“My fiancé, James and I are having some problems, and it has really been stressing me out. Mom went behind my back and called him…” She went on to offer more details and vent her frustrations. Trey nodded his understanding of all that she’d said.
When she finally finished expressing herself, it felt like a boulder had been lifted off her shoulders.
“From what I can tell, your mom loves you very much,” Trey offered after a minute of complete silence. “She’s worried that something’s wrong, and she took it in her mind to mean that you are in trouble and have been trying to solve this for you. I’ll give you the same advice you gave me. Don’t be so hard on her.”
At that, Rory smiled, knowing her was right. Even though she wanted her mother to stay out of her personal issues, she knew Andrea was only trying to help.
ChapterFifteen
“Hi, sweetie. Can we talk?”
Rory looked up from stirring her coffee to see her mother standing in the entryway, cautiously staring at her.
“Hi, Mom. Yeah, sure. I have something that I need to say to you as well.”
Her mother’s steps were hesitant, but she finally made it to the kitchen island and took a seat across from her. Andrea looked at the steaming beverage before she looked up at Rory, her eyes filled with concern. “Did you eat?”
Rory looked into the dark liquid, the steam meandering its way upward to permeate her nostrils and the rest of the kitchen with its rich, aromatic scent. Her gaze rose to her mother. “I ate a hot dog earlier today,” she revealed.
Her mother’s eyes widened in alarm.
"And that's the only thing you ate?"
Rory nodded. "Oh, I ate an apple before that," she added, snapping her fingers.
“But that was hours ago. It’s after midnight now. I put your dinner in the refrigerator. Let me pop it in the microwave for you.”
Andrea went to get up, but Rory quickly stopped her with a raise of her palm. “It’s fine. Seriously. I’m not really that hungry.”
“Are you sure?” her mother questioned. “At least let me get you a slice of the apple pie. I made it today,” she pressed.
Rory was about to decline, but…” That would be great. Thanks, Mom.”
Andrea smiled in relief as she made her way over to the refrigerator to remove the pie. Rory watched her mother plate a sizeable piece of pie. It triggered a broad smile on her lips.How could she stay angry at her?She'd always been the one who helped her face her fears and stood up for her over and over again. She knew Andrea would give up her own happiness if it meant her happiness. It dawned on her that, that was what she'd done all those years. She had been carrying around the guilt of Rory's father not wanting her and had done everyone in her power to make his absence not affect her in the way it could have, had she known he was alive and didn't want her. Her mother had truly sacrificed a considerable deal to protect her.
"Mom, I'm sorry about this morning."
Her mother, who had been walking in her direction with the pie, faltered in her tracks, and her eyes widened in surprise as her lips formed in an 'o'.
Rory took the opportunity to continue. "I was angry, and I said some unkind things to you. I want you to know that I appreciate you and everything you've done for me and continue to do."
"Oh, sweetie," Andrea exhaled, resting the pie before her. "I’m sorry that I went behind your back like that. You have every right to be angry with me."
Rory shook her head in refusal. Her mother placed her hand on her cheek, stilling her movement.
"I betrayed your trust, and I shouldn't have done that. I need you to understand that and…. I also want you to know that I’m worried about you, but I’ll wait until you're ready to tell me what's going on because that's what it means to trust."
Rory reached up to squeeze the hand on her cheek as she stared at her mother gratefully.
“I love you, mom,” she stated, her green eyes shining bright with affection.
Andrea brought her arms around her daughter and hugged her close to her chest. Rory mirrored her mother’s actions, standing from the stool to bring them closer. “I love you too, my sweet, sweet girl. I just want you to be happy,” Andrea breathed against her temple.
“Mom… there’s something I need to tell you,” Rory spoke solemnly. Dropping her arms, she stepped away from her mother. She retook her seat at the island. Andrea sat on the stool beside her and stood to face her. Rory gulped and turned her eyes to her mother.
“James’ parents don’t like me, and they’re against the wedding. They wanted him to marry someone they chose for him…someone from their own social group.”
“What?” Andrea almost screeched. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “What does James have to say about it?” she asked calmly.
