Chris removed his leg from the elevation pillow Nevaeh had gifted him. “My leg is a lot better.”
“And you’re taking your meds for the clot?”
He smiled. Hearing her care about his life ... well, he’d thought he was past needing his mom’s attention, but maybe not. “I am. Erykah is also double-checking.”
“Speaking of Erykah...” She trailed off, then stayed silent.
“Is everything okay?”
“I was cleaning out some old boxes yesterday. It’s a new year, and I want to declutter.”
“Good idea. Don’t forget to donate the items that can still be used, or even sell them if you prefer.” He could never turn off the sustainability portion of his brain.
“Oh, of course. I have a donation pile and a to-sell pile.”
“Good.” Reusing stuff really did help the earth.
“However, that’s not the purpose of this call.”
His brows rose. “It’s not?” Was this just a distraction from the real issue? Had she and Erykah exchanged words or something?
“No.” She laughed. “Well, kind of. It’s all related. You’ll see if I can just figure out the right words.”
“Breathe, Mom. No need to rush through the conversation.”
“Okay.” Her inhale was audible. “I found something while I was cleaning and wondered if you might have any use for it.”
“What is it?”
“My mother’s wedding ring.”
Chris stilled. “Her wedding ring?”
“It’s circa 1930s if I remember correctly. It has that whole art deco vibe. I’m not sure if it’s your thing or if Erykah would like it.” She paused. “Am I overstepping? Are you guys dating, or is her being a friend really the end of the story?”
“Actually, I’m in love with her.” He swallowed. Had he even said those words to his mom when he got engaged to Tracey? “You’re not overstepping at all, and I’d really like to see a picture of it.”
“Hold on.” He heard a muffled sound, then her voice once more. “I just texted a picture of it.”
“Thanks.” He put her on speaker, then went to his text messages to pull up the image.
Perfect.
Not only was this something old, but he had a feeling Erykah would absolutely love the ring. The idea of a family heirloom made him feel connected to his past in a way he didn’t normally experience. His mom didn’t normally share stuff like this with him.
She’s trying, remember that.
“Are you sure you don’t want to keep this, Mom? It’s your mother’s.”
“I’m sure. I think you and Erykah have something really solid.”
Was this God’s answer? Even if it wasn’t, he knew one day he’d put this on Erykah’s finger. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course. I’ll bring this with me when I come visit at the end of the month.”
“I can’t wait.” And he couldn’t. He was actually looking forward to the visit.
Chris hung up the phone.Lord, is this You?Before he could think any further, his phone rang again.Cameronflashed on the caller ID.
