Chapter 19
Keaton
Rowan was tucked against my side as best as he could be, since I had to sleep propped up on a stack of pillows. I stayed still for a moment, staring at the ceiling as morning light peeked through the slats of his blinds.
Thanksgiving had been a little chaotic, but it’d been a lot of fun too.
The house had been packed most of the day with his extended family.
We ate a ton of food, watched football, and even played charades when his aunt suggested it.
However, Frank looked ready to fake a medical emergency to avoid a second round.
Despite enjoying the holiday, I was hopeful today was going to be a chill day.
At least after my PT appointment. I was half-tempted to cancel and stay in bed with my boyfriend, but thanks to Marcos, Audrey, my physical therapist, had offered to come in during the holiday weekend to keep up with my recovery schedule, and for my own sanity I needed to stay on track.
Carefully, I pushed the blankets back and eased myself up. I sat on the edge of the bed for a second before standing. Getting dressed still took longer than I wanted, and when I had my shirt on and the sling adjusted, I was already annoyed. Putting on my sweats only pissed me off more.
My shoulder felt better, though it wasn’t great. One wrong move sent pain radiating down my arm, but I could tell the PT was helping.
“You leaving already?” Rowan’s words were muffled by the pillow.
I turned to look at him. “Yeah. My appointment is in an hour, but who knows how long it’ll take me to drive there with all the holiday shoppers out.”
“True. I bet my mom already dragged Dad to score a few deals.”
“Poor Frank.” I chuckled.
Rowan propped himself up on an elbow. “You’re coming back here after your appointment, right?”
After our argument the first night he was home, we seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement not to waste time fighting, since he was only home for a few days.
“That’s my plan. I figured we could decide what we wanted to do for the rest of the day when I get back.”
“Sounds good. I might take the Ducati for a spin while you’re gone. I’ve missed riding and should probably start making arrangements to get it out to Florida.”
I shoved my feet into my slides, my mood quickly darkening.
It wasn’t as if Florida was a new topic.
He’d been living in Tampa for over a month, but hearing him talk about shipping his bike there made everything feel a little more permanent.
Like he wasn’t just staying across the country anymore, he was building a life there.
“Well, I gotta go,” I said, ignoring the Florida comment.
“You sure you’re okay to drive?”
“I know you drove the other night, and Mason played chauffeur for a couple of days, but I’m fully capable of driving myself,” I replied, hoping I didn’t come off as irritated as I felt.
He nodded, although I noticed a small frown on his face. “Okay.”
Obviously, I’d failed to hide my irritation and was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt.
I braced my good hand on the mattress and pressed my lips to his.
“Sorry, baby. These past two weeks have been hard, and I really hate how everyone has been hovering over me like I can’t do anything.
But I know you’re just trying to help, and I love you for it. ”
He smiled. “You’re right. I’d probably be annoyed with everyone too, if I were in your position. Go drive yourself to your appointment, then get your fine ass back here.”
“Fine ass?” I waggled my brows playfully.
“Shut up.” He laughed and kissed me again. “Now go let your therapist torture you.”
I grabbed my keys from the top of his dresser. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Then I hustled toward the door because the sooner I finished physical therapy, the sooner I’d be back.
When I pulled into Rowan’s parents’ driveway two hours later, I was in a much better mood than when I’d left.
My appointment had gone even better than I’d hoped.
Audrey had tested my range of motion, corrected my form during exercises, and reminded me that feeling better wasn’t the same as being healed.
But for once, all of that’d been followed by news I actually wanted to hear.
I didn’t need the sling anymore.
At least not all day, like I’d been wearing it. Audrey still wanted me to use it if my shoulder got tired or if I was somewhere crowded where someone might bump into me, but she was happy enough with my progress to let me move normally throughout the day.
I barely made it halfway up the walkway when the front door opened. Dawn stepped outside, and the second she saw me, her gaze dropped to my shoulder, and her entire face lit up. “Well, would you look at that.”
I laughed. “Pretty cool, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Her voice held so much genuine excitement that I found myself smiling even wider. “One step closer to getting back to normal.”
“That’s wonderful news. How did the rest of the appointment go?”
