Page 81 of Storm Warning
“Oh, no problem.” I offer her a soft smile before focusing my attention back on the task at hand. “There really aren’t that many dishes. I’m happy to help. Thank you for the meal, it was incredible.”
She chuckles. “Well, thank you for the help too, but, also, thank you for reminding me to appreciate those. They’ve become a permanent fixture, something I see, but sometimes forget to admire. Maybe because they’re bittersweet. My babies are grown now, they don’t make me little drawings or listen to every word I say. Not like the days when I hung everything they made special for me.”
It makes sense to me why Rhett is how he is. How a gentle reminder can bring his mom to tears is just another obvious sign that he is who he is because he was loved with everything she had.
I know at some point in my life, Mom had openly shown she loved me, but it feels so foreign and far away it’s like a fever dream I can’t quite remember. How much different would life be now if Mom hadn’t completely withdrawn into herself when my dad left? I wish my mother would have given me even a fraction of the love and affection that Lettie gives Rhett and Duke.
The thought forces my throat to tighten and an ache in my chest for what could have been.
She brings her forearm to her eye and wipes away a tear. “Oh my, I didn’t think today would be emotional,” she chuckles out. “Especially while washing dishes. Rhett probably told you I’m a cryer.” Another laugh escapes her. “You know, he has never once brought a girl home. Never talked about a girl or gave wind that he liked someone as more than a friend. You must really mean a lot to him.”
I like knowing that I’m the only girl that’s ever been introduced as more. Rhett has reiterated that no girl was ever anything more than a sexcapade, a once off fling for fun then done. And truly, that’s how all my interactions have been too, but it feels even better knowing the obviousness of the weight our relationship carries. Like they don’t have to wonder if I’m one of many because he never made that a thing.
“He means so much to me too.” I don’t say it because it’s what she wants to hear, though I’m sure as a mother she does, but the more I’m surrounded by him, the more I realize that he’s the sunshine to my hurricane. He pulls the sadness from my chest and replaces it with laughter, and seeing his family dynamic only further proves what a future with him would look like. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home and for being so nice. I’ll admit, I was nervous.”
“I’d be a lot more concerned if you weren’t. That just means you care, sweetie.” She piles the last dish into the cabinets before hanging the towel to dry.
She’s right, and, honestly, I now picture her that way. Strong, while still being sensitive. Holding the family together with her softness and raising boys into men who know what real love looks like. I know they know struggle, and yet they’ve found a way to wrap those life lessons in a warm hug. It makes sense to me she didn’t want Rhett to give up on his dream, but it makes even more sense to me that she let him take the stepsto do what he needed to anyway. Because she always planned to be here for him, no matter the outcome.
After finishing up the dishes, the five of us retreat to the cozy living room where they share stories and ask me about my own. Not in an invasive way. They’re all perfectly polite and seem more than happy to accept any crumb of information I give up about myself. But I never feel pressured to give more than I want. For which I am eternally grateful. Most of the time they let me lead the conversation, and it feels nice to get to know them without getting into anything negative. Oddly enough, I feel at home with them, and I hope they like me as much as I like them.
Time goes by quickly and before long it’s time to leave. “Better head out so we can stop and see Juniper’s calf,” Rhett says.
We all say our goodbyes. Lettie hugs me last. “It was lovely to meet you. Welcome to the family.” Her words are shared just between us, something shy of a whisper, and it drives me to hug her a bit tighter. Warmth blossoms in my chest, and I fight back tears. How is it that in one short evening Rhett’s family made me feel more welcomed, more loved than I have in a very long time?
We get in the truck and wave once more before it rumbles to life and we pull away from the house. Rhett honks his horn twice as we drive out of sight.
“Why did you honk?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“It’s one last goodbye. We’ve done it as long as I can remember, and now it’s just second nature.”
The closeness they have is such a stark difference to what I’ve known, but every twist and turn makes me want more of that kind of love. The simple things like asecond goodbyearen’t as simple as they seem, because I know that one day that second goodbye won’t come and the absence of it will be monumental.
49
RHETT - NOVEMBER 6, 2004
The gate clickswhile I unlatch it and wave Kaylee on. As she drives my truck past me so I can close it, I can’t help but think how hot she looks driving my truck. Climbing back in the cab, I give her a kiss, before she slides over and I drive down the two-track toward the herd. “So, what’d ya think of everyone? Was it as bad as ya thought?”
“Honestly, everyone was so kind it really put into perspective why you are the way you are. It was nice to see normalcy actually exists.” She offers me a soft smile, looking out the front windshield once more. “I kind of had it in my head that everyone either had mass trauma that held their family together like glue or separated it. I mean, I know there are some huge things that you have all been through, of course, but even with those things being current it didn’t really feel like a weight you all just carry around. Honestly, I was expecting at least one interrogation from someone since you all mean so much to each other, but it wasn’t like that. It seemed like they wanted me there just as much as you did. They made me feel welcome.”
I’ve always considered myself lucky. It’s hard not to whenI had a family that always put love and respect first. Hearing how obvious that was, and is, to Kaylee is just one of a million reasons why I appreciate life and the cards I’ve been dealt. I hate knowing that she had to go through life wishing for the same love and care I have never had to live without. But I also see similarities in the way she gives herself to others. She’s built a fortress around herself, but once she decides to open the gates, she uses those walls to protect the people she’s allowed in.
“How was washin’ dishes with Ma? Couldn’t decide if I should come in or leave ya be.”
Her face gleams with a genuine fondness when I mention Ma. “She reminds me of Daisy, finds value in things most people don’t see. I couldn’t have wished for a better interaction, honestly. She and I talked about the pictures you have hung on the fridge and how much they mean to her. Obviously, I didn’t spend much time with your dad, but from what I saw in those baby books, they both seem to be on the same page and lead with love.” She scootches toward me, leaning her head on my shoulder. “They did a good job.”
The rumble of my truck fills the evening air as Kaylee and I bump down the road toward our temporary pasture on Mrs. Mandry’s land. Bellows and bawls ring out, louder and louder the closer we get. I park the truck and shut the engine off, surveying the herd, but my focus remains on the bulk of today. I had no idea that Kaylee’s life was as hard as it was. There’s so much more to the standoffish person I met months ago. She’s much different than how I had initially thought. There’s so much depth behind her eyes, but she does so well to avoid conversations about why. I just assumed it was one too many bad experiences with assholes who let her down in some way or another. Turns out the people who let her down weren’t some douchebags looking for a piece of ass, but, worse—the people who should have always taught her to spot them a mile away.
I settle in my seat as Kaylee nestles deeper into the crook of my arm. My eyes graze across the cattle in search of the baby, until I spot it.
“There she is.” I point at the little calf frolicking around her mother, and not a moment later the weight of my arm drops from Kaylee’s shoulder as she leans in to look.
“It’s so cute, she looks so happy running around without anyone to play with.” Her voice is filled with joy, and it’s funny that she sees Ma and Daisy amazed by little things, as soft and endearing. But she’s been forced to believe all she can ever be is cold, that the only way she will be seen is hard. She isn’t, though. Not for me. An angel, no matter how powerful, is as soft as their wings.
I slide my hand across the seat, wrapping it around Kaylee’s waist, pulling her back toward me. The moment she meets my gaze, I glide my hand up her back to her neck and bring her to my lips. The warmth of her smile meets mine, our tongues tracing one another in a delicate kiss.
I feel like today went perfect, I just hope she did too.
