Page 48 of Jenny
The circles under her eyes probably matched his. “You need sleep, Mom.”
“I’ll take a nap later, but you don’t look good and Jenny is hurting.” His mom ignored the food and paced. “Call her.”
“I told you it’s over.” Dare dragged his hand through his hair. “She’s been keeping secrets from me. Just like Dad.”
“Jenny Hanford is nothing like your father.”
Dare pressed his lips together.
“You really want to compare her to your dad?”
“It’s true.”
“Not even close.” His mother walked to the bed. “Your dad wouldn’t have dropped everything and flown halfway across the country for anyone. He wouldn’t have slept on an uncomfortable chair or stayed there while you napped because you wanted him to hold your hand. I’ve heard of Jenna Ford, and she’s a big name. A few times, I saw her with a notepad or a laptop, but that was only while you slept. You know what that means? She put her writing on hold for you.”
Dare didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. “She kept what she did from me. I only found out about her parents and her brother because she had an anxiety attack.”
“Which should tell you how affected she was by those events.”
“I told you how she wanted me to open up. To say what I was thinking. Spill my guts.”
“Because she cared.”
“Not enough to do the same.”
“Did it ever occur to you that Jenny might not have told you those things because you were injured, recovering, and had too much going on?” his mom asked.
I was trying to protect you.
That was what Jenny had said last night. “I don’t need to be protected.”
“Everybody needs that. Even you, Mr. Tough Guy.” His mom touched his hand. “You had to grow up fast when your father left. You stepped into the man-of-the-house role without any direction. I’m sorry that was forced on you, but you handled it like a champ. Your sisters and I needed you. But letting your boyhood memories of a man who was a poor excuse for a father ruin what you have with Jenny would be a mistake.”
His mom shook her head, looking upset.
“Last night, you had an audience, and things escalated quickly. Why not talk to Jenny alone and see if you can work things out? Explain why you were so upset when you thought she was keeping secrets from you.”
“I could, but…” His insides twisted like the bit on a drill. “There’s more going on than her not telling me things. Even if we could work that out, someone so successful wouldn’t want me.”
“Oh, sweetie, that is not true. Money and fame don’t make a person happy.”
“Jenny doesn’t need me to take care of her.”
“What does it matter if a woman is successful? That doesn’t change how she feels about you. That doesn’t lessen who you are or what you do. Please don’t let your male ego get in the way.” His mother’s tone was hard. She sounded disappointed in him, and that sliced Dare to the core. “Jenny lights up when you are in the room. She laughs and smiles and cares. That’s because of you. You’re special, Dare, and I have no doubt that she is absolutely crazy about you.”
He wanted to believe his mom. “But what if Jenny sees her life going another way? What if she wants a different ending to our story? What if she’d rather have someone more like the characters in her books?”
“That’s something you need to talk about. Don’t decide for her.”
“I did last night.” The realization of what he’d done nearly knocked him over, even though he was lying in bed. He’d thought nothing could match the hurt that Kayla and Brock had caused when they’d cheated.
Dare was wrong. Only…this had been his fault.
“I screwed up. What was I thinking?”
His mom’s expression softened. “Love isn’t logical, honey.”
His eyes burned. He slammed his fists into the mattress. “I have to make this right.”
