“Not from what she said.” Rafe paused, thinking of his mother’s first comment. Hehadbeen paying extra attention to how Ahri was doing. Was it presumptuous of him to assume he understood her? “Let me rephrase that. Ahri said things hadn’t been good between them for a while, and that she’d been thinking of leaving him. The only surprise was that Zed initiated the split.”
“I imagine there’s bound to be emotional pain there,” his mother said. “Recognizing that a relationship is dying isn’t quite the same thing as when it actually dies. I’ll try to be sensitive. It may do her good to talk, but it may also be better for her to have silence as she works through her feelings.”
“You’re the best person I know to be her sounding board if she wants one.” Alex shot his wife a tender look.
The sound of car engines and tires on gravel announced the arrival of two vehicles. Kayn and Darius must have driven up at the same time. Rafe put the last napkin under a fork. Glancing inthe mirror, he checked how he looked. He didn’t want to see Ahri again with any flour on his nose.
That was when he spotted his mother watching him in the reflection, her mouth curved in a soft smile. Embarrassed, Rafe straightened his shirt and strode from the kitchen. The guys came to most Sunday dinners, and he didn’t usually greet them when they got there, but he wanted to see how Ahri was doing.
Was this pull to her a sign that he was turning into his mother, who had an eye for suffering people? She had a way of offering comfort and understanding. He’d always called it her “mothering instinct.” He wasn’t sure the title was a good fit for himself.
Ahri staredat the beautiful old home. The green roof made her think ofAnne of Green Gables. She was already in love with the place. With the green lawns and walkway lined with flowers, it had a welcoming feel to it. The wide porch that surrounded it held an eclectic assortment of rocking chairs that seemed to call to her.
“This way.” Kayn pointed to the house and headed to it.
Unlike her brother who left her to follow, Rafe would have guided her with his hand on her back. Ahri pushed away the random thought. She shouldn’t be thinking about things like that while she was still married to Zed. She’d done some research. In North Carolina, they had to be separated a year before they could divorce. If she returned to Arizona, she could get one in sixty days, but that was only after he was served. Bill still had nothing on Zed’s location.
Ahri paused on the porch and ran a hand over the red fabric of a rocking chair’s cushion. The sound of many voices, laughing and talking at once, came from inside. Since everyone knew each other so well, she felt like an outsider.
She sat in the chair and started rocking, inhaling the lovelysmell of lilacs. Someone—Rafe’s mother, maybe—had put some cut ones in a vase on the little table to the side. This would be a great place to detox from the ugliness that had been her life the last year. Peaceful.
To her left, the screen door opened.
“Not ready to come inside yet?” Rafe asked.
Ahri glanced up at him, expecting pity in his expression but finding understanding instead. She waved at the chair on the other side of the flowers, and he moved to it.
She didn’t say anything and neither did he. Rafe Davis was turning out to be a comfortable person to be around.
“You grew up here?” Ahri finally asked.
“Yes. It looks a lot better now. We were barely able to keep the tax collectors away. Ma and Alex have put a lot of money and labor into fixing it up.”
“It’s lovely.”
“Hey, what are you two doing out here?” Kayn opened the screen door. “Aren’t you coming inside?”
Rafe stood abruptly, a flash of irritation crossing his face. But it was gone almost as fast as it’d come. “I should probably check on my pie anyway.”
“You made apie?” she asked, impressed. “What kind?”
“Hillbilly Pie.” At her confusion, he added, “It’s pecan pie for po’ folks. Ma ran out of nuts.”
Ahri gave a softhmmas she rose and followed the guys inside. Maybe Bill hadn’t exaggerated when he said Rafe was a good cook. Whatever was for dinner smelled heavenly.
Ezreal sat in a corner playing cars with a little boy. The child must be the baby Rafe’s mother had held at the grand opening of the complex. That had been a rushed visit for Ahri because she hadn’t had much vacation time.
“You know the guys,” Kayn was saying.
Ezreal gave her a nod but didn’t meet her gaze. Kayn had warned her the first time she’d been introduced to Ezreal thatthe man suffered from extreme shyness, so she didn’t expect more.
“Nice to meet you again.” Darius extended his hand, and she shook it. He’d grown a beard since she’d last seen him. He was the oldest of the four and had been working as an art teacher when they’d created the first game.
“Same here,” she said. “How are you liking Boone?”
“It’s a nice little place.”
“Come meet Rafe’s parents.” Kayn took her elbow and pulled her away.
