Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
“ Y ou’ve got another one!” Susan cheerfully announced from Riley’s doorway.
Riley looked up just in time to see Michael step into her office. “Michael,” she said, her tone tight. “How are you?”
Michael’s cheeks flushed, and he rubbed the back of his neck. A school teacher by trade, he’d always been a little shyer than his Harrison cousins. “Good, good,” he assured Riley. “How are you?”
Riley decided not to investigate the tone in his voice and simply spread her lips wider. “Good, thanks.” She folded her hands together. “What can I do for you?”
He rubbed his neck again. “I was thinking…” He took a breath. “I was thinking of getting Quinn a cat for Christmas,” he said with a shrug. “Do you think Madi is too young for us to have a kitten in the house?” he asked, referring to their toddler. “I’m worried she’ll hurt a tiny cat, but Quinn has always been more partial to cats than dogs.”
Riley shook her head. “Believe it or not, kittens are really resilient.” She winked. “Kind of like kids.”
Michael chuckled and stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. “Good to hear because Madi seems to destroy everything she touches.”
“While I don’t have kids,” Riley added, “I absolutely believe you because I’ve seen the carnage.” She stood. “Let me show you what we have. I’ve got a couple kittens that’ll be ready just in time for Christmas, and I’ve got a group that’s a little older, more like teenage cats, if you will.”
Heading down the hall, she took note that Michael was following. A couple of times, he seemed to take a breath, but never spoke and Riley’s stomach grew uneasy. She’d known Michael a long time, especially since he was Aspen’s cousin, but they didn’t usually just hang out without the rest of the group.
The way he kept trying to speak but stopping meant he had a purpose, but it seemed to be unclear as to what that could be.
Which more than likely meant that she wouldn’t want to hear it.
“Here we are.” Hopefully, no one noticed that the cheer in her voice was more flat than peppy. “These are the older ones.” Stepping into the kennel, she shut it after Michael and waved an arm. “As you can see, there are three cats. Two males, one female.” She pointed to the striped cat in the corner. “They’ve been fixed already. They’re all siblings, and we usually refer to ones with stripes like this as a tabby, though cats that come to us like this are more like a mutt, to put it in dog terms.”
Michael shrugged. “It would be kinda crazy to have a purebred in a shelter, right?”
Riley shrugged. “It happens. Litters they can’t sell, and eventually the owner is just done.” She leaned her shoulder against the cage wall. “Not as often, but not unheard of.”
Michael nodded, still rubbing his neck while his eyes were on the cats. He eventually looked up. “I have no idea what to do here.”
Riley stepped forward and grabbed a male, holding it out to him. “Try holding one. See how it feels. We call him Tigre.”
“Very original,” Michael muttered, awkwardly petting the animal .
Riley chuckled. “Better than plain Tiger, right? At least we tried to make it special.”
Michael nodded, his eyes darting to Riley, then back down.
She’d had enough. Folding her arms over her chest, Riley huffed. “Did you really come here to look for a cat? Or should I let them get back to their life of leisure?”
Michael grimaced and set the cat down before straightening. “I think maybe I’d like to look at the little ones.”
Riley studied him for a moment before nodding. “This way.” She locked the cage, then headed to one a little further down. “The white female is already spoken for, but there are still four others.”
Once inside, she picked up another female, this one more black than white and put it in Michael’s hands.
“Let me guess,” he said wryly. “Oreo?”
“Lugar,” Riley supplied helpfully. “Lu for short.”
Michael frowned. “What does that mean?”
Riley’s smile was almost real. “Spot in spanish.”
He nodded, laughing softly. The kitten shifted, digging her claws into his chest and climbing up Michael’s jacket. “Whoa.” Michael fumbled for a moment, but eventually got the animal under control. Once done, he looked at Riley again. “I think she’d like the kitten better, but I feel bad. I’m guessing they go easier than the older cats.”
“They do,” Riley said. “But it’s alright. We’ll find them all homes eventually.” She nodded. “You sure this is the one you want?”
Michael nodded. “And I think Lu is the perfect name. Madi will be able to say it as well.”
Riley nodded again, feeling like a bobble head.
“You were right,” Michael announced, straightening his stance. “I have something else to talk to you about.”
Cold instantly rushed through her core.
