Page 165 of Rush the Edge

“Thanks, Mom.” I give her a quick hug while Kane hands me a spoon.

Dr. Gibson put me on a small dose of steroids after my levels came back higher than usual, despite how much I hate taking them. Thankfully, after a week, I was feeling more like myself, and with another round of bloodwork, my levels plateaued, so I was only on them for a short period.

Now that Kane is well versed in Lupus, he’s taken it upon himself to make sure I get enough rest, eat all the right foods, and practice various forms of stress relief…all of which involve him.

River has sort of come around to the idea of us. He’s no longer making vomiting noises whenever we kiss in front of him, and he’s stopped taking his blood pressure, which he only did to prove that Kane touching me raises it.

When I told my parents, with Kane nervously pacing in front of me while I was on the phone, they laughed. At first, I thought they were laughing because they assumed it was a joke, but then my dad said,“What took him so long?”and I realized right then that Kane and I weren’t as sly as we thought when we were teenagers.

We’re not so sly now either, considering River is acting disgusted at Kane's arm beneath the table, resting his hand on my thigh. There’s a twinge of awkwardness at the kitchen table that has nothing to do with Kane and me touching, though. Kathleen, Kane’s mom, is quieter than I remember her being. There was some major tension between her and my parents the summer they took Kane in that has now switched to discomfort and maybe even a little embarrassment.

Kane and his mom have only talked a handful of times since he dropped Miles off on her doorstep.

Which is why I thought it’d be a good idea to clear the air once and for all—no less on Mother’s Day weekend.

“I’ll be right back,” Kane whispers in my ear, scooting away from the table.

I nod and continue eating my pudding.

It’s not chocolate cake, but it’s good enough.

As soon as Kane leaves the room, my brother following after him, Kathleen’s bundled shoulders relax. She asks me questions about Lupus and then brings up how cute I am in my mascot costume during the games.

I tilt my head. “You watch the games?”

“Of course.” She glances in the direction Kane and River went. “I never stopped.”

I shoot her a small, reassuring smile when she looks back at me. Things may be awkward now with Kane, but I know it’ll get better. I know him, and I know his heart.

My mom makes small talk with Kathleen until our attention is drawn to the guys walking through the kitchen with something behind their backs. I raise an eyebrow and put my spoon down.What’s this?

“Happy Mother’s Day.” River pulls out a bundle of flowers and leans down to kiss my mom on the cheek.

“I told you that you coming home this weekend was my gift!” She’s beaming while gazing at her flowers.

I sit up a little taller. “Are those from my garden?”

River pretends not to hear me, but I know my peonies when I see them.

Kane steps forward, and he, too, pulls out a bouquet of flowers, one in his left and another in his right. He hands one to my mom, who gives him a ‘you shouldn’t have’look, and the other to his mom.

“Oh.” Kathleen blinks back the surprise, the flowers clutched in her tight grip.

Neither of their bouquets are from my garden. My mom’s is full of daisies, which is no doubt because of me, and his mom’s is full of daffodils.

I know Kane well enough to know that he’s uncomfortable with the gesture, so I glance at River. He gives me a swift nod, swooping in to save the day.

River clears his throat, stealing the attention in the room, and looks at Kane. “I thought you were taking flowers from Daisy’s garden too.”

Kane shakes his head, chuckling. “I know better than to do that.”

I hum and give my brother a look. “You’re doing the dishes.”

He scoffs. “Isn’t that the second part of your Mother’s Day gift to Mom?”

I smile. “It was. Now it’s yours.”

My dad chuckles off to the side, my mom busying herself with finding a vase for the three bouquets of flowers now resting on the table.

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