“The one that said walk away?”
With a nod, I replied, “But then I wouldn’t have Liliana and she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
A wide grin broke out on Truitt’s face. “She is. Are you sure she’s Tim’s? Cause I can’t imagine that asshole having anything to do with something so amazing.”
I laughed and rolled the dice. “Yahtzee!”
Truitt rolled his eyes and dropped his head back against the propped up pillows. “Ugh, I’m so over this game.”
My cell phone rang, and I jumped up to answer it in case it was my folks calling about Liliana. It was Ryan.
“Hey, Ryan, how’s it going?”
“Your boyfriend’s dog is whining and I think he wants to see Truitt.”
I smiled. “Rus is missing you.”
When Truitt didn’t answer, I looked over to find him fast asleep on the sofa.
“I think Truitt’s pain pill kicked in, he’s asleep.”
“Can I slip Rus an extra one? Seriously, he is not happy.”
“Why don’t you bring him here? I’m sure Liliana will love helping to take care of him.”
Ryan sighed. “Saryn, you have your hands full with Truitt, who by the way is very capable of going home.”
“I like having him here, and Rus won’t be an issue.”
“What about work? You just got moved to L & D the other day?” Ryan asked.
My brother always had a habit of trying to control things around my life. I knew he meant well, but I was almost twenty-nine years old, I didn’t need a babysitter.
“It turns out they didn’t need a nurse in L & D after all. They told me today they were moving me back to the ER. I told them I was going to have to decline.”
“You quit your job?”
“Yes, Ryan. I did. There’s a NICU in San Antonio that’s hiring for a few positions and they’re not night shifts. I’m going to look into applying after the holidays.”
He remained silent for a few moments. “I’m sorry, Saryn. I know I tend to interfere in your life sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” I asked mockingly.
“Ha. Ha. Listen, are you sure you want the dog there? He has to go out on a leash.”
“I’m sure. Truitt can walk him, actually. It’s good for him to get up and walk around on his knee.”
“You really like him, don’t you?” Ryan asked. “Truitt, I mean, not the dog.”
I didn’t even have to think about my response. “Yes. I really do.”
“Y’all hardly know each other, Saryn.”
I laughed and shook my head even though he couldn’t see it. “He’s your best friend, Ryan. I’ve known him my entire life, practically. Are you telling me you don’t want me to date him?”
“Hell no. There’s nobody like Truitt and I know he’s a good guy. He’s one of only a handful of people I would trust with my life, and the only guy I think even remotely comes close to deserving you. I fully support this relationship, I just think y’all are moving fast, that’s all.”
I slipped out the back door and onto the porch so that I didn’t wake up Truitt. “Fair enough. To Truitt’s credit, he did want to take things slowly, as did I. But seeing him with Liliana, and having him here…I don’t know how to explain it, Ryan. It feels so right.”
“Why do I hear a bit of hesitation in your voice, then?”
“I’m scared. What if Liliana and I fall head over heels for him and…” My voice trailed off.
“That’s what life is about, sis. Taking chances. Loving someone is a risk. You of all people should know that. Tim wasn’t the one. Truitt might be, or he might not be. Do you remember what grandma said to us the day you declared you were going to marry a cowboy and live on a ranch?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back to that day. I had been fifteen and Ryan sixteen. Little did my brother know that the cowboy I had been thinking of was the man asleep on my sofa that very moment.
“She said something about working on love.”
He chuckled. “She said you don’t stumble onto true love. You build it, master it. Help it grow. Those words are exactly why I knew Miranda wasn’t the one. It just took me a bit of time to realize it and accept that it wasn’t going to work. Sort of like you did with Tim. Neither of us were ready to build it. To work on it. You stayed with the douche for your reasons, and I stayed with Miranda because I didn’t want to admit I’d made a mistake.”
I closed my eyes and thought about my sweet, gray-haired grandmother. I missed her so much.
“She was right. It’s a partnership and it takes work. I know that now.”
“I know you’ve got Liliana. I also know that Truitt would never hurt you, or her. When they say find one of the good guys, Saryn, he’s the mascot for it.”