Taevin’s eyes shoot up to meet mine. “Wait, your mom’s here?”
“She is. You said you missed her tater tot hotdish, and she’s been chomping at the bit for a chance to see you again, so I figured two birds, one stone. If you’re not feeling up to company and eating in the dining room, I totally get it, just thought I’d offer.”
A soft smile spreads across her lips. “I’ve missed your mom, and I was just telling Ryan I need to get up and move around a bit. Give me, like, five minutes and we’ll be right out.”
Knocking twice on the wooden doorframe, I nod and say, “Sounds good. She’ll be excited to catch up. But if she’s being too much, use a code word or something so I know if I need to kick her out.”
“And what code word would that be?” Ryan asks on Tae’s behalf.
“I don’t know, like, crown, or something like that.”
“What if the word crown naturally comes up in conversation? You’d just throw out your mother?” Ryan questions.
“I’d rather kick out my mom by accident—politely, of course—than have Taevin uncomfortable or overwhelmed.” Turning to fix my gaze on Taevin, I say, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Walking back down the hallway, I turn into the kitchen and find my mom setting the table.
“Here, let me help,” I tell her, grabbing the utensils from where she set them out on the kitchen island.
“Thank you, sweetheart. What’d she say?” my mom asks eagerly.
“Tae said she and Ryan would be out in a few minutes.”
“Oh! I’m so happy!” my mom squeals and I can’t help but smile at her excitement. She loved Taevin like she was her own while we were dating. Not that she’d ever admit it, but I know she was devastated when we broke up and Taevin moved to Nashville.
Just as we’ve finished setting the table, Taevin comes slowly shuffling out of her bedroom with Ryan following closely behind her to join me and my mom at the dining table.
Before I can say a word, my mom hightails it toward Tae.
“Ma—” I start just as she freezes in front of Taevin.
“Taevin, oh my gosh! Honey, I’ve missed you! Can I hug you? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Kathy, it’s so great to see you; I’ve missed you too. You can hug me, but maybe a side hug would be best for now?”
“Of course, sweet girl!”
I watch in awe as my mom hugs Taevin and Tae’s eyes well, full of emotion when my mom starts rubbing her hand up and down her back. Once my mom has hugged her to her heart’s content, she takes a step back and says, “A little birdie told me you’ve been craving my tater tot hotdish. Well, honey, all you had to do was ask and you shall receive.”
Turning to face the table, my mom gestures at the steaming pan of Taevin’s favorite meal.
“It smells amazing. The second Ryan opened my bedroom door, my mouth started watering. Thank you so much.”
My mom waves off her thanks. “Anytime, sweetie. I mean it; it’s my pleasure.”
I pull out a chair for Taevin that’s next to mine and Ryan helps her ease into her seat.
“Is this okay? Do you need anything from your room to help you be more comfortable? Maybe that front pillow thing you ordered?” I suggest, noticing the slight pinch to her brows as if she’s in pain.
“Yeah, that’d actually be great. I’m not sure why, but I’ve been sneezing today and holding the pillow against my stomach to brace myself has helped ease a bit of the pain,” Tae explains.
She doesn’t need to say another word. I’m up and on my way to her room in an instant, damn near running to grab said pillow.
Taevin has been in so much pain since her surgery, and I’m terrified she’ll have a post-op complication if we’re not careful. I don’t want anything to set her back from the egg retrieval process she hopes to begin soon. The timing needs to be perfect so she can begin chemotherapy as soon as possible.
When I’m in her room grabbing the pillow, I notice a worn leather-bound journal laying open on her nightstand. She has a mechanical pencil sitting beside it, and it’s only then I notice the lyrics scrawled across the pages in lead.
I’m so goddamn tempted to see what she has written about, but I know it’d be a major violation of her privacy.
