CH 19 - #oldschool
Riley
DRIVING DOWN THE tree-lined backroads from Rhys’s house to my momma and daddy’s near downtown Cypress Hills, my mind stayed on everything Rhys had told me he kept of mine and ours. He was surprised I still had his T-shirt from last year, while I was completely blown away by all he still had—especially my pregnancy test.
I didn’t have to wonder what Rhys’s life and mine would be like right now if I hadn’t miscarried. I could picture us so happy, likely with another baby on the way, but God sent Rhys and me down a different pathway for some reason. There’d been a lot of pain in our journey. Growth and healing, as well.
I made it to my momma and daddy’s house in time to catch them before they left for work. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw them sitting at the table, smiled, and said good morning to them. They said the same to me, and then I began telling them why I hadn’t come home last night.
“Riley, you don’t owe us an explanation about all that,” my daddy said.
“But—”
“I only want to know if you’re happy.”
“Yes, Daddy, I’m very happy. Rhys is, too.”
“Good.”
I looked over at my momma, and she winked at me. Rachel and I had the best parents ever.
Once they were on their way to the high school, I grabbed an apple-cinnamon Nutri-Grain bar out of the pantry, poured myself a glass of milk, and went upstairs to my bedroom to eat breakfast and call Rhys.
“You’re on speaker,” I told him when he answered.
“Do I have an audience?”
“Of one. My momma and daddy are at work.”
“What’d they say about you spending the night with me?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
I chuckled. “I was explaining why I didn’t come home when my daddy stopped me. The only thing he wanted to know was if I was happy.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“That you and I both are.”
I could hear Rhys smiling.
“So when are you spending the night with me again?” he asked.
“I knew that was coming.”
“Well?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“You are a sweet torture, Riley Dawn Martin.”
FOUR HOURS LATER
Rhys:Jackson just texted me. He and Rachel decided to kick it old school and have a pasture party tonight. They want us to come.
Me:I would love to!
Rhys:What about our plans to go out to eat?
Me:I’ll grab something here before you pick me up. No biggie.
Rhys:Then I’ll let Jackson know we’ll be there.
Me:Do you know if everyone’s bringing snacks?
Rhys:They are. We’ll grab some on the way.
Me:This is going to be so much fun!
Rhys:No doubt about it.
Me:dancing woman emoji
Rhys:What have you been doing since we hung up earlier?
Me: I cleaned my momma and daddy’s house and did their laundry so they can relax this weekend.
Rhys:That was sweet of you.
Me:Now I’m doing this.
I took a quick selfie and texted it to Rhys.
Rhys:You’re torturing me again.
Me:Like my pink bikini?
Rhys:I love it. Damn. fire emoji
Me:Wish you could come over and swim with me. The water feels amazing.
Rhys:I’d do more than swim with you.
Me:Send me a picture of you.
Rhys:I’m covered in sweat.
Me:Don’t mind a bit.
Rhys:Hang on.
Rhys’s selfie came through in less than thirty seconds, and I sighed. He was outside doing something at one of the B&Bs. His wavy blond hair was damp, his blue eyes were sparkling, he was smiling, his dimples were deep, his tan face was glistening, and his gray T-shirt was wet around the collar and on the front. I could’ve eaten him up.
Me:You look delicious.
Rhys:Not hardly.
Me:Don’t argue with me.
Rhys:Just stating a fact. See you in a few hours, mia bella.
“Eldest daughter of mine!” my momma said as she was walking into the kitchen from the garage. My daddy was right behind her, grinning.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“You’re cooking supper.”
“I know.”
“I could smell it before we even came into the house.”
My momma set her purse down on the counter and glanced around. “You cleaned everything.”
“Sure did.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to.”
My daddy came up to me and kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Yes, thank you,” my momma added, glancing around again.
“You two go put on some comfortable clothes because your weekend has officially begun!”
My parents giggled like little kids and then headed toward their bedroom. While changing out of their professional attire, I poured each a glass of freshly made sweet tea and started slicing tomatoes for a salad. A few minutes later, my momma returned to the kitchen.
“You washed our dirty clothes, too!” she said, hands perched on her hips.
“I sure did.”
“Riley.”
