Page 120 of Rival
Muffled doors slam and we all turn to look toward the front of the house.
“Tell me the other thing, before they come in,” mom quickly hisses from the side of her mouth.
The thing to weaken my anger toward Clayborn.
Shaking my head, I leave my parents in the kitchen as I head to the front door, opening it just in time to see Edith wince as she climbs to the top step.
“You doin’ okay?”
Glancing at Mason and Griffin, they both seem concerned as they do their best not to hover. Edith simply waves me off.
“I’m fine. It’s this stupid, ugh… I don’t remember what it’s called.Oh, ligament pain. Mrs. Danielson helped me order something to help, but it doesn’t arrive until next week.” Her half smile is a touch forced, polite even, so I try not to pry any further.
Thank God for Griffin and his incessant need to be informed about everything. “Ligament pain is caused due to her stomach growing and causes sharp pains in the lower belly and hips.Totally normal.” There’s a higher pitch to his tone, which means he’s stressed about it while playing it off for Edith’s sake.
Mason’s hard eye roll is enough to tell me he’s already fed up with Griffin this evening but is trying to be on his best behavior.
Ushering them in, I jump when I find my mom hovering just behind my shoulder. “Damn it, mom. You’re like one of those little prairie dogs, popping up in random places.”
Saving me from her censure, dad calls out to us. “Boys! Why don’t you all help me take the meat outside? Just cleaned up the grill, but I need to get it started and your mom doesn’t need ya’ll hoverin’ in the kitchen. She’ll be after me to build her a bigger one if you do.”
As much as Iwantto hover, I’m sure being around so many people while you have an issue with half of them has got to be overwhelming. Leaning down, I touch her back and feel her stiffen slightly, but she did her best to hide it from my mom.
“Thank you for coming, Edith. You look incredible tonight.” Finishing with a fast brush of my lips over her temple, I leave her with mom and follow the guys out as they carry sheet pans filled with meat piled on top.
I spend the whole time we’re cooking staring at the house, and after my father’s fifth loud sigh followed by kicks to my ankle from Mason, we’re finally sitting around the kitchen table.
Edith seems more at ease now that mom has softened her up. I bite my cheek to hide the grin when mom reaches over to pat her stomach a few times before we’ve even taken a bite. Turns out, Edith gave her the go ahead to grope the shit out of her.
“So, Jaxon let us know you’ve been having a tough time finding foods that will sit well. We made burgersandchicken. Some seasoned, some not. Pick what you’d like to try, and if you can’t, I promise, no one will be insulted.” Mouthing a thank you to my mom for her kind words, she winks at me and pushes the plate of food toward Edith.
Beaming a smile, Edith leans forward and looks everything over. “It all looks so good. Can I have that piece of chicken?” She points at one which has only a bit of seasoning, but it’s a decent sized piece and I swear, Griffin, Mason, and I all exhale slowly. Relief swamps me, and I help pass around the dishes, eyeing everything she piles on her plate and taking mental notes.
We dig in and start up some side conversations while Edith takes small, tentative bites, and as soon as she’s reassured that nothing is going to come back up, she dives in with more fervor.
Mom, always the one to carry a conversation, points her fork at Edith. “You were saying earlier that you’ve got that house listed. What’s the plan now?”
Glancing over at me, she wipes her mouth with a napkin. “Oh. I spoke with the realtor yesterday and he suggested I move up my timeline for moving out. Said the house would sell faster with not much inside. Something about helping the buyer see their own stuff in the space. I’m not quite sure what I’ll do yet. I planned on using the funds from the house to purchase something little for us.” She sets her hand over her stomach when theusslips out.
“You ought to stay at one of their places.” My dad’s suggestion sounds nonchalant, but I know he’s getting ready to meddle. We all think my mom is the pro, but he’s just as keen.
Her face turns red. Fanning her face, she quickly shakes her head. “No, that’s… We’re not…”
Stuttering through her excuses, I realize my dad is right. “Why don’t you? Honestly, Edith. We’ve all got places we could stay to give you privacy. I’m barely at my house as it is. I could stay here and let you have it all to yourself while you wait for the house to sell.”
“You should do it,” Mason tells her, then slides her glass closer to her fingers, subtly hinting she should take a sip. “Youcould use mine as well. I’d say Griffin’s, but we’ve been there, and that place is an outright bachelor pad.”
Glaring at Mason, Griffin argues back. “She could use mine if she wanted! But he’s right, darlin’, my place is a shithole compared to theirs. Sorry for the language, Momma Thorton.”
Wiggling her fingers at him in forgiveness, she nods happily. “I know it might feel like you’re intruding, but I assure you, none of them would mind one bit.”
“I’d actually prefer it,” I admit, hitting Edith with a pleading look for her to believe me. She seems so unsure, and I know it’s because she’s still wary of trusting me.
Clearing his throat, my dad bumps my elbow. “While she thinks it over, why don’t you give us your truth?”
The guys turn to look at me, knowing exactly what he’s talking about since I’ve shared with them how I’ve been working through my shit. Edith, though, picks up her head, confused. “Truth?”
I’m not ashamed I’m doing this, but Iamnervous about her reaction. “I’ve been spending time working through some grief counseling with Josiah and Ruth.” Including my parents with a wave of my hand, I tell her, “We’ve been doing it together. Sort of like daily affirmations, in a sense. We share a memory of my sister, then I finish with something I blamed your father—”
