Several days after Riley's phone call, as the truth of what my mother had done once again battered me, I once again returned to being so infuriated that I knew that it would be a mistake to confront my mother in person. Not until I calmed down. The day Riley called me and broke things off, I took my yacht out, full throttle, shooting over the waves, no particular direction in mind except out to sea. The breeze whipped through my hair, salty sea spray occasionally biting into my face, my tongue tasting the salt. I kept land in sight, like I usually did when boating alone. Never could be too careful, you know.

It wasn't just anger at my mother that it pushed me out to sea, but my own feelings. After Riley's call and the resulting squeeze in my heart, the knot in my stomach, and the headache that had taken up permanent residence behind my eyes. The thought of not seeing Riley again literally made me queasy and I needed to think about that. I've never felt anything close to this in my life. Not with any woman. It was at that moment that I realized that not only have I fallen for Riley, but I had fallen hard and fast. But were these feelings true love or mere infatuation?

That's what drove me out to sea. Away from everyone, away from the city, away from my house, away from all outside influences, I pushed my yacht a couple miles out and then turned off the engine, letting the waves take my craft where they would, only occasionally steering to keep the bow fairly pointed toward land. I allowed everything to come to the surface, every emotion, every feeling, and every doubt.

It's no secret that I wasn't big on commitment unless it had to do with my business deals. No one could doubt my dedication, my focus, or my loyalty when it came to my professional life. But personal relationships? This was new for me. My lack of focus at work. My lack of desire to even go to work. And I wasn't the type to wallow in self-pity, nor was I the type of man who ignored work. I wasn't even the type of man whose emotions usually controlled any aspect of my life. And yet, I was truly and heartily miserable. I was still furious at my mom, feeling that she had ruined my chance at happiness. Maybe my last chance at happiness.

Not that I was too old to find someone else, but it was the fact that I didn't want to. I wanted Riley and resented my mom to know that once again, she'd stuck her nose where it didn't belong and ruined everything. I felt off kilter, out of whack, off-balance, whatever you want to call it. I just didn't feel like myself anymore.

Later that day as I sat at my desk at the bank, as I'd been asking myself for the past couple days, what was I doing here? Sure, I was making money, but what about the people who came in and out? What about my customers? When was the last time I had really thought about them in terms of their being people, not just bank accounts?

I wasn't fooling anybody at work either, especially my vice president, who had noted my unusual behavior, my slump, if you will. And then, to top off another rotten day, she called me. My mother. A flush of heat surged through my body when I saw who it was. My blood pressure skyrocketed. If she’d been standing in front of me, I don’t know how I would have handled it. No, I wouldn’t have hit her, nothing like that. But perhaps it was just as well that she couldn’t see the look on my face, because right now, all she would have seen was anger and hatred. I took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself. She was my mother. I kept telling myself that. She’s your mom. She's your mom. Don't say anything you can never take back, no matter how you feel. No matter that you feel she’s never loved you the way you wanted her to. No matter the way she treated Dad…

Apparently, someone from work had called her, told her that something was wrong with me or something, that I wasn't my usual self, that I had missed two of our weekly meetings even though I'd been in the building. I ignored the first call. Ten minutes later, she tried again, and again I ignored her call. The third time, I picked it up. Her first words were totally unexpected.

"Wyatt, I'm sorry."

I said nothing for a moment. Don't let her off too easy. "Too late, Mother, you've done it again." Another pause, calming my tone but no mistaking I was pissed. "I do my best to respect you, but this time you've gone too far, sticking your nose where it didn't belong. How dare you?"

"Wyatt, I feel so guilty. I didn't know she meant anything to you."

I frowned. Who had told her that she did? Had she gathered that from Riley at her house? I let that one go for now. "And did you bother asking? You want to know how I feel about her, Mother? I love her! How's that for how much she meant to me? You know what?" I pushed ahead before she could speak. "You pushed Riley away, you pushed Dad away, and you're doing a great job at pushing me away too. I hope you're happy now."