“I…We…” Michael cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose. “What I’m trying to say is…we miss you.”
Riley’s breath hitched, but she folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in an attempt to look at ease. “Miss me? I don’t understand.”
Michael shook his head and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “It was so stupid to send me,” he muttered. “Why do I always get roped into this?”
The bark of laughter that came out of Riley might have been the closest thing to genuine that she’d had in the last five months. “Because you’re too nice,” she responded, still chuckling.
“Yeah, well…that’s been said about you a few times, yourself.”
Riley lifted one shoulder before growing stoic. “I haven’t gone anywhere.” Yet. The word hung on the tip of her tongue, but Riley wasn’t ready to let that particular cat out of the bag yet. There were several openings available in nearby states, but the idea of leaving Seagull Cove was more difficult than she imagined.
She could always wait a bit longer. It wasn’t like she had a timeline for leaving.
“Antony will be home for Christmas.”
Or not…Riley felt as if a cold bucket of water had been thrown in her face. It trickled down her spine and froze her lungs.
“We’d like you to join us for Christmas dinner. We’ll be having everyone over to celebrate both the holiday and him.”
Him. Antony. The man who hated her. The man who still held a grudge, all these months later and hadn’t been willing to send a single word.
Her earlier thoughts that there was no hurry to leave, swiftly changed. There was every reason to leave and as soon as possible.
The more Riley thought about facing Antony, the more she wanted to throw up, or cry or throw something. How long did it take to heal? Apparently, five months wasn’t enough.
“Thank you for the invite,” she heard herself stay, proud that her voice stayed steady. “I don’t know if I’ll be available, since I’m working that day, but I’ll let you all know soon.”
Michael opened his mouth, but Riley stepped forward and took the kitten from him. “One of my assistants will help take care of the paperwork for Lu.” She knew full well her smile wouldn’t fool anyone. “I hope Quinn loves her.”
“Oh, Antony!” His mom broke into sobs, and Antony had to drop one of his crutches to wrap his arm around her.
“Is it really that bad that I made it back?” he joked, rubbing her back.
“Of course not,” she argued, her face still in his chest. Leaning back she cupped his face. “You’re back.” Her smile trembled and tears poured down her face, but the love…the love that Antony hadn’t been able to see for ages…was definitely there.
“I’m back,” he reassured her, knowing the words meant more than him simply being at the house.
Leaving the facility hadn’t been easy. He’d grown comfortable, and Luca’s powerful presence had done more good for Antony’s state of mind than anything else. The man understood how to work with ex-military personnel and had pushed and pulled Antony at all the right moments.
The whole thing had been exactly what he needed, forcing him to realize that his family had never really abandoned him. It had been the other way around.
“Come in, come in,” his mother hurried to say. “It’s freezing out there. Gavin, you can drop those things here.”
Antony nodded and stepped to the side while Gavin brought the wheelchair inside, then plopped the duffel bag next to it.
Grinning like a teenager, Gavin slapped Antony on the back. “We’re going to have to arm wrestle at Christmas dinner,” he joked. “I think you might be as big as me now.”
Antony reached his free hand around to clasp Gavin’s hand. “You’re on.”
Chuckling, Gavin gave Antony’s mom a hug, then headed out, shutting the door firmly behind him.
“Let me look at you.” Once again his mother cupped his face, and Antony found that he didn’t have the same desire to avoid her touch as he once did. Her hand was on his scars, and though the skin was still sensitive, it didn’t make him self conscious or angry that she was so liberal with her touch. “He’s right,” Antony’s mom said, shrugging her shoulders. “You’ve gotten bigger. I didn’t know it was possible.”
“Well, when you’re hefting a wheelchair up a hill, you have to be stronger than gravity,” Antony teased. He leaned forward, giving his mom a quick kiss on her forehead, then bent and picked up the other crutch. “It smells good in here. Whatcha baking?”
“We’re prepping for Christmas,” came a low, amused voice.
Antony looked over. “Well, well, if it isn’t Estelle.”
She smiled and walked over, arms out. “Hello, big brother.” Stepping back, she put a hand to her stomach, which was just starting to round out.
“You’re a beautiful pregnant woman,” Antony told her with a smirk.
Estelle huffed a laugh. “I’ll be a huge one by the time this is over. I’ve only gotten started, and I’m already looking at maternity clothes.”
