Chapter 15 Jackson #2
“Knock, knock,” I call out, standing in the open doorway of Taevin’s room.
Taevin’s lying on the bed, propped up by half a dozen pillows, as Ryan runs a brush through her damp hair.
At the end of the day, the one thing I can admit when it comes to Ryan is she’s a hell of a friend to Tae.
She’s been so on top of everything when it comes to helping Taevin these past few days.
“To what do we owe the pleasure, hockey boy?”
“I was wondering if the two of you would like to have dinner in here, or if you’d like to join me and my mom in the dining room?”
Taevin’s eyes shoot up to meet mine. “Wait, your mom’s here?”
“She is. You said you missed her tater tot hotdish, and she’s been chomping at the bit for a chance to see you again, so I figured two birds, one stone. If you’re not feeling up to company and eating in the dining room, I totally get it, just thought I’d offer.”
A soft smile spreads across her lips. “I’ve missed your mom, and I was just telling Ryan I need to get up and move around a bit. Give me, like, five minutes and we’ll be right out.”
Knocking twice on the wooden doorframe, I nod and say, “Sounds good. She’ll be excited to catch up. But if she’s being too much, use a code word or something so I know if I need to kick her out.”
“And what code word would that be?” Ryan asks on Tae’s behalf.
“I don’t know, like, crown, or something like that.”
“What if the word crown naturally comes up in conversation? You’d just throw out your mother?” Ryan questions.
“I’d rather kick out my mom by accident—politely, of course—than have Taevin uncomfortable or overwhelmed.” Turning to fix my gaze on Taevin, I say, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Walking back down the hallway, I turn into the kitchen and find my mom setting the table.
“Here, let me help,” I tell her, grabbing the utensils from where she set them out on the kitchen island.
“Thank you, sweetheart. What’d she say?” my mom asks eagerly.
“Tae said she and Ryan would be out in a few minutes.”
“Oh! I’m so happy!” my mom squeals and I can’t help but smile at her excitement. She loved Taevin like she was her own while we were dating. Not that she’d ever admit it, but I know she was devastated when we broke up and Taevin moved to Nashville.
Just as we’ve finished setting the table, Taevin comes slowly shuffling out of her bedroom with Ryan following closely behind her to join me and my mom at the dining table.
Before I can say a word, my mom hightails it toward Tae.
“Ma—” I start just as she freezes in front of Taevin.
“Taevin, oh my gosh! Honey, I’ve missed you! Can I hug you? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Kathy, it’s so great to see you; I’ve missed you too. You can hug me, but maybe a side hug would be best for now?”
“Of course, sweet girl!”
I watch in awe as my mom hugs Taevin and Tae’s eyes well, full of emotion when my mom starts rubbing her hand up and down her back.
Once my mom has hugged her to her heart’s content, she takes a step back and says, “A little birdie told me you’ve been craving my tater tot hotdish.
Well, honey, all you had to do was ask and you shall receive. ”
Turning to face the table, my mom gestures at the steaming pan of Taevin’s favorite meal.
“It smells amazing. The second Ryan opened my bedroom door, my mouth started watering. Thank you so much.”
My mom waves off her thanks. “Anytime, sweetie. I mean it; it’s my pleasure.”
I pull out a chair for Taevin that’s next to mine and Ryan helps her ease into her seat.
“Is this okay? Do you need anything from your room to help you be more comfortable? Maybe that front pillow thing you ordered?” I suggest, noticing the slight pinch to her brows as if she’s in pain.
“Yeah, that’d actually be great. I’m not sure why, but I’ve been sneezing today and holding the pillow against my stomach to brace myself has helped ease a bit of the pain,” Tae explains.
She doesn’t need to say another word. I’m up and on my way to her room in an instant, damn near running to grab said pillow.
Taevin has been in so much pain since her surgery, and I’m terrified she’ll have a post-op complication if we’re not careful.
I don’t want anything to set her back from the egg retrieval process she hopes to begin soon.
The timing needs to be perfect so she can begin chemotherapy as soon as possible.
When I’m in her room grabbing the pillow, I notice a worn leather-bound journal laying open on her nightstand. She has a mechanical pencil sitting beside it, and it’s only then I notice the lyrics scrawled across the pages in lead.
I’m so goddamn tempted to see what she has written about, but I know it’d be a major violation of her privacy.
Sighing in frustration, I’m about to turn to walk out the door when I make out the title written across the top of the page. “Revival” is written in a slightly darker handwriting than the rest of the page.
Is my Thorn writing about me?
Is it possible that I could still be her muse after all we’ve gone through?
I’m not sure, but I’m anxious as hell to find out.
I walk out of the room with a dopey smile on my face, because not only am I hopeful that Tae’s writing about me, but I can also hear the tail end of the conversation between my mom and the woman I’ve never stopped loving—and I hope I never will.
“Have you seen your dad more since you’ve been back?” my mom asks, and I’m eager to hear Tae’s reply because so far she hasn’t seen him. I haven’t wanted to push her to talk about it, but she did tell me she told him about her diagnosis before we left for Texas.
“No, he and I have had a strained relationship for years now. If I’m being honest, he hasn’t been the same since my mom died. I was so scared to tell him I have cancer like my mother did, that I told him over a voicemail.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry to hear that. If it is something you want, maybe your time spent back home will help bring the two of you closer again.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Tae agrees.
Remaining hidden in the shadows of the hallway, I run my hand through my hair. Tae doesn’t know this, but her dad texted me the day of her surgery. I’d honestly kind of forgot he did with so many other friends and family texting to check in on Taevin that day. I need to tell her about it.
“Okay, enough of the heaviness. How’s my boy been treating you?”
“He’s been so good to me, Kathy. Ryan had never had the cheesy potatoes y’all used to make for family get-togethers, and just the thought of them had my mouth watering and finally gave me the urge to eat something in days.
Until then, they practically had to force-feed me.
But his cheesy potatoes seemed to do the trick.
Then he made chili and that was to die for. ”
“If I were a betting woman, I’d say he’s trying to win back your heart through your stomach.”
“Hard to win back something he’s had all along,” Taevin murmurs in a hushed tone, no doubt hoping I won’t overhear.
Too late.
My heart pounds in my chest.
Up until now, I was playing it safe when it came to easing Taevin back into my life, thinking that would be the least likely way to scare her. But after hearing that, I’m done holding back my feelings.
I’m going to do everything in my power to show Taevin how badly I want her to stay.
Not just through the remainder of her treatments—forever.