"Wyatt, please, listen…"

It was a good thing she had no idea how tempted I was to just hang up on her. I was so angry, my pulse throbbing in my veins, shaking my head, trying to figure out why in the hell she would've done such a thing.

"Why? Why did you do that?” I was startled by the hurt in my voice, the hurt that came out sounding almost like a whine. Which I suppose it was. I cleared my throat. “Do you have no sense of decency? No idea what you did to Riley, not to mention her parents? How could you?"

Silence for a few moments. "Wyatt, I'm so sorry. I made a mistake, possibly one that's irreparable. I was just trying to protect you, trying to watch out for your best interests—"

"And how do you know what my best interests are, Mother? Maybe they're not the same as yours. Maybe I'm… maybe I was ready to settle down, to quit playing around, to find something worthwhile, worth hanging on to. But I guess it's too late now, isn't it?"

"Wyatt, I'm sorry," she said again. "I realized that just saying the words aren't enough. I just—"

"Just what? You just take a perverse pleasure in tormenting me?"

"No," she choked out. "I realized that I made so many mistakes with your father and I miss him dearly. I'm… I'm very lonely without him, and without you—"

I laughed, and it wasn't one filled with humor. "You have no idea what you did to Dad, do you? And now, all of a sudden you've changed? I don't believe you."

"I don't know how to explain it, Wyatt. It's not like I just woke up this morning and changed. But I have been doing a lot of thinking. I know I've pushed you away, and I hope it's not too late, but…"

"But?" I prompted, not sure whether to roll my eyes or consider the veracity of her words. This hesitance and uncertainty was not something that I had seen in my mother before. I sensed a vulnerability that she'd never displayed. I wanted to hate her. I wanted to hang up the phone, to tell her to go to hell, but I couldn't. She was my mother.

"I want to make things right, Wyatt, not just with you but with Riley and her parents, because only now do I understand, do I see, how much she means to you, and—"

"It's too late, Mother," I said, the anger draining from my voice, leaving only emptiness and a myriad of sense and what ifs flitting through my brain. I was nearly thirty years old and I've never, not once, felt an affinity with or any sense of closeness with my mother. And now all of a sudden, she wanted to turn into June Cleaver? No, impossible.

"I'm going to set things right, Wyatt, I promise."

"What are you talking about? How can you set things right? You can't undo what you said.

"I know, but I can try, can't I? You need to try to win her back. You need to—"

"I need to try and win her back?" I gasped, startled by her words. "I wasn't the one who lost her. You did that for me, Mother. How am I supposed to undo what you said to her parents, right in front of her? I can't take away the humiliation or her shame. Do you have any idea how much she sacrificed for her parents? She did what she did for them, not herself, not for personal nor financial gain for herself. And shame on me, I allowed her to. I did take advantage. And that's on me. I'll always carry the guilt of that on my shoulders. But she's better than the both of us combined, Mother. She may not have two quarters to rub together, but I'll tell you something. She's a better person than I'll ever be."

I heard the choked sound come from the other end of the phone. Crying? I lifted my eyebrows, lowered my phone and stared at it with a sense of confusion for a moment before putting it back to my ear.

"Mom?" The sound of my suddenly worried voice accompanied by the word I used startled me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd call my mother 'Mom'. Something was different. It wasn't just the sound I heard on the other end. Regret? Guilt? "You all right?"

I couldn't understand how I'd so abruptly flip-flopped from being angry to being concerned. Still water runs deep, isn't that how the saying goes? I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I waited and finally she spoke, her voice soft, strained.

"Wyatt, I've made a mess of everything ever since your father died… I've been haunted by him, Wyatt. I've been lonely. And it wasn't until after he was gone that I realized what I'd lost." Another garbled half cry, half choking sound. "I don't want to lose you too, Wyatt. I want to try and set things right."

