Page 5 of While You're There
Thankfully Maddie piped up again. “What are Mom and Dad’s plans for tomorrow?”
“Dad’s flight gets in late this afternoon. They’re going to head to Easton early in the morning so they don’t have to worry about getting a hotel room tonight. The MBA ceremony isn’t until noon, so they’ll have plenty of time. Mom made reservations for brunch afterward, then we’ll finish loading up the cars and head home.”
Tori took another sip of her coffee, letting her mind wander as Rhett went over the plans. An uneasiness made its way into her consciousness as she thought more about the weekend ahead. She had been so wrapped up in everything that had transpired over the last two weeks—from getting the phone call about her abnormal test results to Rhett coming home for her, to their engagement and her follow-up scans. When he told her the plans for the weekend, she had just gone along with it, knowing he would take care of the details and all she had to do was show up. She hadn’t had time to dwell on what it would feel like to visit his college apartment for the first time.
As if he could sense her spiraling thoughts, Rhett reached across the central console and brushed his fingers across her hand. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” She couldn’t get away with a change in posture, a slump of the shoulders, or even a sullen expression without him noticing.
“I’m good,” she insisted. She let him take her hand, interlacing their fingers and squeezing. She lifted her eyes from their hands to his face. The sharp angle of his jawline moved slightly as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. He had a dark shadow of scruff from not shaving over the last few days. The memory of that stubble sandpapering against her neck last night was enough to make her cheeks flush.
“Simmer down,” he whispered as he side-eyed her. He didn’t need to take his eyes off the road to read the thoughts that had started to creep into her mind. Tori bit down on her bottom lip, then lifted their joined hands to her mouth. She started by placing a gentle kiss on Rhett’s knuckles, but then subtly licked the space between his middle and ring fingers, just like she’d done when he’d held his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet last night. His whole arm tensed before he pulled away from her grasp.
He didn’t need to say a word for Tori to know he was as annoyed with her teasing as he was turned on. She loved to rile him up in the car, to see him lose a bit of that stoic control he asserted most of the time.
“So what are your plans for the next few weeks?” Maddie interrupted their flirtation from the back seat. She was sitting up now, looking a little more awake and a lot more sober, thanks to the boost of caffeine.
“What do you mean?” Rhett asked as he subtly adjusted himself before he placed both hands back on the steering wheel.
“I mean, are you moving back home to our house? Is Tori moving in, too? I think I deserve to know if I’m getting one or two new roommates…”
Maddie’s questions weren’t outlandish, but they were things they hadn’t talked about yet. Tori assumed Rhett had already thought through these things, but between her follow-up doctor’s appointment earlier this week and just trying to find a new semblance of a routine for this new version of their relationship, they hadn’t had a chance to talk about what was next.
“Well,” he started, glancing over at Tori cautiously. She smiled at him, confirming that she didn’t mind discussing this with Maddie, even if they hadn’t figured out all the details yet. She trusted him to know how to proceed and navigate the next few months. Hell, she was counting on him to have a plan and to handle things the way he always did.
“A lot of what I have at Easton can just go with me to my new apartment in Virginia. I’m going to store all the boxes in Mom and Dad’s garage and in my room until I move at the end of the month.” Rhett reached for Tori’s hand again. This time, she knew better than to tease him as he sought her comfort.
“Tori and I will be at the house some, but we’ll stay at her house, too. Paul doesn’t mind me sleeping over now that we’re engaged.” That was true. Her dad had told her a few days ago that Rhett was welcome to stay with them until he moved to Virginia in May.
It helped that her dad was a little distracted these days, too. He had finally admitted to Tori that he was seeing someone. She knew he had gone on a few dates earlier in the spring, but he hadn’t offered any additional information, and she hadn’t pushed him for details. It wasn’t until she caught him trying to sneak back into the house at seven a.m. a few days ago that he admitted he was dating a woman named Tricia. She was genuinely happy for him, in addition to feeling like a significant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The emotional burden of caring for her father had taken its toll after all these years.
“It’s going to be a busy couple weeks with a lot of back and forth,” Rhett continued. “I’ve got to be in Norfolk on Wednesday and Thursday this week.”
“But you’ll be back on Saturday before I go to prom, right?” Maddie asked, hopefulness apparent in her tone.
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t miss it. You know that. We have a few appointments on Friday, so I’ll be home early Friday morning.” Tori didn’t miss the way he referred to her surgery consultations astheirappointments.
“Okay.” Maddie nodded. “So are you also moving to Virginia in a few weeks, Tor?”
She winced at that particular question. Moving was another thing they hadn’t discussed yet, but Tori was firm in her position. She didn’t want to give up her job at Clinton’s, and she was still two years away from earning her graphic design degree from Holt State. She couldn’t imagine leaving Hampton and abandoning her dad, even if he had someone else in his life now. Getting both preventative surgeries was her top priority, so she wouldn’t be moving to Virginia anytime soon. She was pretty sure Rhett already knew her stance on the issue, but she responded cautiously, just in case.
“Eventually.” She glanced over at Rhett, curious as to how her answer would land. He turned his head to meet her gaze and offered her a confident, easy smile. “I’m not ready to move just yet. I want to finish up my degree, and I plan to have both surgeries I need this year if possible. It’ll be easier to do that in Hampton.”
“Gotcha. So you’ll probably move to Virginia once you guys get married?”
Tori raised her eyebrows, but she stayed quiet, letting Rhett respond to his sister.
“We’re getting married soon, Maddie. Like, really soon. I want Tori to be on my insurance before she gets her first surgery this summer. I plan to commute back and forth between Norfolk and Hampton for the foreseeable future. I already talked to Grandad about telecommuting and splitting my time between home and the office so I can be with Tori through everything.”
Maddie let out an exaggerated squeal. “Wait, so there’ll be a wedding this summer?”
“There’ll probably be a wedding within the next month.” He glanced over at Tori again, and she knew he was seeking reassurance. She nodded in earnest, smiling at the eagerness she could feel coiling off his body. His posture straightened at her confirmation. He winked at her before returning an easy smile.
“Holy shit. My head is spinning, and it’s definitely not just from this hangover. Okay, okay. So you’re obviously not getting married this weekend. And next Saturday is my prom. So should I save the date for Memorial Day weekend?”
Tori hadn’t realized how limited their options were when it came to setting a date.But Maddie was right: the next two weekends were booked, then Rhett would be moving to Virginia the first week of June. “I hadn’t even thought about that…” Now her head was spinning, too.
“I did,” Rhett replied to them both. Of course he had already thought about it. Had she really expected anything less from her calendar-loving Golden Boy?
“Memorial Day weekend at the cabin could be really special.” His eyes didn’t leave the road, and she knew he was trying to play it cool. He had been forced to tread lightly over the last few years, always deferring to her to call the shots in their friends-with-benefits relationship. But she heard the hopefulness in his voice, and she was more than willing to let him take the lead when it came to wedding planning.
