Shoe Strings

about me?”
    “Well…always, since we were kids.”   What did he want?   She could see by the impatient look on
his face her answer hadn’t appeased him.   “You know that.”
    “I don’t know anything about you if what your ex-husband
says is true.”
    “Jesse?   What did
he say?”
    Bryce narrowed his eyes at her, looked over at Misty, who by
this time was nearly salivating.   In
one long lunge, he had Kerri Ann by the arm and dragged her down the hall to
his office.   The door slammed shut
behind her and the sound of it made her jump.   She watched as Bryce paced to his desk,
nearly sat, then bounded up to stand in front of her.  
    “What happened the day Ty was conceived?” he asked.
    Her mouth fell open, her knees turned to goo, and she felt
herself sway before Bryce reached out to steady her.   “What?”
    “You heard me.”   He slowly pulled his arm away after leading her to a chair.   “Tell me about the day Ty was
conceived.”
    Damn Jesse for opening his big mouth.   “Don’t you know how those kinds of
things happen by now?”
    “Don’t joke, Kerri Ann.   I’m two seconds away from tossing you out on your butt.”   He took a seat at the chair opposite her
and tapped his foot with impatience.   “Tell me what happened.”
    Her mouth was so dry; suddenly it felt like she’d swallowed
a handful of cotton.   “Okay, I…we,
that is you and I, walked down to get some ice cream after school one day.   Jesse couldn’t come because he had
chores to do for Cal.”   She shifted
in the seat and gripped the edge like she was free falling and the cushion was
the only thing that could save her.   “I’d…had feelings for you for a while then, more than friendship
feelings.”   She stole a quick glance
at Bryce as he sat with his legs spread, his elbows resting on his knees, and
his head cradled in his hands.   A
captive audience if there ever was one.   “We…you wiped some ice cream off my face and we almost kissed.   It freaked me out, how much I wanted you
to and yet didn’t want you to.   I
gave you some lame excuse and ran off to find Jesse.”  
    Unable to sit, she hopped up and began pacing the room.   “I found him at home, dragged him behind
the woodshed, and threw myself at him.   I thought if I could remember who I was supposed to be in love with, who
I was supposed to have a life with, my mind would stop wandering to you all the
time.”   She stopped pacing and faced
him.   “It didn’t work.   As soon as we were done, I burst into
tears and told him I wanted to break up.   I told him I thought I was in love with you.”
    Bryce jumped up, grabbed both her arms, and gave her a
hearty shake.   “Why didn’t you tell
me?”
    “I tried to,” she shot back and then took a deep breath to
steady her nerves.   “You were in an
awful mood for days and, when I finally got the courage up to ask you what was
wrong, you said it was the town.   You said you couldn’t wait to get out of here, said you’d changed your
mind about going to WCU and had accepted the partial scholarship you got to
UNC.”   She shrugged when his hands
slipped from her arms.   “I figured
it was too late.   And then I found
out I was pregnant.”
    “Damn it, Kerri Ann.   I’d have given all that up to be with you.   Don’t you know that?”
    “No, I didn’t know that and I’m glad I didn’t say
anything.   I’d have still been
pregnant.   You’d have felt trapped
or at the very least obligated.   I
never wanted you to be in that position.   Just like I don’t think you should tie yourself down to someone like me
when you could have any woman you set your mind to.”
    “What?”
    “I never should have started this up with you.”   She flung her arms in the air, so
infuriated by the stupefied look on his face.   “I knew it had to end, I knew it would
hurt like hell, but I just couldn’t help myself.   Being with you has meant everything to
me, but I can’t tie you down to me and this town, to this life.   I can’t do it.”
    “Tie me down?   Where do you come up with this stuff?”
    “Don’t do this, Bryce.   You’re making it harder than it has to be.”
    “I’m making it harder?”   He grabbed her arms again and held tight.   “I love you, Kerri Ann.   I want to spend the rest of my life with
you and Ty. I want to be a family.   I want to make a family with you.   I thought you wanted that too.”
    Hearing it again was like