Chapter 18

“Probably? That’s not exactly optimistic.”

“Well, optimism has never really been my thing.”

He didn’t react at all.Jeez, tough crowd.

“Before you left, we talked about your future,” he said slowly. “All I need to know is whether this is just an adventure or if you’re trying to outrun this family’s traditions. You know what’s expected of all of us. Are you getting married or not?”

“I know that’s what you want. Don’t worry. I didn’t forget.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, not controlling, unreasonable, or cruel about it. It was just a fact. “Sooner rather than later.”

“I know.”

Perhaps if he was being an asshole, I could’ve painted myself as a rugged rebel escaping the oppressive expectations of wealth. It would’ve been terribly dramatic, but unfortunately, this wasn’t that.

I wasn’t trying to outrun our traditions. No one could outrun something that lived in their bones. I just wanted time to sit with the idea before I started getting introduced to women like we were part of a livestock exchange program. I wanted to try to figure out what I actually wanted before everyone else decided for me.

Okay, and maybe I’d also like to keep waking up in a dusty old motel instead of a penthouse for a little while longer. Perhaps even hit the jackpot and figure out exactly who I am in a place where no one cares about my family name.

Just time. That was all I was asking for.

“I’m not running,” I said finally. “I swear.”

Alex didn’t say anything for a long beat. “What are you doing, then?”

A screen door slammed somewhere nearby. Some singer on Frieda’s radio carried on about riding out heartbreak in his truck. Heat shimmered on the surface of the highway and a hot, dry breeze swept across the yard.

I almost smiled at the normalcy of it, the slow life of Quartz Pass.Dear Lord, am I becoming a guy who actually finds this charming?

“This is the first decision I’ve made for myself in a long time, Alex,” I finally admitted. “Give me three months, then I’ll come home.”

“Three months?” He blew out a harsh breath. “You need to think faster.”

I barked out a laugh. “As terrifying of a corporate overlord brother as you are, you gave me six.”

“Until you weremarried,” he stressed. “This adventure of yours isn’t getting you closer to that goal.”

Raquel’s striking gray eyes flashed in my mind, but I dismissed the thought immediately. A blue-collar mechanic wasn’t what Alex had in mind for me and I knew it. Plus, she’d never go for it anyhow, so it was a non-starter.

“Three more months,” he repeated after a beat. “Alright. Keep us updated on the bike. I want to know when it’s done. And that you’re alive.”

“You got it,” I promised. “Give Cameron a hug from me.”

“Come home and hug him yourself,” he said gruffly, then hung up.

I sighed, sliding the phone back into my pocket. While that could’ve gone better, it also could’ve gone a lot worse. At least he was willing to give me more time. One of the many Westwood jets wasn’t in the air right now, on its way to bring me home or else.

All things considered, that was a win.

“What was that all about?” Frieda drawled from somewhere behind me. “It sounded personal but it was hard to hear. You mumble a lot.”

I turned to see her standing about four feet away, holding a glass of iced tea in one hand with a cigarette dangling between the fingers of the other. She gingerly held the glass out toward me, likely only to give herself an excuse for the eavesdropping, but I took it gratefully anyway.

“How long did you listen for?” I asked.

“As long as I could get away with.” She flicked ash from her cigarette. “So a while. Who were you talking to?”

I snorted softly and grabbed the rake to start on what was basically sand at this point. “My brother.”