Page 90 of Impending Consent

"You know, when he first told me he got married, I thought he'd lost his mind."

"That's a reasonable reaction.”

"But seeing you together just now, the way he looks at you and the way you watch him, there's something there. Maybe this is a good thing."

"We're figuring it out."

“I wasn’t so sure, all things considered. The contrast with the two of you. I felt like he was setting himself up for a repeat of a broken heart.”

Repeat of a broken heart.I made a mental note to ask who broke his heart.

“But it looks like this might work. I’m glad you two are figuring it out.”

“Me too.”

Rival returned with a pitcher of tea and we all blessed the food and dug in.

Lunch was delicious. Diana prepared what she called her "famous" crab cakes with roasted vegetables and cornbread. The conversation flowed more easily than I expected but that was mostly because Diana shared stories of Rival's childhood and asked thoughtful questions about my work and family. It felt like we had been at this table sharing meals for years.

"So your practice is with your siblings?" she asked, passing me a second helping of cornbread. "That must be nice, having family around."

"It is, most of the time.”

“And your family is more accepting of your marriage now?” I tensed and my eyes shot up to Rival’s before I shook my head.

"My siblings and mother are. My father is still processing."

She nodded. "Rival says he gave him quite the interrogation."

"That's putting it mildly but I survived."

"Of course you did," Diana said proudly. "You don’t back down from a challenge."

"Neither does Sailor. I think her father underestimated both of us and where we stood with this marriage.”

“You don’t owe anybody anything. What’s between the two of you is between just the two of you. As long as you stand for each other, then the rest of us can kiss your ass.”

I burst out laughing because that was not what I expected. Rival laughed lightly beside me, not as surprised because he probably had.

After lunch, Rival insisted on handling the cleanup, shoving us out to the back patio where chairs overlooked a small but beautifully maintained garden. I figured it was a set up to give us time to talk but I didn’t mind.

"He gets that from his father," Diana remarked as we settled with fresh glasses of tea. "Terrell was the same way. We were a team. If I cooked, he cleaned. Said it was the best way to keep balance in a marriage."

"You miss him," I said softly.

"Every day," she nodded. "It’s been years and there are days when I still turn to tell him things. You never get used to that type of loss but enough about that. Tell me how you're really doing with all this. My son gave me the sanitized version, but I want to hear your side."

I hesitated because I wasn’t sure how honest to be with her. We just met but something about her direct gaze that felt eerily familiar to her son’s made me want to open up.

"It's been interesting," I admitted.

"I imagine so. Based on what Rival has told me about you, being married to someone you barely knew couldn’t have been in your five-year plan."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Definitely not. Being married at all actually. I wasn't the marrying type."

"But you are, so what now?"

"Now I'm not sure what type I am anymore. Things with us have changed and so have I."

---