Caramel | Rip Wheeler

Caramel - Chapter Ten

She entered the house, swaying from side to side but never lost the beer in her hand, occasionally bringing it to her lips.

"You can't keep letting her get to you like that." Kayce said from the couch. "It's been too long."

"Who asked you?" Maria mumbled. "How did you even hear that?"

"I was grabbing something from the truck, happened to be walking by. Honestly, it's getting old."

"You wanna know what's getting old, Kayce?" She pointed a sloppy finger at him, the rest of her hand clutching the glass. She slurred on, hating every second she spent speaking to him. "You and your dumb fucking hair cut."

Kayce stood, making an attempt to guide her out of the living room. "Come on, let's get you upstairs before my father sees you like this."

"This is what y'all wanted." She shoved him back. "Y'all took a little girl and turned her into a monster." Her eyes welt up. "I needed you, Kayce. You went out and got some other bitch pregnant." She pointed a finger diagonally into the air. "You said you loved me." She choked. "I was going to have your child."

A sigh caused them to look toward the hallway leading to the staircase. "That's not what I wanted for you, honey. You were too fast for me. You and my son." He walked toward them giving them the same disappointed look he always did when they messed up. "Have some breakfast so you don't wake up hungover. Good morning." He kissed her head as he walked pass. "I love you."

The word breakfast almost made her puke, she gagged, a hand flying over her mouth. Then she realized Kayce was still staring at her with the dumb look he always had on his face. John was sitting in view, opening his newspaper at the dining table.

"What are you even doing here? Don't you have your perfect little family to run home to?" She began to turn around but stopped on her heel when he began to speak again.

"I came to help my dad with the cattle, we have to move them down to the river."

"I wasn't expecting an answer." She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "I honestly don't care."

"Why is it that you don't care, Maria? Is it because you're incapable of acting like an adult and talking about the things that bother you?"

"Kayce." She groaned, stomping her foot like a child. "Stop talking to me already."

"If you need an apology from me, Maria, tell me. Stop making everybody miserable just because you are." He tried to come off as passive aggressive, but he sounded like a complete dickhead.

"I need you to go fall off of a fucking bridge, that's what I need." She set her now empty bottle down on an old side table. It clinked against the glass of the furniture as she spun around to yell at him. "In other words, fuck off!"

"Language!" John shouted from the other room, his eyes glued to the words in front of him.

"Sorry!" She yelled back, looking at Kayce one more time. "I don't need anything from you, I never did. I don't care about you or your perfect life and remember," She stepped forward. "I know what you're packing." She glanced down. "Act your size." And with that she wandered off down the hallway, using the wall occasionally to help her get to her destination.

Kayce rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he walked into the dining room to join his father for breakfast. "Who's worse in your opinion? Maria or Beth?"

"Son." John shook his head, his glasses falling to the tip of his nose. "I stopped comparing the two a long time ago, they're both bad in their own way."

"Why do you think that is?" Kayce tapped his finger on the table, his eyes staring down as he thought. "Do you think it's because of Rip?"

John chuckled deeply, his chest vibrating. "I know it is." He said. "Not a thing can happen on my ranch that I don't know about." He thumbed through the pages.

"Do you think Rip and Maria have anything to do with each other? I never told anyone but there was this one time where–"

"Kayce, son, that ship sailed for you a long time ago. Don't worry about what that girl has going on, it's only gonna cause you trouble with your family."

Kayce shook his head. "It's not like that." He sighed. "She was going to have my baby. I still worry about her."

"Ten years ago, son. I'm sure she can handle herself." He mumbled. "But there's one thing I can tell you for sure." John exhaled a sigh as he thought, setting his paper down. "Rip was twenty three, he had been working here for about eight years when she got here. He saved up all of his money just in case he needed to make a life for himself outside of the ranch. You know what he did with that money?"

He raised an eyebrow at Kayce before he continued. "He bought her horse back for thirty thousand dollars and he let me take the credit." He sniffed, taking his time to form his next sentence. With a serious expression, he spoke one last time. "I told you to think about your decision very well, Kayce. You chose not to take Monica to the clinic and choosing that meant you chose to let Maria go forever."

Kayce nodded, he couldn't defend himself after that, it literally shut him up for the rest of the day. He loved his family, but he wasn't the only one who wondered what life would be like if his decision was different.