Chapter 12 Riley #2
“Why do you look like you’re about ready to have a panic attack?” he asks.
“Because I am.”
His face softens with concern. “Why? You know my parents.”
“Yeah, that’s why. I’m sure they hate me almost as much as Cole does after everything.”
He shakes his head. “It would take a hell of a lot more than breaking up with my dumbass older brother to get my parents to hate anyone. They’re going to be happy to see you. I promise.”
I inhale, trying to fill my body with courage along with the oxygen. Theo. I can trust him.
I walk up to the front door, sandwiched between Finn and Theo. A part of me wants to reach out and grab both of their hands, but I keep them firmly at my sides. I don’t know where the urge comes from.
That’s a lie. I do know. It just isn’t something I’m willing to face right now.
“Mom,” Finn shouts, stepping inside without even knocking. “Dad.”
I always loved that they all feel comfortable enough to waltz into their parents’ house like it’s still their own. This might not be the house they grew up in, but their parents made it feel welcoming and homey.
The house the guys live in now was their childhood home. After Finn graduated from high school, the guys decided to start their logging business, and their parents sold them the house and a massive chunk of land for a steal.
Vivian and Mark moved to a much smaller house in town, where they’re now living out their retired years together. It’s honestly so sweet it makes my molars ache.
Their mom comes bustling out from the kitchen. She looks closer to forty than late fifties with her blonde hair pulled up in a claw-clip on the back of her head. Finn looks so much like her.
“Oh, hi, honey.” She reaches her arms out to hug him, but freezes when she sees me. My muscles tense in anticipation of what she’s going to say.
Theo’s hand lands on the small of my back, relaxing me, even just by a fraction.
“Riley, sweetheart, is that you?”
“That’s me,” I say, giving her a small smile.
Instead of hugging Finn, she shoves him out of the way. She’s much smaller than he is, but he still stumbles to the side. I have to bite my cheek to keep from laughing when he starts grumbling about being the unwanted child that no one loves.
“Shut your mouth, Finn,” Vivian says, wrapping me in a tight hug. Her voice is quiet when she speaks this time. “It’s so good to see you. It’s been so long.”
I exhale in relief, hugging her back. I sink into her motherly comfort. Damn. I really have missed her.
“It’s good to see you, too,” I whisper, emotion heavy in my words. I haven’t had anyone in my life like this since I was here last.
“Viv, who’s here?” Mark’s voice comes from the hallway before he steps out into the living room. “Boys,” he says, nodding to his sons. Then, his gaze settles on his wife, who’s still hugging me.
She reluctantly lets me go, stepping back. “Look who’s here.” She glances back at her husband.
His eyes widen in surprise. “Riley?”
I’m nodding when he wraps me in a hug. Fuck. I missed him, too. He presses a kiss to my temple, then holds me at arm’s length away from him while he takes me in. “It’s been a long time, kid.”
I’m not even close to being a kid, but I smile at him anyway and shrug my shoulders a little. “I know. Life just happened.”
His eyes hold nothing but understanding. Theo was right. They don’t hate me at all. At least, it doesn’t seem that way. I guess that feeling is reserved for Cole.
“I’ve seen your podcast,” Mark tells me.
That isn’t at all what I was expecting him to say. “Really?”
Vivian pipes in. “He’s even more eager to watch it than I am. We watch every Tuesday night, while we’re eating our dinner.”
I stand there, staring at them. I didn’t even think they’d know about my podcast, let alone watch it every week.
“They aren’t lying,” Finn says. “They watch it like a couple of groupies.”
“Like you don’t watch them, too,” Vivian tells Finn.
What?
I briefly glance at Finn, but he’s just rolling his eyes at his mom. I turn back to Vivian and Mark, still not really believing what they said.
I can’t focus on what she said about Finn. I’ll have to unpack that some other time, preferably when I’m alone.
“Don’t look at us like that,” Mark says, laughing. “It’s excellent.”
My heart swells with pride. “Thank you,” I whisper, feeling tears brewing in the back of my eyes.
“We’re so proud of you.” Vivian runs her hand down my arm.
I drag in a deep breath, trying to keep my tears from spilling over. That would be embarrassing.
She grabs my hand. “I was just making some lunch.” She starts to walk to the kitchen. “Come eat with us. I want to hear all about the last eight years.”
Just like last time, they’re welcoming me back into the fold. I’m sure they have questions about how and why things ended with Cole, but they seem genuinely happy to see me.
I’ll take it because it’s so good to see them. I’m going to soak up as much of their warm, parental energy as I can because I have no idea when I’ll get anything like it again.
“Are we just chopped liver now?” Finn says, following behind us.
Mark laughs loudly, patting his son on the arm. It’s almost comical that Finn is Mark’s son. They look nothing alike. Cole, on the other hand, looks exactly like a slightly taller version of his dad, just a couple of decades younger. Theo is more of a mix between both of his parents.
“Hush,” Vivian scolds him. “We see you all the time.”
The boys all sit down at the table, talking about the storm. Theo asks if there’s any shoveling that still needs to be done, but Mark says one of their neighbors helped them already.
I walk over to the counter next to Vivian. “What are you making?”
“Just sandwiches.”
“Can I help?”
There’s a sparkle in her eyes when she glances at me. “Of course. I think you’re going to help more than you know.”