Carlise winced. She’d called her mom when she was on her way out of Cleveland. At the time, she was stressed out, had no idea where she was going or when she’d be back, and of course, she had no idea who was stalking her.
“Where are you?” her mom asked.
“Maine,” Carlise said with a small smile.
“What? Seriously? Maine? Wait, didn’t they just have a huge blizzard or something?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes. So, to make a long story short, I got lost and ran off the road just as that blizzard was starting and was found by a dog, who literally saved my life.”
“Carlise Renee Edwards, you had better start talking faster! What the heck happened?” her mom asked, sounding completely rattled.
“Calm down, Mom. I’m safe. And even better . . . I’m happy. I met someone.”
There was a much longer pause this time. Then her mom said, “Oh, honey,” in a tone that clearly communicated she wasn’t thrilled about this development.
“He’s amazing, Mom. I promise. He’s nothing like Tommy . . . or Dad. He has this cabin, and it’s so cute. The dog I told you about, Baxter, led me straight to him. He was sick when I got here, and I had to take care of him for three days while the storm raged outside. When he woke, I was worried that things were about to get scary, but he went out of his way to make sure I felt comfortable and not threatened. His name is Riggs. He was in the military, was held as a POW with his friends, and I’ve met them too. They came up to make sure he was all right after learning he’d been sick and there was a strange woman in his cabin, and I love him.”
Carlise was aware her words were running together, and she was babbling on as if she were eight years old, but she wanted to get everything out before her mom told her she was making a mistake, that she was rushing things. That she didn’t approve.
When there was nothing but silence on the other end of the line, Carlise said in a worried tone, “Mom?”
“I’m here,” she said, sounding remarkably calm.
“Say something,” Carlise begged. “You’re freaking me out.”
“The mom part of me wants to tell you that you’re moving way too fast. That there’s no way you can love a man you just met.”
“But?” Carlise said, practically holding her breath as she waited for her mom to speak her piece.
“But . . . I hear something in your voice that I’ve never heard before. Certainly not when you spoke about Tommy. Does this man treat you well?”
“So good, Mom. He’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. It was as if I knew him before he even opened his mouth and said one word.”
There was sniffing on the other end of the line.
“Mom? What’s wrong? Are you crying?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just happy for you.”
Carlise blinked in surprise. “I thought you’d be upset. Or at least warn me to slow down or something.”
“Honey, I knew before I even walked down the aisle with your father that I shouldn’t do it. But I didn’t have the guts to back out. There were too many people at the church, too much money had been spent. And then it took me way too many years to extricate myself . . . and you. I’m ashamed that I stayed with him for as long as I did. You’ve had some very bad examples of what love is. How a partner is supposed to act.
“But that also made you wary and very aware of how a man should treat you. If you say you love this man, and he treats you well, then I say go for it. There’s nothing like living on top of each other for days on end to tell you immediately what kind of man he is. It’s happened very fast, yes . . . but if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. You’ve suffered through too much of your life already.”
Relief swept through Carlise, and it was her turn to get teary-eyed. She already knew she loved Riggs, but having her mom’s support meant the world to her. “You’re going to love him. He’s super protective.”
“That’s good. But is he hot? Please tell me he’s a lumberjack!”
Carlise burst out laughing. “Actually, he and his three friends own a company called Jack’s Lumber . . . they run a tree service.”
Her mom joined her in laughter. “And his looks?”
“Oh, Mom,” Carlise breathed. “He’s so handsome.”
“When do I get to meet him?” she asked. “When are you coming home? Will you bring him with you?”
This was the tricky part. “Well . . . I can’t come home just yet,” Carlise hedged.