CH 9 - #freedom
Riley
“GOOD MORNING, DADDY,” I said, smiling at him.
“Good morning, sweetheart. Cup of coffee?”
“I’ll get it. You stay put.” After pouring myself a cup, I joined him at the kitchen table. “I guess Momma is still getting ready for work.”
“She is.”
“You sure look spiffy in your collared shirt, tie, and dress pants.”
My daddy chuckled. “Thank you. What’s your plan for today?”
“Just hanging out here. I might go drive around or shop. I don’t know yet.”
“Still haven’t heard from Chad?”
“No. Macie thought for certain that he was going to contact me, but it’s been four days. I’m not going to hear from him.”
“Do you want to?”
I shrugged. “Yes and no. I mean, I do love Chad. I wanted to marry him, but everything changed after what he did to me at Nana’s Kitchen. How could I ever trust him again?”
“You can’t.”
I stared at my left hand and then looked back at my daddy. “I think it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“To do this.” I took off my engagement ring and set it on the table.
“Riley, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know it’s for the best. I just hate that you and Momma have spent so much money on my wedding and now, it’s not going to happen.”
“We’re not worried about the money. All we want is for you to be happy.”
“It’s going to take time.”
My daddy picked up my ring, looked at it, and cut his eyes at me. “There’s something that I’d like to tell you.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve held another one of these before.”
“What?”
My daddy set my ring back down. “Rhys came to see your momma and me a little over a year ago. He asked for our permission to marry you. He also had your engagement ring with him and showed it to us after we gave him our full blessing. On the Saturday you broke up with him, he was planning to ask you to marry him.”
My stomach sank. “Oh God,” I whispered, feeling the sting in my eyes.
“I figured you should know about it now, considering everything that’s happened.”
“I knew Rhys was hurt by my decision to end things with him and move to Fort Worth, but I cannot imagine his pain after hearing what you said. I feel even more awful.”
“I didn’t tell you about what he did to make you feel that way. I only wanted you to know the truth.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded. “Thank you for telling me.”
“I’ve got to get going, sweet pea. Got a busy day ahead, dealing with the high school kids.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
He got up from the table, kissed me on my head, and went to work. I was still sitting in my chair, thinking about Rhys, when my momma walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning,” she said, doing a double take. “What’s wrong?”
“Daddy told me about Rhys asking y’all for permission to marry me last year. He also told me about the engagement ring that Rhys bought for me.”
My momma sighed, sat down beside me, and patted my back. “I didn’t know he was going to do that. Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I just keep making wrong choices, is all.”
“Riley, you’ve made choices that you believed were right at the time.”
“I hurt Rhys so badly.”
“And he’s okay. He’ll always love you, though.”
I dropped my head and started crying.
“Oh, honey, I didn’t mean to upset you even more,” my momma said, wrapping her arms around me.
“I know you didn’t. This is all just so much.”
“You’re right, it is, but you’ll work through it. You’ll have good and bad days, but make it because you’re Riley Martin.”
After my momma left for work, I went upstairs to shower. I’d just finished drying my hair when my cellphone chimed on the bathroom vanity.
Macie:Checking on you, BFF.
Me:Did you know Rhys had planned to ask me to marry him right before I ended things with him?
Macie didn’t text me back until about a minute later.
Macie:Yes, I knew.
Me:Did Rachel?
Macie:Yes. Are you mad?
Me:No. But I want to talk to Rhys. Is his number still the same?
Macie:Yes.
Me:I’ll let you know how it goes.
Macie:You better.
Me:BTW, I realized something. My tea leaf reading with Ms. Lenora was spot-on, after all. I have newfound freedom now that Chad and I are over.
I straightened my hair, put on some mascara and lip gloss, and then sat in the center of my bed with my cellphone. After pulling up Rhys’s contact info, I started to tap the call button but stopped myself. I decided to text him instead.
Me:Hi, it’s Riley.
The moment I saw his chat bubble appear, I smiled.
Rhys:How are you doing?
Me:Fairly good. Have I caught you at a bad time?
Rhys:No.
Me:I would like to meet with you. I need to talk to you in person.
Rhys:When?
Me:Whenever you’re free.
Rhys:I’m free until this afternoon. Where would you like for us to meet?
Me:Where are you now?
Rhys:At home. I’ve been doing some woodwork.
Me:If it’s okay with you, I’ll drive over.
Rhys:Are you sure?
Me:Yes. I’m curious to see what you’ve done to your house.
Rhys:It’s quite a bit.
Me:See you soon.
Rhys:Be careful.