Let You Go - Riley Green

- 5 -

"I just don't know how you could just take him back after what he did to you, Lot." Riley says from the table a few days later. Lottie's in the middle of cooking up some lunch while Riley's helping her work through some songs.

She huffs under her breath, chopping up some onions and garlic. "He's fun."

"Fun? He left you by yourself!"

"Ri..."

"He showed up drunk for your first festival show! He lied to you and said he was there for the whole thing."

"Riley..."

"I don't like him, Lot. He takes you for granted and treats you like shit. I mean, he abandoned you!"

She suddenly slams her knife handle against the cutting board, her jaw clenched. "Riley!" She snaps making his eyes go wide and his mouth shut immediately. She's never snapped at him before, ever. "I know you care about me. I know you worry about me but you can't be there in my relationships twenty four- seven! I know you love me and I love you too but you are not my father! You act like we're datin' but you ain't my boyfriend!"

Riley feels his heart break.

He silently stands and picks up his keys.

"Where are you goin'? Suppers almost done."

Riley just shakes his head, tears swelling in his eyes. He makes his way to his truck and starts it up, needing to go for a much needed drive to clear his head.

Lottie lets her own tears fall when she realizes she's alone. She loves Riley. She values his approval of the boys she dates. If he doesn't like him, they're no good.

She picks up her phone and calls Riley but he doesn't pick up. She tries again but gets his voicemail instead. Lottie sniffles and calls Morgan who picks up a split second before her call would have been missed.

"What's up?" He asks, his voice almost drowned out by the talking going on in the background.

"Are you busy?" She sniffles again, wiping her eyes.

"No, not at- what's wrong?" His tone goes serious. "Babe?"

"Can you come over?"

There's a jingle of keys in the background. "I'm on my way. Be there in ten minutes."

True to his word, Morgan is there in ten damn minutes. Lottie answers the door and practically throws herself into his arms.

"Woah- what's goin' on?" He asks, moving her to her bedroom.

"I snapped at Riley." Her voice cracks. "Never in the twenty somethin' years I've known him, I've never yelled at him."

"He deserved it."

Lottie goes quiet for a second. "What?"

"You don't get mad easily. He deserved it." He repeats. Lottie pulls back from him and wipes her cheeks. "Now he made you cry."

"No. No no, this is all me." She says, trying to convince herself that what Morgan is saying isn't really true but maybe he's right. "You really think he deserved it?"

"He was bein' a jerk to my girl, yes." He pulls her back against him, his chin on her shoulder. "You should just leave 'em."

"No," She shakes her head. "I can't- I can't do that."

"Why not? Cut him out for good. It's time to move on from him. You don't need him."

Morgan's right.