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We walk to the truck and drive down the old country road until my parents' house is in view. Once I’ve parked and we get out, I lead her up the porch, but she stops me before we walk inside.
“I’m nervous,” River says.
“Don’t be, darlin’. Mama’s expecting us.” I open the door for her. As soon as River walks in, my cousin Benita jumps out of her chair and says hello. Her face lights up when she sees me following behind. She runs up to River and gives her a big hug like they’re longtime friends.
“I’m Benita! It’s so nice to finally meet the pretty lady who’s been stealing my cousin’s heart. I’m so excited for you guys! I heard the news last week.” Benita glances over at me as she hugs River. I relax because when Benita is around, everyone seems to be in a good mood. Her energy is always high, and she’s loud and doesn’t give a shit about anything. I seriously love her like my sister.
“I didn’t know you were gonna be here,” I whisper, giving her a hug.
“Well, my mama wanted me to drop off some dishes that were left at church last Sunday when they had their ladies luncheon. Also, I came to sneak some pictures from your dad for the party this weekend. Mama put me up to it by saying I was Aunt Rose’s favorite, so she’d never suspect anything. She still has no idea about the party,” Benita whispers, pulling a handful of pictures from her coat pocket.
River turns and looks at me, giving me a big smile when Mama yells for Benita and pulls her away from the conversation. We walk toward the kitchen, and I lean forward and whisper loud enough for her to hear. “You’re beautiful.”
She turns, and I can see how nervous she is.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I tell her, placing my hand on the small of her back, trying to give her a dash of confidence considering our last visit didn’t go over so well.
When we enter, I see Mama already set the table and has burgers cooking on the stove.
“Hey, son,” Mama says to me, then smiles at River. “How was your flight, dear?”
Mama’s in an extra good mood tonight, but I think that’s because Benita’s here sprinkling her happiness everywhere.
“It was fine, minus the fact that I nearly take up two seats now. Glad to be back in Texas, though, with no snow,” River says, real friendly like.
Mama pulls french fries from the pan and places them on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the excess grease. She adds cheese to the burgers, sets out buns, and works around the kitchen like a natural.
“Hi, Mr. Bishop,” River says to my father as he sits at the table.
“Hey there, River. How are you?”
“Great, thank you,” River tells him as she sits across from him at the table. Benita begins to talk River’s head off about the area and how she wished she could make snow angels at least once in her life. She has us all rolling with laughter because the way she words stuff sometimes is so over the top. Benita’s busy talking about babies and everything else when John, Jackson, and Evan all come rushing in one after another.
“You’re late!” Mama scolds. They all sit down, and Jackson starts blaming John.
Dad whistles real loud, stopping everyone from talking over each other, and all I can do is laugh. It’s always like this when we get together and has been for as long as I can remember.
I look over at River, giving her a look that says welcome to being a Bishop!
“So, River,” Evan speaks up first, “I heard you saved Dylan’s life in Key West.” I swear to God I’m going to punch Dylan in the mouth for telling Evan anything about Key West.
Mama’s eyes dart toward River, and I can tell she’s curious and even a little impressed.
“Yeah, I guess so,” River says quietly, and I know she doesn’t want the attention. “He nearly drowned. Apparently, he wasn’t a good swimmer, so when I saw Alex pull him out of the water, I knew something was wrong.”
“Why in the hell was he in the water?” Jackson asks.
“Because he’s an idiot,” John tells him.
“We were paddleboarding,” I clarify. “He just went too far and fell off.”
“Oh, so you were both being idiots.” Jackson laughs, and I roll my eyes at him.
“Well, he would’ve drowned if River wouldn’t have been there to give him CPR. I think it was the moment I fell in love with her.” I grab her hand, and she tenses but continues to smile. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that in front of everyone, but it slipped out, and it’s the truth. It was the moment that I knew she was unselfish, caring, and an angel. It was the first real moment that brought us together.
