Why Lie? (Love Riddles #2) by Carey Heywood Read Free Book Online

oxygenate her blood.
    Her condition sucked but wasn’t terrible. She was tired a lot, and never carried groceries or anything heavy.
    Since I didn’t know any different, I never thought it was a huge deal. It wasn’t until I was eight that my parents let me in on how serious her condition was.
    She was not born with a heart condition. During her pregnancy with me was when it reared its ugly head.
    It’s the complications from her condition and a strain to her other organs that have become too much for her. They’re failing and given the number of surgeries she’s already had, she isn’t a strong candidate for a transplant.
    She and my dad decided that they didn’t want to take away someone else’s opportunity to get an organ so they asked that she not be added to any lists.
    I say “they” but that choice was all her. My dad only goes along with it because it’s what she wants. She’s the one who has lived with the condition for over thirty years.
    My dad shared there were times so bleak that her wanting to see a milestone in my life is what got her through it. She wanted to see me walk. Then she wanted to see me ride a bike. Next she wanted to see me turn ten.
    There was something monumental about that birthday for her. She decided that if she lived until I was ten, she was certain that I wouldn’t forget her after she died.
    Then she wanted to see me start high school. Through those years, there were a handful of events she wanted to be front row and center for. She sat in the backseat while dad taught me how to drive.
    She was in a wheelchair that day, but she watched me graduate high school and then college. It’s crazy, but all the effort I put into convincing Kacey to stay engaged to me was so I could give my mom another thing to stay alive for.
    She’s done it my whole life.
    It wasn’t fair to Kacey but selfishly, once I saw the opportunity, I didn’t think about anyone other than myself. I wanted to give my mom a reason to live, a day in time to mark on a calendar.
    With each life event she made it to, we were able to set another one. What would have come next, a grandbaby? A life created with a woman I cared about but was not in love with just so I could try to give my mom a reason to live?
    I was even bitter when Kacey broke things off with me. Nearly losing Jake to that rig explosion was a rude awakening to what a massive asshole I’d been. That was what got me off of my ass and into Lola’s. Through it all, I couldn’t get Sydney out of my head. Believe me, I tried. Seeing two of my closest friends almost torn apart was too much for me.
    I’d rather apologize to her for the rest of my life than live with the regret of not trying. Ultimately, it is up to her to decide if she’ll ever give me another chance.
    Gigi asked if she was worth waiting for. Deep down I know she is.
    After I pull into the drive and park, I stare up at the house I grew up in. Should I tell her about Sydney? So far I haven’t because I don’t want her to think I’m inventing another reason for her to keep going. All of these years I’ve been her reason to live. She’s fought and held on, that is until she decides I don’t need her anymore. Thing is, I’ll always need my mom.
    After what I pulled with Kacey, I’d hate for my mom to wonder if my feelings for Syd aren’t real. I don’t want her to think it’s another ploy for her to keep fighting.
    What I did was selfish. It’s my mom’s wishes that I should have been worried about, not mine. Her heart has been working extra hard to make up for her lungs for so long. PH in real life is nothing like the movies. It’s confusing to people outside of the family because, for the most part, my mom seems fine.
    When her condition was manageable, she rarely needed to use her wheelchair or oxygen. What people don’t see are the scars from all of her operations, though. For her pace makers alone she’s had six operations.
    Now, because her heart is done working