have a smile on her face.

“Okay, Gammy, I hurry and help you.” Kayden shot into action, grabbing his toys and tossing them into the basket, only he was doing it so fast, half of them tumbled out on the other side. I picked those up and put them inside while my mother hovered at the entryway.

“How was your trip into Poplar?” she asked.

I blew out a sigh. “Fine until I ran over a nail or something on my way back. Got a flat about twenty miles out.”

Worry pulled through her features. “Why didn’t you call?”

It seemed everyone was asking me that.

“I had it handled. Besides, Ryder happened to be out for a ride, so he stopped and finished the job.”

She tsked a sound of surprised disbelief. “That boy always seems to know when you’re in trouble, doesn’t he?”

I couldn’t keep from rolling my eyes. “He didn’t know I was in trouble. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time.”

It wasn’t like he had some sort of sixth sense about me.

“Which you two always seem to be.” Something curious traipsed through her demeanor, her head angling to the side in speculation.

“Because we live in a town the size of a shoe box. I’m in the same place with a whole lot of people a whole lot of the time.”

Okay, fine. It wasn’t that small. There were plenty of people here I hadn’t met before, especially since Time River had gone through a boom.

No surprise since in my humble opinion it was the most beautiful town in the country. I honestly couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

“Well, at any rate, it was good he was there. You aren’t exactly dressed for working on cars. You sure look beautiful, though.”

I always tried to dress up a little bit when I was in the restaurant since I was the owner.

I’d warred for a lot of years with my appearance, but I’d gotten over that a long time ago.

The comparison game.

Thinking I was less.

Sure, sometimes the scars from the taunts when I was younger got the best of me, and those insecurities still snuck up on me every once in a while, but not today. Because I did feel beautiful, and I freaking loved this dress. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I mean it,” she rambled as she turned back into the kitchen. “Now are we going to eat or what? I invited your brother and sister, but both have plans tonight, so it’s just us.”

“As long as it’s as good as the pot roast that was the special at the café tonight,” I teased as I finished straightening the pillows on the couch then took Kayden’s hand to follow her.

She tossed me a big smirk as she stirred something that smelled delicious on the stove. “And who was it who helped you create that recipe? Now sit your cute butt down and let your mom take care of her little girl.”

Moving to her side, I wound my arm around her waist and set my head on her shoulder. “Thank you. I hope you know how much I truly appreciate you.”

She pressed her cheek to mine. “I know that, Dakota. And I hope you know how much I love you and want the best for you. The only thing I ask in return is that you keep chasing after joy, and don’t you dare ever stop. And I’ll be right here with you every step of the way.”

I gulped around the knot that suddenly felt heavy at the base of my throat. “I won’t.”





THREE





RYDER





I eased my bike into the parking lot of my shop. Night had taken hold, the sky strewn with a smattering of stars, the moon barely climbing from the horizon and casting a faint glow over the earth.

The industrial building was set back from the road, nothing but a big metal box backed by trees that extended beyond the property line.

Black windows fronted it, and a large sign hung above the double doors that led into the front office.

Nash Metalwork Designs.

Disgust pulled so hard at my ribs it was a wonder I didn’t bust apart.

I was so fucking proud of what I’d built.

Of the beauty I created with my hands.

But it was the underbelly of it that made me sick.

The chains that held me hostage.

Chest feeling like it might cave, I wound my bike around the right side of the building. The grumbling engine broke through the quiet that clung to the dense air, this side of town that housed manufacturing shops and warehouses pretty much shut down for the night.