Trying to Survive (The Kiser #1) (19 page)

    
Once again, I repeated my morning regimen and then hopped in the
shower.
 
With the hot water running over
my head and down my face and back, I felt better.
 
I didn’t have long before Colin showed
up.
 
Last night I was excited about
trying to see if it would work between us, but this morning I didn’t know what
to do.
 
I didn’t want to live the rest of
my life by myself, but I also didn’t want this to come between me and Austin.

****

    
I didn’t want to leave her last night.
 
I could tell she was struggling with something and dammit, I wanted to
be there for her.
 
Lying in bed, I pulled
out my cell and called the one person I knew could help me.
 
“Hey, what’s up?
 
How’s Virginia?”

 
   
“Hey Matt.
 
It’s okay.
 
It’s very country.”
 
Matt was the
one person I could count on for almost anything, even relationship advice since
I didn’t have any experience.

    
“I’ll bet.
 
You been there what… a
few hours.
 
Something wrong
already?”
 
I heard the humor in is voice.

    
“I don’t know.”
 
I sighed.
 
“I don’t know what to do.
 
 
I
kissed her tonight and I swear Matt, that one kiss was better than any chick
I’ve ever fucked.”
 
He laughed.

    
“What’s the problem, just tell her your last name and she’ll be all over
you.”

    
“I did tell her my last name and she has no idea who I am.
 
The problem is her son.
 
He’s not happy I’m here, and I’m afraid she’s
going to tell me it can’t work and I should go home.
 
I don’t know what to do.
 
She cried last night and told me she needed
to be alone.”

    
“What did you do?”

    
“I did what she asked.
 
I told her
I’d see her tomorrow.”

    
“Hmm, normally I’d say that was the wrong move.
 
Women want you to be there for them without
actually asking.
 
If she does it again,
don’t leave her.
 
You have to get the son
on your side.
 
If you can’t, that may be
a deal breaker for her.”

    
“Thanks Matt.
 
Everything alright
with you?”

    
“Yeah, except your mother won’t stop calling me.
 
I haven’t answered so I have no idea what she
wants.”

    
“Huh, that’s typical.
 
She
probably just wants information like always.”

    
“Probably.”

    
“Okay man, thanks for the advice.
 
Talk to you later.”

    
“See
ya
.
 
Good luck.”
 
I almost drove back
to her house but then decided against it.
 
I’d see her at 10 in the morning.

****

    
I felt better after showering and getting ready.
 
Walking back to the kitchen to fix some
breakfast, I saw Austin sitting at the bar with his head in his hands.
 
Walking over to the cabinet, I grabbed a bowl
and a box of cereal.
 
After adding the
milk, I carried it to the table and began to eat.
 
Austin’s head popped up as he watched me walk
to the table instead of sitting at the bar with him.
 
I knew I was being childish, but he put me
through hell last night.

    
“I’m sorry mom.”
 
Austin said as
he sat down in front of me.

    
“You’re sorry?
 
Do you have a good
reason why you wouldn’t call, wouldn’t answer your phone and would let me spend
half the night thinking that something had happened to you?
 
You could have been laying in a ditch
somewhere dead or dying but that wasn’t it was it?
 
You were mad so I guess you thought you’d get
back at me.
 
Congratulations, it worked.”

    
He came around the table and pulled me in for a hug but I was still to
mad, or maybe hurt was the better word for it.
 
When he leaned back, his eyes glistened with unshed tears of his
own.
 
“I’m so sorry; you have no idea how
sorry I am.
 
When I left, I was so mad I
threw my phone and broke it.
 
I drove
around half the night before I decided to just pull over and sleep in the
jeep.
 
I didn’t want to see you with
him.
 
I’m sorry I made you worry.
 
Please believe me.”
 
He hugged me again, and this time I did wrap
my arms around him.

    
After a few minutes of hugging, crying, and apologizing, I knew I had to
talk to him about Colin.
 
I refilled my
coffee and grabbed his as well.
 
Sitting
at the table, I tried to delicately broach the subject.
 
“I need to talk to you, and before you say
anything I want you to hear me out.”
 
He
nodded.
 
“Colin is coming over this
morning.”
 
I saw the anger flash in his
eyes.
 
“I have talked to him almost every
day for two months.
 
I like him
Austin.
 
At first, I felt guilty, like I
was betraying Graysen.
 
Megan helped me
to understand that if the situation were reversed, and I had passed away, I
wouldn’t want Graysen to be alone forever.
 
Last night while sitting here, not knowing where you were, if you were
alive or dead, I felt utterly alone.
 
I
realized that when you go to college, I will be alone and I don’t want to
be.
 
I know this will be very hard for
you, but please try to get to know him, try for me.
 
Please.”

    
I watched him struggle with the information I just gave him.
 
I waited silently for him to go over
everything and to say something.
 
“Okay.
 
I don’t like it but I understand.
 
I thought at one point it would be better for
you to go out because you’re so young, but seeing the two of you together last
night caught me off guard and I didn’t handle it well.
 
I don’t want you to be alone; it’s just hard
seeing you with someone other than dad.”

    
“I know honey.
 
I struggled with
the decision just to talk on the phone with him.
 
It’ll get easier, I promise.”
 
He smiled a little and the weight I carried
on my shoulders lifted.

    
Hearing a car pull up, I started to jump up but Austin beat me to
it.
 
“Stay mom, I’ll get the door.”
 

****

    
Pulling in to the drive, I’ll admit, I was nervous.
 
