Rhys made it to the coffee shop first. He was sitting outside in a patio chair, patiently waiting, as I walked up. My hands felt clammy. I wasn't sure what I wanted out of this encounter or how I would bring up the thoughts in my head but I knew I needed an outlet and Rhys would be someone who understood.

He smiled when our eyes met, "You look nice today Lennon."

I fought the desire to look down at myself and act surprised. I was wearing a pair of gray fitted trousers, a cream colored blouse that wrapped perfectly around my curvy torso and a pair of matching high heals. My strawberry blonde hair was in a low braid that wrapped around my shoulder. I had taken the time to freshen up my makeup before I left work. I wasn't sure why.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself."

Rhys was wearing a pair of light wash ripped jeans. His Kooks band T-shirt looked vintage. It hugged his abs in a way that would make any romance novel reader cream. I blushed at the fact I was finding myself in that predicament. That wasn't what I was here for. It had just been so long since I had shared a bed with anyone but a toddler, I was obviously on a hair pin trigger.

We ordered our coffees and took them back out onto the patio. It was a gorgeous day outside. The polar opposite of the mood I was currently in. 

"So what's up Lennon?" Rhys said before taking a sip of his red eye coffee. I had opted for a Chi latte.

"Reading your book has me in my feelings. I have read similar stories and haven't had this issue. I think knowing that you based the characters off of real people isn't helping. I want to know more about them. About your dad and Mattie. At the same time though, I find myself wallowing in my own story. I keep thinking about my own loss and find myself wanting to know more about yours. It's beyond morbid but I couldn't make it to Monday without telling you what's going on in my head."

I hadn't meant for it all to come out in a rush like that. I took a long breath after and then took a long sip of latte.

"I'm glad you're connecting to the characters. I think a lot of people will too. Losing people in circumstances beyond our control is hard. My goal with the book is to help people find the peace I had to find when I lost Mattie."

"You've found it? Peace?"

He nodded, "It took a long time and a lot of emotions to get where I'm at. I was angry for a while. A long while. I found out Mattie hadn't worn his seat belt. I found out he'd been hanging out with the wrong crowd outside of school. He'd snuck out the night he died. Went to a house party. Went joy riding and died. Stupid sixteen year old bullshit. He was being a stupid sixteen year old and it cost him everything. I was angry at Da' for not doing more to keep him in line. Hell I even got mad at my mother for taking me away back to Ireland all those years ago. I was just plain fuckin' angry. For a solid year. Then I started writing. I started looking for peace. The kind of peace that can't come when you hold onto anger."

"I know that feeling. I'm still angry." I felt a tear roll down my cheek. It was white hot rage that was rolling out. Just thinking about that night had me rolling. "Every time I think about Ash's father and what happened the night of his crash, it makes my blood boil."

"I'd ask you what happened but I don't think going down memory lane is going to help you right now. You seem to already be doing enough of that on your own."

I nodded, "I can't stop. I look at Ash and I see his dad. I look around my life and I see all the places he's missing. I see all the things he's missed out on and what he will miss out on. I see the dad size holes that both him and my own dad have left me with."

"Those are deep holes to fill Lennon. You know you can't do that alone, right? Not easily, anyways."

"I know. I try and make things work. I have my roommate Kait to help out. I have my job. I try to find meaning in it all. The only thing that keeps me going some days is that little boy."

"He's lucky. To have a mother that cares enough to hurt. You don't file it away and act like it's not there. Sometimes you just have to let yourself feel it all."

"I file it away more than people realize. I don't talk about it often. Hell I'm only talking about it now because it was building so much in my chest that I felt like I was about to explode."

Rhys reached out and gently set his hand on top of mine. "I'm here, Lennon. I know we don't know each other that well but I'm here. When you feel ready to explode, explode on me. I can take it. It doesn't scare me."

I took my free hand and placed it on top of his, "Back at ya." 

I looked at my watch on top of the pile of hands. It was time for me to head back home. 

"Time for dinner with the babe?" Rhys said, reading my mind. 

"Want to join?" I wasn't sure what had come over me. It was mildly inappropriate to ask him. He was a client after all and this wasn't a business lunch that I was inviting him to.

The small scar above his lip perked up when he smiled.

"Is that your southern hospitality or do you really want my company for dinner?"

I let out a small laugh, "A little bit of both."

He nodded, "Text me your address and I will meet you there."

We finished up our coffees and got into our separate vehicles. I called Kait once I was on the road. 

"What's up Lo?"

"So that author Rhys Cavanaugh."