“Momma, I’ve enjoyed doing all this today, so don’t fret.”
“At least let me help you in here.”
“Nope.” I pointed at the glasses of tea. “I want you to take those into the living room. Then I want you and Daddy to stretch out in your recliners, turn on the TV, and breathe. You’ve both had a long and full week.”
“I really appreciate everything you’ve done. It’s so nice. Your daddy and I won’t have to lift a finger until Monday.”
“That’s what I had in mind for y’all.”
My momma rubbed my arm. “You haven’t mentioned it, but I’m guessing you have plans with Rhys this evening.”
“I do. He was going to take me to Big Cypress BBQ for supper, but Jackson and Rachel decided to have a pasture party, so we’re going to that instead.”
“Your excitement is written all over you, but I don’t think it’s so much about the party as it’s about you seeing Rhys again.”
“You’re right, it is.” I glanced toward the living room. I could tell my daddy was there because I could hear the TV. “Momma, is Daddy truly okay with me spending last night with Rhys?”
“Yes. He feels like I do. You’re a grown woman, and Rhys is a grown man. What y’all do is your business.”
“I didn’t intend to stay all night with him. We just fell asleep. He was holding me in his arms in his bed, and the next thing I knew, it was morning.”
“Did you enjoy waking up next to him?”
I smiled. “Very much so. Then he got up to make coffee for us but was sidetracked by something his ghost had done.”
“He has a ghost at his house?”
“Yes. It momma-bears Rhys by hiding stuff he leaves out and making his messes even bigger.”
“That is hilarious!”
“Well, two days ago, it turned over the sugar jar on Rhys’s kitchen counter and drew two hearts linked together.”
My momma glanced down at my necklace. “Your and Rhys’s symbol.”
“This morning, two linked hearts were drawn in the moisture on the outside of Rhys’s kitchen window.”
“I wonder why his ghost drew them both times.”
“We think it loves us and wants us to be happy. It’s trying to tell us that.”
“It wants you and Rhys to get back together like we all do.”
“We’re working on it.”
“I know.”
“After the ghost stuff happened, guess who texted me.”
My momma looked over my face. “Chad?”
I nodded. “He wanted to come to Cypress Hills today and talk to me. I told him no and that I’d contact him when I was ready to talk.”
“What was his reply?”
“He said okay, and that was it.”
“Does Rhys know that Chad texted you and what he wanted?”
“Yes.”
“How did he respond?”
“He didn’t like it, which was understandable. He suggested I let Chad know I didn’t want to see or talk to him. He thought if I didn’t, Chad would show up unannounced like last Saturday.”
“He probably would have.”
“It’s so nice being looked after by Rhys. He makes me feel safe and secure in every way.”
“He’s your knight in shining armor.”
“He certainly is.”
“What’s it going to be like between y’all at the party?”
“What do you mean?”
“Rhys has always been chivalrous toward you, and you’ve always been his pretty princess. So I’m curious if you two are going to conduct yourselves in that way around your friends tonight.”
“There won’t be any need for Rhys to be protective of me while we’re at Jackson and Rachel’s.”
“I wasn’t talking about that natural inclination of his. Riley, are you going to let Rhys show you any affection?”
“Oh! I understand what you were saying now. And to answer your question—no, I’m not. I mean, I want to, but Rhys and I talked about all of this, and we’re going to act like we’re only friends.”
“Is that what he wants to do? Or just you?”
“Just me. If Rhys had it his way, he’d be all over me, holding my hand, kissing me, and everything.”
My momma chuckled. “Like he used to do.”
“Like I miss him doing. Thankfully, he understands why I’m not ready to go public about us seeing each other again.”
“Would your lack of readiness have anything to do with you worrying about what others might think or say, considering how recently you and Chad broke up, as well as Rhys and Trisha?”
“That’s exactly it.”
“Sweetheart, you have one life to live, and if I were you, I wouldn’t waste another second worrying about anybody’s thoughts or opinions on this matter. You and Rhys lost a year of being together and being fully open about your feelings toward each other. Don’t you think that’s long enough?”
I stared at my momma, understanding her loving and guiding words to my core and appreciating them so much. I needed to hear them and knew what I would soon be doing with Rhys tonight.