“Walk me out?” Viv said as she passed behind Rhys’s chair, and he didn’t hesitate to get up and follow her out onto the porch.
Once they were outside, Viv closed the front door behind them, and she reached for Rhys’s hands. She was silent for a long moment, and when she looked up at last, Rhys was shocked to see tears in her eyes.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said, squeezing Rhys’s fingers tightly. “I realize how difficult it must have been for you to open your heart to someone new, but I knew you were strong and brave enough to do it if the right person came along.”
If a bottomless pit had opened up beneath Rhys’s feet right then, Rhys would have let it swallow him willingly. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Viv’s eyes, too ashamed by the lies he was telling her. But she seemed to be waiting for him to say something, so he groped for words.
“Don’t get your hopes up too high,” he said at last, deciding to tell the truth for once — or part of it, at least. “It might not work out. We aren’t in love.”
“No, but the potential is there. I can tell.” Viv nodded, seeming unfazed by his dire predictions. “Thomas is different from Andy, but I think that’s a good thing.”
“I guess so,” Rhys mumbled, wanting to flee to the safety of his house, but then again, his house wasn’t safe anymore because Thomas was in there with his expressive eyes and mischievous smile.
“It is,” Viv said, giving his hands another reassuring squeeze before releasing them. “You made a good decision in taking a chance on him, I think. He needs someone stable, and you need someone loving and loyal.”
“You think he’s loyal?”
“He jumps to look after you right quick, even against me,” she said.
Rhys was surprised by her observation, although now she’d brought it up, he remembered plenty of other times when Thomas had defended him. He found it easy to forget — or perhaps ignore — the deeper facets of Thomas’s personality and relegate him to the role of a good-natured friend who loved to tease.
“I know you keep saying it’s early and things might not work out, but…” Viv patted his chest gently over his heart and looked up at him with hope in her eyes. “Give it a real chance, will you, Rhys? Don’t run if it gets scary or you might lose something wonderful.”
“I’ll try,” he said quietly.
“That’s all I ask.” She craned up to kiss his cheek, and then she headed for the porch steps. “Y’all can come over for dinner tonight if you want. I’m making chicken and dumplings, and you’re welcome to join us.” She paused at the top of the steps and glanced back to wink at him. “But if you don’t, I understand.”
“Mama!”
Viv laughed as she walked away, and Rhys waited for the burning blush suffusing his cheeks to subside before he went back inside and headed to the kitchen. Thomas was bending over the dining table with a spray bottle of cleaner in one hand and a wad of paper towels in the other, and he glanced up when Rhys entered the room.
“Are you okay?” Thomas asked, standing up straight and watching Rhys with concern, and Rhys thought about what Viv had said about Thomas’s loyalty. Somehow he’d never noticed how much Thomas looked after him. He hadn’t wanted to notice, really.
“Yeah, she just wanted to tell me she’s proud of me.”
“Ouch.” Thomas put the spray bottle and paper towels aside and approached Rhys slowly. “I take it you didn’t indulge in a full confession.”
“I couldn’t.” Rhys shook his head. As much as he hated lying to his family — to his mother — he couldn’t come clean now he knew exactly how Viv felt about his “relationship.” He was trapped, and the ropes were coiling ever more tightly around him. “I can’t. I’ve got to see this through.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Thomas rested his hand on Rhys’s arm and offered an encouraging smile. “It’s just a week. We can do this.”
“Sure,” Rhys said, but he didn’t believe it.
Day one wasn’t even half over, and already he didn’t know how he was going to get through the rest of Thomas’s visit without losing his damned mind.