"The one whose book you stayed up reading, what about him?"

"He's on his way to our house for dinner."

"Our house? Land of the living tornado. You know it's a mess right?"

"You know I will owe you big time if you can clean up a bit while finishing up dinner."

"You're lucky that Ash is engrossed with Paw Patrol at the moment."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I love you!"

Thirty minutes later and I was pulling into my own driveway. Rhys pulled in shortly after. 

He looked around the large yard, "You commute to Tyler every day from here?"

"It was my Dad's place. Free house is better than a mortgage."

He held his hands up, "No arguments there. I am still sorting through all my da's shite. That man was a fuckin' hoarder the last couple of years."

"Where is his place?"

"It's in Lindale."

Lindale was the town we had just left. I felt bad for having him come all this way. If I had known i was taking him so far from home I might have rethought my offer. It was too late now. 

We headed inside and I heard, "Mama! Maaaamaaa!" 

Asher came running down the hall. I stooped down to pick him up in a bear hug. He was the ray of sunlight I needed today. He looked over to see Rhys standing behind me and went quiet, shy. 

"This is Mama's friend Rhys. Can you say hi?" He shook his head no and tucked his head into my neck.

"No worries. Nice to meet you, Ash."

Asher peeked his head up slightly, assessing the situation.

Kait came down the hallway then. "Hello Rhys, I'm Kaitlyn Ryan. My friends call me Kait."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Rhys Cavanaugh." He shook her hand politely. 

We all made our way into the kitchen where the little eating nook was. Kait had made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and it smelled like a peach cobbler was still in the oven. I was beyond grateful that she loved to cook and cook enough to feed the masses. Kait swept her brown and purple bangs out of her eyes. We were polar opposites fashion wise. Kait was what I would call y'allternative. She was what it looked like when a Goth and a Cowgirl had a baby. I on the other hand tended to be what Kait would call Sad Beige. For work anyways. I had embraced some plaid while I was with Cameron. I still knew how to get my hands dirty when I wanted to. I had loved watching Cam work on his truck. I had loved how sweaty and slicked with grease he would get. He loved to tease me about the lack of dirt under my nails. The couple of times I had attempted to look more country he said I looked more like a buckle bunny. First Cam and then Kait had had to understand that I just wasn't a country girl, even if I lived in the sticks. 

Rhys had a style all his own. It wasn't redneck enough for out here but it wasn't posh enough for the city. I at least knew he could clean up by how he dressed for our meeting yesterday. I liked this version of him too. He looked very relaxed and in his own element. I wish I was that confident in my own skin.

Rhys seemed to love Kait's meatloaf. Asher on the other hand acted like it was the most disgusting thing that could have been presented to him to eat. I quickly heated him up some leftover Mac n' Cheese to avoid a melt down. At least he was eating the mashed potatoes and we slowly negotiated to him eating three green beans in exchange for getting his slice of peach cobbler. 

We had barely managed to talk, we were all so hungry. Finally though Rhys looked at Kait and said, "So what do you do for work Kait?" At least he was trying to make small talk.

She shrugged and said, "I work from home for a software company. I go out occasionally to an office in Dallas if I have to run a training but otherwise I keep it remote."

"That sounds like a fun job."

"It pays the bills. Are you a full time writer?"

Rhys chuckled, "More like part time writer, part time bum. I was actually working for a financial brokerage company in Ireland until about a year and a half ago. I had all of this money saved up from working eighty hour weeks and never seeing the light of day. Then one day I woke up decided to say fuck it and quit. Started working on my novel that same week. Got it self published about eight months ago. Then my Da' died and I packed up and headed here to sort out his estate."

"You say bad word!" Asher chimed in.

Rhys' cheeks went red, "Sorry, Lad. The Irish in me forgets the F word is a no no around little lads."

I chuckled to myself and at the rest of my cobbler. 

Asher had already had a bath last night so I wouldn't make him get another one tonight. It was officially the weekend after all. When dinner was finished, Kait offered to read Asher a story in his room. It left Rhys and I alone in the kitchen. I so owed her for that.

I smiled shyly at Rhys. He returned the sentiment and said, "Well that was fuckin' delicious."

"Do you cook?"

He shrugged, "If burning water is considered cooking."

I laughed, "I'm not much better. I can make simple dishes but I am much more of a baker."

"Aye? Can you make as good of a peach cobbler as Kait? This thing is bloody amazing."

"You should try my apple pie some time. It'll knock your socks off."

Rhys smiled shyly back at me, "I'd love that."