Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“You know, you remind me a lot of myself,” she says, and I’m surprised.
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m afraid I don’t come from much.” I hate admitting that to her, because I want her to like me.
“I know Ryker hasn’t told you why you’re here, but I’m free to tell you about myself.” Our horses are going at a slow pace and the only sound on the trail is their hoofs in the grass and birds in the trees. “I grew up in the lowlands of South Carolina. My mama left when I was about a year old, and my alcoholic father wasn’t there much longer after that. I was raised by my grandmother, but she was older than Jesus’s sandals the day I was born and wasn’t able to do much in the way of taking care of me.”
She smiles at me, and I think she’s had a long time to work through this pain, so maybe that’s why she doesn’t sound bitter when she’s telling me. I wonder if I’ll ever get there and learn to not hold on to how my mama was.
“She died when I was fourteen, and nobody ever told Child Protective Services. In my trailer park, you just shut your mouth and minded your business. I kept getting her social security checks, and the girls at the bank all knew me, so they kept on cashing them. It was enough to keep the trailer and get by until I could graduate high school. I kept thinking my diploma was the way out, but even after high school, I was working as a waitress at a truck stop and could barely keep the lights on.”
Suddenly an image of her tired to the bone and worn from life fills my mind, and I can see her so clearly. I could have easily ended up the same way, and she’s right, we’re more alike than I realized. It makes me feel closer to her—a connection of understanding.
“I was terrified of ending up like my mother, but the first asshole that came along, I fell in love with. He was a drinker just like my father and started hitting me about a month into our relationship. Or whatever you want to call it. I got pregnant right after that, and the second he found out, he was gone. In a way I was thankful because I didn’t have the money or the courage to leave, but I knew I didn’t want to raise a baby in that.”
She sighs and shakes her head as if shaking away the bad memories.
“I was raising a child on my own while working at the truck stop diner, but I was determined to make it work. Money was nowhere to be found, but Ryker was healthy and happy and that’s all that mattered to me. But one night I was working a late shift and a couple of roughnecks came in. I was used to all kinds of shit from those guys and ignored it as best as I could. We had a couple of cooks in the back who would look out for us, but these guys weren’t in the mood to be told to calm down. I don’t like to think about what could have happened, so instead I think about the moment when my Jackie walked in and saved me.”
“He saved you?” I ask, thinking about how lucky she is. I’ve heard horror stories about young women working at the truck stop near our trailer park.
“He ended up taking me home to make sure I was safe. He saw Ryker sleeping on a small mattress I had on the floor of his room and I think it broke his heart. It was all I could afford, but Jackie wouldn’t stand for it. He ended up sleeping on my couch that night, and the next day he bought Ryker a bed. A week after that he was moving us into his house.” She looks over at me and shrugs. “Jackie comes from a long line of old southern money. He spoiled me beyond my wildest dreams and took me out to every social event to show me off. But I was always the woman with the kid from the trailer park, and no amount of expensive soap could wash the smell off.”
“So, Jackie is Ryker’s stepdad?” I ask.
“No, Jackie is his father. He may not have been there the night he was made, but Ryker has been his baby boy from day one.”
“I get it,” I say, feeling my heart grow and grow for not only Jackie but for Ryker, too.
“So, when I say I understand how you may be feeling about being thrown into all this, know that it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about you. It matters how he makes you feel. And my Jackie made me feel like a queen from day one.”