Antony shrugged. “Somehow I doubt Crew will care.”
“Crew loves it.” Crew’s voice came from the family room area and grew louder as he walked toward them. “Are we seriously going to stand around here? The whole family is sitting on pins and needles.”
Antony’s heart skipped a beat. The whole family. In his world, family sometimes meant the whole neighborhood, and he couldn’t help but have a moment’s panic or better yet, anticipation, that Riley might be there.
“It’s a little early for Christmas, isn’t it?” he joked lamely.
Crew grabbed Antony’s shoulder as he walked by and gave him a back slapping hug. “Good to have you back,” he said.
“Good to be here.” Antony turned back to the family room, and his pace slowed as he walked in.
“Antony! ”
“Tone!”
“You made it!”
Shouts came from all directions, and Antony felt his face heat up, even if his skin didn’t tend to blush. All the time he’d been spending outside lately had brought back his browner skin, which he was grateful for as he was hugged and congratulated by every blood relative he had in the area.
It felt good to be welcomed back and even better to finally want to see them, to feel more like himself, but new.
But when a blonde ponytail never emerged, Antony couldn’t seem to hide his disappointment.
“She’s not here,” his mother whispered from his side as they sat on the couch.
Antony looked over. “What?” he smiled. “Everyone’s here.”
She sighed and patted his knee. “We invited her to Christmas, but I’m not sure if she’ll come. Says she has to work.” His mom took a deep breath. “She worked over Thanksgiving as well.”
Antony let the words sink in. Ever since her own family had moved, Riley had come to every Harrison family function that existed. The fact that she had missed some while he was gone was unconscionable. And entirely his fault.
Antony hung his head. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.
His mother rubbed his back. “I know.”
They sat that way for a bit, voices bouncing around the room, children squealing, dishes clanging. It was all so normal and natural, and yet Antony began to feel restless. He wanted this. He did. He was so grateful to have found peace with his family once more, and to have an idea of what he wanted to do with his life. Luca had given him some ideas on careers, and Antony was already working on making one of them a reality.
But something was missing, and he knew exactly what it was. He hadn’t been sure. Away in Portland, he’d been in such a bubble that he’d been unsure of how things would go when he got back.
He had thought maybe he should let Riley go. Let her find someone who hadn’t hurt her, who didn’t still have years of struggle ahead.
“It’s not too late, you know.”
Antony looked at his mom. “Are you sure about that? I hurt her. Badly.”
His mother nodded slowly. “So did we.”
Antony frowned and sat back. “What do you mean?”
“Riley didn’t want to send you to Portland,” she explained. “She said being sent away would hurt you. That you’d never forgive her.” His mother shrugged. “But we pushed anyway. We knew she was the only one who could help you go. You wouldn’t listen to anyone else.”
“And it worked,” Antony murmured, staring at his hands. “I went because she said I should. But I left as if I would never forgive her.” He glanced sideways. “I’m pretty sure I burned that bridge. It’s her forgiveness that’ll never be given.”
“Riley forgives everyone.”
“You just said she didn’t come to Thanksgiving.”
His mother sighed. “She’s hurt, but she’s forgiven us.” She patted his knee again. “But I think it hurts too much to come back.”
Antony groaned and put his face in his hands. “She deserves better.”
“You bet she does,” Aspen inserted, sitting down on the coffee table in front of them. “Which is why I personally am going to make sure you treat her like a princess until the day you die.”
“Aspen,” her mother warned.
“You have no say in this,” Antony argued. “It’s not your life.”
“No, it’s not,” Aspen agreed as her eyes grew watery. “But it’s my best friend, my sister’s life…and I’ve never seen her so conflicted. She loves you more than anything, and if you would simply give the slightest hint that you felt the same way back, she’d be here in two seconds flat.”
“Do you have any idea how much I, this family , has hurt her?” Antony asked, shaking his head. “That woman gave me everything, and then I left her behind like a piece of rotten garbage. And this was after you had her do your dirty work.”
“You wouldn’t have listened otherwise,” Aspen said.
“You’re right,” Antony agreed. “I wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean it hurt her any less.”
“I know.” Aspen nodded vigorously. “I know. And I’ve done everything I can to make it up to her, but the only thing she really wants is you.”