I was stunned. My mother had never talked to me about my dad's death. Never once about regrets, about loneliness. After my dad died, I got the impression that she didn't really care. She'd moved on, throwing herself into the business. She could have—

"Why you telling me this now?" I asked softly. "Why didn't you ever talk to me about Dad?" I swallowed, and in truth wasn't sure what I felt. If she was purging, then I had to purge as well. "You weren't nice to him. You do understand that, don't you?" Another awkward silence, followed by a sniffle.

"I should've been more patient with your father, Wyatt. I know that now, but back then, he was so laid back, so…" She paused. "Anyway, I can't go back and do anything about that. But I want to try to mend the bridges I've damaged with you. Will you give me a chance to try?"

Could she? I wondered. I shook my head, thinking this was another phony olive branch, just to get me to calm down. Did she really mean it?

"Wyatt, you have to try and win Riley back—"

I sighed. "It's too late for that. It's over. She's hurt, her parents are hurt, and the whole thing has blown up in our faces. I'll never get her back and I'm the one that has to live with it."

"Wyatt, can I come to your office?" Another awkward pause. "I think we need to talk."

I steeled my resolve, tried to ignite the anger that had burned within me just moments ago. I wasn't a mean or cruel person, but I just wasn't ready to let her off the hook so quickly and easily. She had seriously fucked things up and she needed to know that. While I was glad that she felt bad about it, which in itself was unusual, what she had done…

"I wasn't expecting to develop feelings for Riley. Don't you think I know we come from two different worlds? But here's the thing. She's not phony. With Riley, what you see is what you get. She's a breath of fresh air, cliché as that might sound. She's unique, honest, and she says what's on her mind. You pegged her all wrong, mom, and let's be blunt, you butted in where you shouldn't have." I paused, ready to admit it. "I love her, Mom" – there was that word again – "the first woman I've ever truly loved, and now… it's all ruined. It can't be undone."

"Wyatt, I want you to listen to me," she said.

Her voice calm, quiet, and low, as if through her very force of will she could convince me to do just that.

"I can't undo what I did, but I want you to know something. When I saw you two together at the party, I saw how happy you are with her. The pride in your eyes when she stood next to you. I was jealous, Wyatt, envious of Riley because... well, because of the pride I saw in your eyes when she stood next to you."

She paused. Did she expect me to say something? What was I supposed to say about that? That just because my mom was jealous, she had ruined the one good thing in my life?

"I've never claimed to be perfect, and I want you to know that I'm humbled, Wyatt. I've been humbled and I want to make things right, between you and Riley, between you and me."

"And how do you propose to do that?" I asked, cringing at the harsh tone in my voice.

"I have an idea that will give you a good start, but Wyatt, I know now that I was wrong, and it'll never happen again. In fact, after everything works out and is settled, I'm going to resign my position on the board. I've been trying to keep control too long, of you, the company… let's just say that I've seen the error of my ways."

I frowned. What the hell had gotten into my mother? Why was she talking like this? Then it struck me. "You're not sick, are you?" For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. I hadn't thought of that, and yet the thought of losing my mother… how did I feel?

A soft, regretful chuckle on the other end of the line. "No Wyatt, I'm not sick. I just realized that everything that I've done to protect you does nothing but harm you, not only in giving you the full reins of the business, but in your personal life too. I just didn't want to see you hurt or taken advantage of." She paused. "I'm sorry, Wyatt."

Before I could even respond, she spoke again.

"One thing I do know is that Riley is good for you and you owe it to yourself to try to win her back. And I'll help you in any way I can to accomplish just that."

The phone call disconnected and I stared at my phone for several moments, confused. Was it possible for a leopard to change its spots? Could my mother really be speaking the truth? Was she really being honest for the first time in her life?

I wasn't sure. Only time will tell in that regard. But she was right about one thing. I needed to convince Riley and her parents that what we had shared was real. We hadn't started off on the right foot, no doubt about that, but I loved her. She needed to know that.