I knew that today was pivotal if our
relationship would have a chance.
 
Before
I could ring the bell, the door swung open and there stood Austin.
 
We stared at each other, neither one
speaking.
 
Then Austin stepped outside,
shutting the door behind him.
 
He
motioned to the chairs on the porch, so I walked over and took a seat.

    
“I’m sorry for the way I acted last night.”
 
I tried to keep the surprise to myself.
 
“Seeing you with her… let’s just say that I
didn’t handle it very well.
 
I’ve never
seen her with anyone but my dad.
 
I know
he’s gone but it’s still hard.
 
For her
sake, I will try to get to know you, but know this; if you hurt her I’ll kill
you.”
 

    
I laughed, I couldn’t help it.
 
He
looked at me and I could tell he was getting a little pissed.
 
“I’m sorry.
 
I’ve talked to
Carlana
a lot on the phone and
you sound just like her, very honest and somewhat blunt.”
 
Austin laughed and for a moment, the tension
was gone.

    
“I do have some questions for you.
 
You’ve been very vague with mom, but I need answers before I can start
to trust you.
 
I want tell her if she
doesn’t ask, but I need to know.”

    
“Ask away.”

    
“Name?”

    
“Colin Withers.”

    
“Where are you from?”
 
I smiled
knowing he didn’t recognize my name either, and to be honest, I don’t think he
would’ve cared even if he had.

    
“Manhattan.”

    
“How did you get mom’s name and number?”
 
He cocked his head to the side.
 
This wasn’t questions, it was more like an interrogation.
 
So be it.

    
“I was the man she took care of, the one that was badly hurt.
 
I got her name and number from the clinic she
took me to.”
 
He was looking at me now
and I could tell he was thinking I was some sort of con artist.

    
“What do you do for a living?”
 
His voice was a little harder.

    
“I own and run an investment company in Manhattan.”

    
“How big of a company?”
 
He was
good, this one.

    
“I have 5000 employees, give or take a few.”
 
His eyes grew wide.

    
“So you’re rich?”
 
I gritted my
teeth thinking this was it, this was when he would turn all nice and want
something just like everyone else.

    
“Yes.”
 
He just stared for a few
minutes, measuring the truth of my words.

    
“Being rich, I’m sure women throw themselves at you all the time.
 
If you hurt my mother because you think you
can have her and any other chick you want, I’ll still kill you.”

    
I’m rarely surprised anymore, but here I sat… speechless.
 
Having money just meant I was more of a risk
to this kid and all he worried about was his mother.
 
My respect for him just grew
tremendously.
 
“Okay.”
 

    
Following him inside, I found
Carlana
sitting
at the table sipping coffee.
 
I could see
the worry in her puffy eyes, and I wanted to make it better.
 
I should’ve stayed last night, she looked as
though she cried a lot.
 
Walking over to
her, I winked as I took a seat, Austin stood at the other chair.
 
“It’s all good.
 
We just had a chat.”

    
Austin grabbed his coffee cup.
 
“Want more mom?”
 
She handed him
her cup and then he looked at me.
 
“Coffee?”
 
He asked as if we were
old friends.
 
Carlana
raised her eyebrows as she watched the very normal exchange.

    
“Yes, please.
 
Black.”
 
He headed toward the coffee pot and
Carlana
had the happiest look on her face, and I knew then
just how important Austin was to her.
 
This was nothing like my own family.

****

    
I ran to answer my phone, a few minutes later I returned and took a seat
at the table again.

    
“Who was that?”
 
Austin asked.

    
“Megan.
 
She said she’s been
throwing up all morning and she won’t be here tonight.
 
I have so much to do and she was supposed to
help me.”
 
I frowned.

    
“I’ll help mom.”

    
“No.
 
It’s your party.
 
I’ll get it done somehow.”
 
I gave Austin a worried look.

    
“I don’t care if it’s my party, I’m helping.
 
You can’t do it all by yourself.”
 
He gave me a look that said
you can’t do all that, you’ll get to tired.
I
wrinkled my nose at the idea.

    
“I’ll help.
 
What can I do?”
 
Colin asked and it warmed my heart.

    
“The biggest thing I have to do is cook, and set up tables, get ice, put
out decorations, oh God; I’ll never get it all finished in time.”
 
I groaned.

    
Indecision must have showed on my face because
Carlana
quickly said, “It’s okay, I’ll take care of it.
 
You don’t need to help.”
  
He
didn’t know how to tell her that he was rich and could just have someone come
in a do it for her.
 
However, he didn’t
want her burdened down all day.

    
“I tell you what, you took care of me when you were in New York so let
me take care of all of this?”

    
“What do you mean?
 
How?”
 
I had no idea what he was talking about, or
what he was planning to do.

    
“Do you trust me
Carlana
?”
 
Did I?
 
I might have just met him but I felt like I had known him for a while
now.

    
Taking a chance, I said “Yes.”
 
He
smiled and then left the room with his cell in his hand.

    
“Are you okay honey?”
 
 
Austin sat there sipping his coffee.
 
He had been quite and I worried about him.

    
“I’m okay.
 
I’m trying.”
 
He smiled a little.

    
“Thank you.”
 
I grabbed his hand
and gave it a squeeze.

    
“If I can get past the idea of you and him together, I think I could like
him.”
 
My heart warmed at the thought.
 
I knew the more Colin was around, the more
comfortable Austin would become.

    
Colin walked back in to the room.
 
“All set.”
 
He smiled as he sat
down.
 
What did he mean by that?