31. Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Riley
I passed Emery the pumpkin pie out of the refrigerator to add to the laundry basket she was loading with food. Mom and Emery split the load of cooking, but if Emery had it her way she would be the sole cook. Each time I offered to help this morning she ran me out of the kitchen. I had only been allowed back in to wash dishes. Milo and Jenna offer to take on a few things every year, but Emery refuses to let them. I knew it was because she didn’t want to have to go through the process of making sure everything they brought was safe. She had been testing new recipes on Matt and I for weeks, changing small things here and there each time. I was already tired of turkey and pumpkin pie.
“Is Matt on his way? We need to get going.” She moved a few containers around in the basket like she was playing a game of Tetris with the food.
I shot her questioning look. “Matt isn’t coming.” He asked me about it a couple days ago and I told him I still wasn’t ready. I kept waiting for him to push the subject a little more after how disappointed he looked, but to my relief he let it go.
I’d been thinking about it since, becoming more disappointed in myself each time. The truth was I didn’t know if I really wasn’t ready or if I was just too used to being safe. I wanted to meet his family. I bet his mom was the type to pull out all photo albums and tell me the stories that went with every photo. I wanted to hear his sisters tell me what he was really like growing up. I want to feel the love that had molded him into the wonderful man I knew.
“Why not?” She jiggled the basket and then added another towel to the side to help keep everything in place.
“Because he is spending the day with his family.” I spoke slowly and knitted my brows. “Why would he be coming?”
I thought back to the day I had caught her lecturing him in the hallway. I knew my sister loved me and that she meant well, but I couldn’t shake the discomfort I felt at her trying to interfere in my relationship. The discomfort of her possibly knowing who he was when she matched us on the app.
“Because he’s your boyfriend. You guys could have worked it out to go to both families.” She gestured for me to move so she could carry the basket out to the car. I opened the front door for her.
“You know he’s not my boyfriend, we’re still taking things slow. I’m not ready for us to meet each other’s family yet.”
Emery snorted. “I don’t know what taking things slow means to you, but you guys are far from it. You may not be sleeping together or saying you love each other, but you’re doing everything else.” She paused, waiting for me to open the trunk. She dropped the basket in and then turned to face me with her arms crossed. “Both of you are further gone than most serious relationships at this point.” She slammed the trunk for emphasis.
I climbed into the passenger seat and took a few deep breaths to calm the anger that was starting to heat my veins. “Emery, you know I love you, right?” I said as she took her place behind the wheel.
“I love you too, big sis. I’m just worried about you.”
“I know you are, but you need to back off. My relationship with Matt is between me and Matt. I really don’t need you trying to get involved anymore. Just let us figure this out.”
She started the car. “Bring him to Christmas?” She gave me her best puppy dog eyes.
“I don’t know, Em. Let’s wait and see where the next month takes us.” I buckled my seat belt and pulled out my phone to check for messages from Matt.
“Do you want him there?”
I threw my hands up in annoyance. “Of course I want him there. I wanted him here today. Things are just a lot more complicated than you know.”
She turned up the radio and backed out of our driveway. A few minutes later she turned to me and said, “the only reason it’s complicated is because you’re making it complicated.”
I turned the radio up more and focused my attention out the window for the drive to our parents’ house. Anger burned through me because I knew she was right.
***
I snapped a photo of the finger-painted turkeys Aaron and I were making to send to Matt. Aaron tugged on my sleeve and held his up. “Take a picture of me with mine,” he said. I took his picture and flipped it around to show him.
“Okay, you two, time to clean up so we can put the food out,” Mom said with her back to us as she bent to pull the turkey out of the oven. Emery moved around her uncovering things.
I closed up the paints and wiped Aaron’s hands with a baby wipe. “Go show your mom your turkey,” I told him. I cleaned up our art set up, returning it to the basket Mom kept stocked for Aaron. I sent the picture to Matt once everything was put away.
Riley
Finger Painting with the nephew.
Hot Nerd 3
I want to fingerpaint. I’m on piggyback ride duty.
He sent a photo of him bent over with two of his nieces clinging to his back. His youngest nephew clung to his leg.
Save me some of that pecan pie. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since last week.
I laughed as I remembered him taking one bite of the pecan pie Emery made last week and declared it the best one he had ever had. I had joked with him that he was just dating me for the perk of Emery’s cooking.
***
Shelby asked Oliver about you. Now everyone won’t stop asking about you.
I turned my phone over as Matt’s message filled the screen and tried to take a subtle deep breath. Milo furrowed his brow next to me and his eyes flicked between my phone and my eyes. “Why are you always on your phone so much lately?”
“Yeah, Riley, why don’t you tell everyone who you’re always texting,” Emery piped up further down the table.
Dad patted Emery’s arm. “Be nice to your sister,” he told her. She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.
I moved my phone from the table to the pocket in my cardigan. “It’s no one. Emery just needs to mind her business.”
Emery scowled at me and pulled out her phone. A few minutes later my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I ignored it and it started buzzing again, even after Emery put her phone away. I pulled it out of my pocket to see Matt calling. I jumped up and left the dining room to answer.
“Hi,” I said.
“Is everything okay? Emery just texted me and said I need to call you.” Matt’s voice was low like he was hiding from his family too. I could hear them in the background. It sounded like one of the kids was yelling for him.
“I’m fine. Emery is just in an immature mood today. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Okay, call me when you get home.” I started to pull my phone away from ear when I heard him say, “hey, Riley?”
“Yes, Matt.”
“I really missed having you here today.” The caution in his voice squeezed my heart. He wanted to love me in any way I would let him, even if it meant me keeping up barriers that hurt him. That hurt us both.
“I missed you too.”
I typed a message to Emery saying that we need to talk later. It was time we got everything out in the open between the two of us.