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“Yeah, I think we should get married this year.”
He slumped against a wall covered in golden wallpaper, his face softening into a grin. “Fuuck, you had me! I thought you were calling it off!” He laughed. “Can’t wait to become Mrs. King, huh? Wife of a future NHL star? Yeah baby, lock me down—but why the change? Not that I’m complaining.”
“It has to be this year because I don’t—” Her breath hitched as the words got stuck in her throat. “I don’t know if—” Tears stung her eyes. “I can’t get married without Mom there.”
“Oh, of course. Of course, baby, she’ll be there. Tell you what, pick any date you want—as long it’s not in early September when rookie training camp starts. When I’m home next month, we’ll buy your ring and start planning, ’kay?”
Riley forced a deep breath into her lungs. “The ring, Josh…I can’t wear something worth thousands when my mom can’t afford her treatments.” After the proposal, Josh had said he’d help with Maggie’s bills, but Riley wanted confirmation. Say it again. It needs to be at the forefront of your mind. “I—I’d rather use the money to help her.” She exhaled, waiting for the fallout.
“O-kay…” He paused. “But I still want you to have a nice ring—” A burst of voices rose off camera, drawing Josh’s gaze. “Don’t worry. I’ll help with her bills.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” His eyes returned to her.
She couldn’t hold it in any longer. All the frustration, the fear—the dread of what her future might look like—bubbled up into a chest-heaving flood of uncontrollable tears. Worried Maggie might hear, Riley grabbed a freshly laundered towel and suffocated her sobs.
“Rye?” Josh looked pained. “Babe, please don’t cry. Things will work out.” He checked his watch. “Uh, shit.” He toyed with his tie and glanced away, torn. “I have to go…”
“Where?” Riley lowered the towel and wiped her nose with her hand.
“An interview with Sports Illustrated.” He tugged the knot of his tie. “But I’ll stay if you want me to. The guys can do it without me.”
His selfless words warmed Riley’s pounding heart, but her belief in them quickly dissolved. Something lurked in his eyes. Josh had one of those faces; if you knew him well, you could read it instantly. He’s disappointed. Can I blame him? It wasn’t fair to hold him back from the rewards of his success. “No, I want you to go. You earned this, Josh. I’ll be fine. I shouldn’t be crying with Mom in the next room, anyway.”
“You sure?”
She nodded and plastered on a smile. “Enjoy Sports Illustrated. You’ll be great. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, babe. I’m really sorry I can’t be there, just too many commitments.”
“I know.”
Josh blew her a kiss and Riley tapped the disconnect button.
“Riley?” Maggie’s voice entered the room a few seconds before she did.
“Hey, Josh says hi.” She left her phone on the coffee table. “How you feeling? Are you hungry? I can make soup.”
“I feel rested, not so itchy. Soup would be amazing.”
Riley smiled and leapt up from the sofa, feeling hopeful for the first time in days.
Twenty
Three days later
“Finally, bare legs!” Piper’s huge oval sunglasses made her look permanently surprised. She perched on the steps of the fountain in Washington Square Park, smoothing her short skirt. “No more tights. Hello, spring!”
Casey squirted a blob of gel sanitizer into his hand and rubbed it in thoroughly before raising his grande iced coffee to his lips. “Spring? As if.” He slurped the complex concoction featuring thirteen pumps sugar-free vanilla, fifteen pumps hazelnut, a heap of extra ice, twelve Splenda, and an inch of caramel drizzle. The name printed out on his cup, courtesy of the eye-rolling baristas, read ‘Crazy’ instead of ‘Casey’. “We jumped straight to summer.”
Piper reached across his lap, waving an open box of Insomnia cookies in front of Riley. “I’m happy spring’s back but even happier you’re back—because that means Maggie’s feeling more like her old self.”
“She is, but…” Riley squeezed her phone. “I hate not being there. What if she needs me?”
“If she does, you go.” Piper’s eyebrows rose above her sunglasses. “But sitting around her apartment when she’s feeling stronger and graduation’s only weeks away helps no one. I bet she kicked your ass this morning, am I right?”
Riley sighed.
