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Riley looked back at her grandma, kissed her cheek again, and whispered, “I love you and miss you.”
Leaving the nursing home, I kept my arm around Riley’s shoulders, holding her close. After we got back in my truck, I looked over at her.
“Do you need a break before we go to see my parents? Want to get a cherry limeade at Sonic? Cheese-tots?” I asked.
“No, I’m okay, but thanks. Seeing your parents will be a mood-booster.”
I leaned over, kissed her, and we were on our way.
“Knock! Knock! We’re here,” I said, opening the front door.
“Come on in!” I heard my mom say as she and my dad rounded the corner, smiling. “There’s my Riley!” she continued, holding her arms out toward her.
After they hugged, my dad greeted Riley with a kiss on her cheek.
“It’s so good to see y’all again,” she told him and my mom.
They said the same to her and invited us to join them in the living room. We’d just sat on the couch when my mom asked if we’d like a glass of tea.
I looked at Riley. “I know you do.”
She grinned. “So do you.”
“Be back in a minute,” my mom chuckled.
When she returned to the living room, she and my dad asked Riley how she liked living in Fort Worth and if she liked her job, the same as I’d done the morning she came to my house the first time.
She told them, “I love both, but especially my job. My boss, coworkers, and patients are wonderful.”
“That’s such a blessing,” my mom said.
“And I have thanked God for it so many times.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of or ever been to the botanical garden in Fort Worth, but it’s gorgeous out there. Rob and I went to it a few years ago, and I want to go back.”
“I’m not believing this!” Riley chuckled. “That is my favorite place in Fort Worth! I’ve been to it several times.”
“Small world, isn’t it?”
“It most certainly is.”
My mom’s mentioning of the botanical garden made me think about Chad videoing Riley dreaming about having sex with me and her leaving his house to go to the botanical garden because she was hurt and angry by what he’d done. I hoped that talking about the location now wasn’t triggering for her. Although she was smiling, I was still concerned and reached for her hand to hold it.
“Rhys told me that the B&Bs are still doing really well,” Riley said.
My dad nodded. “They are. It won’t be long before Janice and I hand them over to Rhys and Jackson to take care of full-time, as well as the cattle. We’re ready to retire and see the world.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“The first place is Ireland since my ancestors came from there.”
“And I want to go to France because of my ancestry,” my mom added.
“I can only imagine the beauty of both places.”
“If you could go anywhere today, where would it be?”
“Australia.”
