“Anything, honey.”
“Please name her Riley for me.”
Chapter 29 – Teagan
Present Day… Eleven years later
“We'll take two sprites and a water, please,” I tell the server at the Lonestar Pizza Palace, who swiftly takes our menus and heads off towards the kitchen.
I fidget with a napkin, tearing it to bits, then blow out a deep breath, glancing at my shaking hands. I desperately need a manicure. Since moving down here and throwing myself into all the new things I’ve had to learn at the clinic in between spending my evenings with Wilder, I haven’t had time for much self-care lately.
I shake my head, then steal another glance at the two young girls seated across from me in the opposite booth.
Riley has green eyes just like mine and beautiful, long, chestnut brown hair that frames her face. But there’s something about her nose, the way it curves upwards adorably, that reminds me of her father. It’s not a bad thing, just different and uniquely her. She's beautiful and I see so much of myself in her features which brings me joy.
The silence stretches, and I’m uncertain where to even start. She’s certainly not a little toddler anymore, now a full-blown tween. The last picture Mrs. Anderson had sent was ten years ago when I still lived in Pennsylvania with my parents. I wonder if she’s tried to send any more photos to the house since I moved to Houston. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had, and my stepmother hadn’t wanted to spend the extra effort to forward them to me.
I'd never updated the Anderson’s on my new location, wanting to provide them with the privacy to raise Riley without any intervention from her birth mother. Mrs. Anderson was always so great about allowing me to be a kid, giving me the space to finish out school, while making sure she knew how loved Riley was in Texas.
“I’m going to check out the arcade,” Rebecca says, squeezing her sister’s arm gently and nodding to me. “If you need me at any time, let me know, Riley.”
Riley smiles up at Rebecca, and the silent message they share between each other warms my heart, reminding me of the way that Shawna and I have always been connected. The bond between these two sisters is evident. I’d been nervous about the six-year age gap, but seeing them together now, plotting to come here and find me hours away from where they live, proves to me that I had nothing to worry about. Their relationship looks strong.
“How long are you here for?” I ask, finally break the silence. Houston is about a three-hour drive away, and I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Anderson know the reason they are here or if they’re staying somewhere nearby.
“Just for the night. We have an older cousin who lives in San Angelo, and we’re staying with her until we head back to Austin,” Riley responds.
“Austin?”
“We moved there from Houston five years ago.”
Whoa... I had no idea they left Houston. A strange feeling fills my chest at the realization that though I’d been living in Houston for years, thinking she was always nearby yet for a period of time, she hadn’t been.
“Do you like it? Better than Houston?” I ask.
She nods eagerly, her brown hair bouncing up and down. “I barely remember Houston. Austin is a lot of fun. They have lots of parks that my parents take me to, and I have a bunch of friends at school. Good shopping, too.”
“That’s great,” I respond, smiling as the server returns with our drinks and then leaves us again.
“Do your parents know you’re here? Um, with me?”
She shakes her head. “They don’t. But they wouldn’t be upset if they did. They’ve talked about you ever since I was little. They explained that you were only sixteen years old when you got pregnant with me, and my dad wasn’t in the picture. They told me that you picked out my name. I just didn’t feel ready to tell them that we found you. I don’t want them to feel hurt knowing I sought you out. It wasn’t like that at all. An ad came up on Facebook for Dr. Louis Montgomery’s veterinarian page, and it showed you as the new veterinarian working at his clinic.”
Tears well in my eyes as she speaks. I’m so glad I trusted her with the Andersons; they stayed true to their word to allow her to know about me and find me whenever she was ready.
“Your parents are incredible people, Riley.”
She smiles. “I know.”
“So, tell me more about you. What do you like? What are your hobbies? What are you studying in school?” I say eagerly, finally feeling more relaxed as Riley excitedly tells me about her life and the family that raised her for the last eleven years.
I find myself laughing and jumping in, identifying areas where we’re similar and enjoying getting to know her. The hours slipby easily as I listen to her chatter and before I know it, it’s almost five in the evening. I’m so enraptured by the conversation I don’t even notice when Rebecca returns from the arcade and grabs a slice of pizza from our pan.
“We should probably get going,” she says to Riley. “It’s a thirty-minute drive back to San Angelo, and Ruby is going to be worried.”
Riley nods. “Well, it was really nice to finally meet you, Teagan. I hope I’ll get to see you again soon?”
“Ooh, you should come visit us in Austin,” Rebecca says, smiling. “We’d love to show you around the city, and you can see our parents. They'd be thrilled to have you stay with them. We have plenty of space there for you to stay.”