“Good. Everything is where my therapist wants it to be. I still have a long way to go, but I’ve been cleared to increase my cardio as long as my shoulder feels okay, so that’s good. And I should be able to do a little more strength training soon.”
Dawn stepped aside to let me come inside. The house was quieter than it’d been yesterday, and it felt more like the house from my childhood.
“Where’s Rowan?” I asked.
“He took his motorcycle out for a ride and should be back soon.”
A familiar scent hit me before I took another step. “You made cookies the day after Thanksgiving?” I teased.
She grinned. “They’re Rowan’s favorite. He can’t come home for a visit without me making some, and I figured he could take a bag back to Tampa with him. Would you like one?”
“Is that even a question?” There’d never been a dessert she’d baked that I could say no to, and she knew it.
The cooling rack was about half full when I pulled out a stool at the island.
Dawn transferred another tray from the oven as I grabbed a cookie, but before I could take a bite, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
For a second, I considered ignoring it, but it could have been Rowan.
I pulled it out, and my shoulders slumped when I saw my mother’s name on the screen.
Mom
We were with Dave’s kids yesterday, and of course, the wedding came up. But it made me realize I never sent you the details
The second message appeared before I finished reading the first.
It’s two weeks from tomorrow. The reception starts at 3. You’re still good to bartend, right?
She’d spent Thanksgiving with Dave and his kids, but she hadn’t bothered to invite me.
I told myself it shouldn’t matter, especially when she hadn’t spent a single holiday with me since she moved away.
But hearing about her discussing her wedding with his family, then realizing she’d only thought of me because she needed someone to pour drinks, still stung.
Across the kitchen, Dawn continued moving cookies onto the cooling rack, but I could feel her watching me out of the corner of her eye. I lowered the cookie back onto the napkin and typed:
I got hurt and I don’t know if I’ll be able to bartend by then
I hadn’t been cleared to go back to work yet because Audrey didn’t think pouring drinks for eight hours was a great idea at the moment.
And I sure as hell wasn’t going to jeopardize my recovery to sling drinks at a wedding I wasn’t even sure I’d been invited to, especially since she’d only told me when the reception was.
I stared at the message for a second because part of me wanted to explain.
I wanted to tell her about my injury, the emergency room, and the past two weeks I’d spent frustrated and stuck on the sidelines while everyone else kept training.
I wanted to tell her I’d finally gotten rid of the sling today, because somehow that felt important.
Instead, I hit send on what I’d already typed.
Her reply came less than a minute later:
Seriously?!? I wish you’d told me sooner. Now I have to find someone else!
Of course, she didn’t ask what happened or seem to care at all, except for how it would affect her.
I set the phone face down on the counter and wrapped both hands around the coffee mug Dawn had quietly set in front of me while I was staring at my phone. The warmth seeped into my palms, but it didn’t ease the hollow feeling settling inside me.
I’d had a great Thanksgiving with Rowan’s family the day before.
I’d spent the morning getting good news from Audrey, and Rowan would be back soon.
A couple of text messages shouldn’t ruin my day, but it wasn’t really about the text messages.
It was about the part of me that kept hoping things with my mom would be different.
No matter how many times my mother showed me who she was, I still held onto some stupid little piece of hope that the next conversation would be better.
“Everything all right?”
I looked up to find Dawn leaning against the counter, watching me with a soft expression on her face.
“My mom texted.”
“And whatever she said wasn’t good?”
“Does my face give me away that badly?”
“Yes, sweetheart. It does.”
“She was with her fiancé’s family yesterday. Apparently, they were discussing their wedding, and she forgot to tell me she was getting married in two weeks.”
Dawn blinked. “Two weeks? Didn’t you get an invitation?”
“Nope, but she wanted to know if I could still bartend at her reception.”
“She wants you to work the wedding?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but I told her I got hurt and couldn’t do it.”
“And?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Now she’s mad because she has to find somebody else.”
Dawn closed her eyes briefly, then took a slow sip of coffee.
“It’s fine,” I said, not wanting her sympathy.
“No. It’s not.”
I looked away. “Maybe not, but it’s normal for her.”
“That doesn’t make it okay.”
I knew she was right, but there was nothing I could do about it. “My mom’s always been like this.” I shrugged, then immediately regretted it as my shoulder protested. “I don’t know why I keep expecting something different.”