Don’t let her leave, my sweet boy. Don’t you let this one go. I nodded. To Valerie, not my mom’s voice, and pushed off the counter. “Gotta get dinner started,” I said, dismissing everything I wanted. Her. At Hallow Ranch. In my bed. Just…her. Something flashed across her face, but she buried it quickly and stepped away, going to the other end of the island. Both of us sat in silence as I cooked. We sat in silence as we ate. Then she offered to do the dishes and I simply refused. She went upstairs to pack, and I went into my office upstairs to drink. The whiskey burned, but not as much as the
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