His Love for Her (Carmel Springs Book 10)

Chapter 7

Ransom~

"I'm not stupid," I announced. "I graduated from high school with good grades, got a college degree, started a successful company with my family, and I've managed to stay out of prison all these years. So, I'm not stupid." I looked over at the two people staring at me with confusion on their faces. "So, how could I have fucked this up so badly?"

"Well...uhm, it would help us to answer if you explained what you're talking about, son," Dad remarked carefully.

"Bexley," I answered.

"Sweet Jesus, Ransom," Mom sighed. "What did you do?"

I'd been pacing back and forth across their living room floor, but I figured now would be a good time to take a seat. "I fucked up," I repeated.

"Yeah, we...we kind of got that part, son," Dad replied. "But we were hoping that you could be a little more specific."

I ran my hands through my hair, so fucking pissed off at myself. "Fuck!"

"Does your mother need to leave for this, Ransom?" Dad asked warily.

I shook my head. "No," I groaned. "No, she doesn't."

"Just tell us what happened, Ransom," Mom prompted.

I leaned back in the armchair. "When Bexley and I started out, we'd been drunk, stupid, and had made some idiotic agreement that it'd be sex only."

My dad's lips twitched. "And when did that change for you?"

"Honestly?" I chuckled pathetically. "The next day."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Afraid to...to run her off, I never said anything," I confessed.

My mother's light brown eyes rounded in stupefaction. "Are you telling me that you've been dating Bexley for over two years, and you haven't told her how you feel about her?"

"It never came up," I muttered like a jackass.

"Ransom, you can't be serious?" Dad choked out. "It's public knowledge that you spend most of your nights at her house." He shook his head like he was trying to understand how he could have raised someone so stupid. "I'm also going to go out on a limb here and assume that you guys are...affectionate when you're there. So, how...how has it...it not slipped out in a moment of...affection?"

"Poor choice of words, Glen," Mom muttered.

Dad sighed. "Ransom, you need to give me more, because I'm confused as hell."

"Same here," Mom echoed.

"We made an agreement, and I thought that I...I thought that if I tried to go back on it, she'd dump me," I explained. "Bexley never once complained about our arrangement, nor did she ever mention having feelings for me, either." I ran my hands through my hair again. "I thought that everything was good."

"What changed?"

I shot my father a look. "Some asshole that she works with asked her out, and she fucking said yes."

Dad let out a hiss as Mom winced.

Fucking great.

"So, let me guess," Mom sighed. "Now she thinks that you're only claiming to have feelings for her because you're feeling threatened by another man?"

"Can you believe that shit?" I huffed. "I've been in love with her damn near this entire time, and she thinks that I'm just talking shit to keep her from going out with another guy."

"And she likes this other guy?" Dad asked.

"Fuck if I know," I answered. "But that's a moot point."

Mom started shaking her head. "Dear God, what'd you do, Ransom?"