Page 123 of Hard to Handle
She shrugged.“Honestly, I don’t know what we are right this minute, but we’re somethin’.”
Reagan laughed and the sound was enough to erase the fake scowl I'd plastered there a second ago.
I leaned forward, resting my arms on my desk as I regarded her.“Are you happy?”
“More than I’ve ever been.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“Hey, that’s my line.”
“It’s a good one,” I agreed.
“True.It is.”Her smile brightened even more.“I’m not sure why I wanted to tell you, but I thought…”
Once again, I waited for her to continue.When she didn’t, I filled in for her.“Don’t worry about Mom.She’s always gonna be the way she is.She never liked Billy when y’all were together.”
“No, but she always insisted I stay with him.”
“Yeah, well.She’s not all there when it comes to relationships, Reagan.You know that.But deep down, she wants you to be happy.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“She does.We all do.”I sat up straight.“And you know what?We’ve all known that Lynx had a thing for you all these years.”Before she could say anything, I waved her off.“The past is the past.Your mistakes and his.Those are all behind you.The only thing that matters is movin’ forward.”
“Did you know he’s helpin’ to rebuild my bar?”
“I did.”I leaned back in my chair again.“He came to me the mornin’ after the explosion.Told me what he wanted to do.”Taking a deep breath, I resigned myself to admitting the truth.“Lynx is a good guy, Reagan.Sure, he’s rough around the edges, and he gets on my last damn nerve with all the fightin’, but he’s a good guy.Y’all are good for each other.”
I noticed tears welling in my sister’s eyes.
“I love him.”
“I know that.”I had always known that.Yes, she might’ve fought her feelings tooth and nail, but to anyone with eyes, it had been obvious.
“Okay, Mr.Know-It-All.Then I’m not sure why I even came to see you,” she said, laughing.
When Reagan stood, I stood.“Because I’m your brother and you love me.”
“I do not,” she countered.“I tolerate you.”
That made me laugh.
“Okay, well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Sheriff.”
“That you have.I’ve got shit to do.”
“Yeah?”She peered around my office.“Like what?Play solitaire on your computer?”
I jerked my eyes back to my computer screen.No way could she see it.
Reagan laughed loudly.“Oh, shit.I was kiddin’.But you are, aren’t you?”
I pointed toward the door.“Get outta my office, woman.Before I lock you up for bein’ a pain in my ass.”
Still laughing, Reagan threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.“I’m happy for you, too,” she said softly.“And as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
Yeah, I had to agree on that one.
