“I don’t know, but being in your house and hanging out with your parents all morning has explained a lot about you!”
I laugh harder. “It’s a wonder you’ve stayed friends with me all these years. I have serious home-life issues.”
Trisha sighs and wipes her eyes. “Seriously, your parents are really awesome, Liv.”
“Yeah, they are. I love ‘em. They do crack me up, though.”
“Hey, if your parents make you laugh and not cry, that’s a win in my book.”
“One for the parents.” I high-five her.
“Speaking of your parents, when are you going to tell them about Gabe?”
“I actually invited him to dinner tonight. I hope that’s okay.”
“Hmm...I don’t know. I’ll be forced to sit across the table and look at his gorgeous face all night. That might be a deal breaker for me.”
“I didn’t think you would mind.”
“He doesn’t have a brother, does he?”
My mind drifts to Brandon. “No. No brother.”
“Darn.” She snaps her fingers.
“Hey, you can have Travis.” I give her a big, animated grin.
“Um, thanks, but I’ll pass. Trophy wife isn’t on my vision board.”
“Uhh!” I huff. “And you wanted me to make up with him?”
“Oh, honey, I never would have let you marry him. I just wanted you to talk to him and get closure, for your sake.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
“So, have you talked to him yet?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. But I don’t know if it helped.”
“Why? What did he say?”
“That he wanted to come here and talk to me in person.”
“Seriously? What did you say?”
“I told him no, because there’s nothing left to talk about.”
“Well, did you tell Gabe about him?”
“Yeah, he knows.”
“Does Travis know about Gabe?”
“He knows of him. But no, he doesn’t know that we’ve gotten back together. It only just happened.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“I wasn’t planning to. It’s not really any of his business.”
“And you’re not the slightest bit concerned that Travis will come here anyway and interrupt your little honeymoon?”
“Well, I wasn’t...until now. You think he would?”
She taps her fingernails on the table. “We’re talking about Travis here. He’s nothing if not determined.”
“Well, that can’t happen. Gabe knows about him, but I don’t need Travis coming here and making a scene. Forget determined. Travis is the most competitive person I’ve ever met. Maybe tied with the most stubborn.”
“Hence his reluctance to let you go.”
“Trisha, if he comes here, it could be a disaster.”
“Well then, let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“How?”
“First, you need to call him. Tell him that you’ve moved on with Gabe. And...I’ll be your backup. I still see him at the gym sometimes, so next time I do, I’ll mention how well you’re doing, how happy you are with Gabe, etcetera. Not sure how much reinforcement it will take, but I think we can get the message across.”
I bob my head. “All right. That’s a good idea.”
She reaches across the table for my phone and holds it up in front of me. “Go on, then.”
* * *
“Liv, honey, can you grab the cream, the wine, and the parmesan cheese from the fridge?” my mom asks. “Use the cheese grater and make little parmesan shavings for me, okay?”
“Shaved parm. Got it.” I grab the ingredients for my mom’s famous bowtie chicken alfredo pasta and follow her instructions.
“What can I do, Maggie?” Trisha asks.
“How about setting the table? We’re going to eat in the dining room.”
Trisha’s eyes light up. “You’ve got it. One tablescape coming up.”
My mom pulls four plates down from the cabinet and stacks them in Trisha’s hands.
“One more,” I say, glancing up from my task. “Gabe is coming over to have dinner with us.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea, Liv? I thought you were taking this new friendship slow.”
My throat feels dry when I consider telling her that we’re no longer just friends, but I decide to focus on her questioning of my judgement instead. “I wouldn’t have invited him if I didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“Well, I wish you would have talked to me about it first.”
Trisha gives me a knowing glance and discreetly leaves the kitchen.
“Well, I wish you would stop acting like I’m some kind of fragile flower when it comes to him.”
Her silence raises the temperature in the room a few degrees.
“Want to say what’s on your mind?” I ask, keeping my eyes on my task.
“You want to know what’s on my mind? What’s been on my mind since the second I heard you were in an accident, since the moment I found out Brandon was gone, since you left for Raleigh seven years ago, and every minute of every day since you came home?”
I look up at her troubled face, but I know better than to answer.
“There’s only so much a person can take before they’re broken beyond the point of repair, Liv. We already lost Brandon. And then we lost Gabe. Maybe not physically, not the same way we lost Brandon, but we lost him all the same. I can’t lose you too.”
“You’re not going to lose me, Momma. And you haven’t lost Gabe. He’s still there.”
“Not the old Gabe. He changed after the accident. And he’s never been the same.”
“Maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.”
“Liv, honey, sooner or later you’re going to realize the boy you remember isn’t there anymore.”
“That’s your problem. You’re so busy looking for who he used to be, you can’t see who he’s become. I don’t want the boy I remember. I want the man he is now. The incredible, broken man he is now. And he wants me too, cracks and all.”
She stares at me as this new information resonates. “I see.” She turns around and busies herself at the sink.
“Momma, I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want you to worry. I just thought—”
“You thought?” She turns around and looks at me again. “Liv, you haven’t been home long enough to give rational thought to any of this.”
“Hey”—I reach for her hand and look into her worried eyes—“I know what I’m doing, okay? I know what’s at stake and I don’t take it lightly. Neither does Gabe.” I give her a soft, reassuring smile. “He’s been through hell and back, Momma, but he is back. My Gabriel is still there. He was just waiting for me.”
She closes her eyes and, after a long, deep breath, she squeezes my hand. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am.”
She gives me a small, tentative smile and lets go of my hand.
“So, does that mean you’re okay with Gabe joining us tonight?”