This makes her smile wide. “I heard you and Raffe took the bike out the other day.”
I look away from my task to tell her all about it. “Oh, Mama, it was so wonderful. Just like old times but better.”
“You always loved to ride with him,” she says sadly, looking away.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. “I’m fine, but I have a little secret.” She reaches into her bra and pulls out a key on a silver ring. After a few seconds, she places it in my hand.
“What is this?”
“It’s for a storage locker. Not here but back home.”
I run my thumb over it. “What’s inside?”
Her head falls. “After you and Raffe disappeared, his parents put a for sale sign on his bike. Your father drove by it every day on his way to and from work. It broke my heart because I still hoped you both would return. But his parents handled their grief in their own way, and it was hard for them to look at Raffe’s things. Daddy and I were the opposite. We kept your room exactly the way you left it … until we moved.”
I try to swallow the lump in my throat, but it’s firmly lodged right where it is.
“One evening your daddy came home and set that key on the table in front of me. He didn’t say anything, just left it there and walked away.” She shifts on the seat so she can look down at the dock. “Curious, I went to the storage facility the very next day. When I opened the door, the only thing inside was Raffe’s dirt bike.”
The lump dislodges, and I gasp. “Daddy bought Raffe’s bike?!”
She nods slowly, chuckling under her breath. “There were many times in my life that man surprised me. He felt a lot more than he ever showed.”
Tears are streaming down my face, and I quickly move the dress aside so I don’t dirty it. “Why haven’t you given it to him?”
“When Raffe came back into our lives, he was destroyed he didn’t bring you with him. He went through some tumultuous times. I didn’t want to see him kill himself on that thing, and then life just got busy.”
“Mama, this is amazing.”
“When it’s the right time, you’ll give it to him.”
I nod, holding the key to my chest. “I love you and Daddy so much.”
“I know, baby. I know,” she says quietly, hugging me. “I’m going to go down and make lunch while you finish up here.”
The rest of the day is busy. Kelsie stopped by for a quick fitting to make sure we have her dress just right, and Raffe helped me call Elizabeth about the ribbon. She came right over, excited to incorporate it into the wedding flowers.
Now everyone is here, laughing and eating. Jesse and I buzz around the kitchen, making sure everyone gets full.
She rubs my back as we’re cleaning up. “It’s such a relief knowing you’ll be here to keep an eye on things while Dirk and I are travelling. I think some of these people would starve if I didn’t feed them.”
We laugh, and it feels nice.
“But I do love it.”
“Me too,” I agree.
As I’m taking off my apron for the day, so I can join everyone outside, I find the spool of thread I put in my pocket this morning. I sigh, letting go of the feeling that I’m replacing Rachel. My mama was right. I’m being me and so is everyone else. We each have our place here. I set it in the windowsill.
“Already adding trinkets,” Raffe jokes, sneaking up behind me and sliding his arms around my waist.
“Only things that mean something to me.” I turn around in his arms.
He rubs his nose against mine. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am. Thank you for calling my mom.”
