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Janice shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“Are you going to do chemo?”
“Yes, just to be extra safe. Enough about me, though. What about you, Riley? Are you on the mend?”
She wanted to talk about Rhys and me.
“I have good days and bad days.”
“I started to call you after Rhys ended things.”
“I wanted to talk to you and Rob about it,” I said, glancing at him in his recliner next to Janice. “Then I thought telling you my side of the story wouldn’t make a difference.”
“A difference in what?”
“How you feel toward me.”
“Honey, all we feel toward you is love. And about your side of the story? We know you were faithful to Rhys, because we know you.”
“I wished he believed that.”
I heard the front door open. A few seconds later, Rhys walked into the living room with a vase of sunflowers in his left hand and a cast on his right. His eyes locked with mine, and he slowed his pace. Then he went over to Janice.
“Hey, Mom,” he said, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. “How are you feeling?”
I melted at hearing his deep voice again.
“Better than yesterday.”
“These are for you.” He held up the flowers.
“Those are beautiful, son. Thank you.”
“Where would you like for me to put them?”
Janice nodded across the room. “Next to the TV, please. I’ll have a perfect view of them.”
Rhys said a quick “Hey, Dad” to Rob and placed the vase on the TV stand. After turning back around, he gave Rachel a strained smile. His staring straight at me for a long, tense moment came next, followed by him telling his parents he needed to go. They said okay, and Rhys left, slamming the front door behind him.
“He thought only Rachel was here. We came in her car,” I said.
Janice smiled sympathetically. “It’s okay, honey. Him seeing you in person again might make him come to his senses.”
“I don’t think so. He’s going to hate me for the rest of his life.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He still loves you as much as you do him.”
“God, I do love him,” I choked out. “I miss him, too.”
“Rhys misses you, but his Silverman pride is in his way.”
Janice looked at Rob and raised an eyebrow. He promptly got up from his recliner and said he had some yard work that he needed to do. After he walked out of the living room, I faced Janice.
“Your yard looks like it was just mowed,” I said.
“It was. Rob didn’t want to listen to me tell you about his Silverman pride and the trouble it caused us not long after we started dating in high school. I think you’ll appreciate hearing this story and hope it gives you hope about you and Rhys working things out.”
“I’m listening.”
