Page 27 of Trophy

“I’m not stringing her along!” He paused and leveled his voice. No reason to be defensive about it. “We’ve been up front about our relationship the whole time. Things are going fine. She’s the one who still wants to hold back.”

He looked from his mother’s face to his father’s, and for some reason it felt like they were seeing more than they should, as if they knew something about him that he didn’t even know himself.

“Why do you think I’m going into this just to mess it up?

” he demanded, not angrily but because he really wanted to know.

“You wouldn’t do so intentionally, dear,” his mother replied quietly. “You’ve always been the most generous man with the kindest heart. But you don’t always want others to see you for real, so we just wanted to make sure you’re really showing her you .”

Rob stared at them, confused and rattled and strangely anxious. “I am. I . . . think I am.”

“You’re not just showing her the presentable parts?”

“Well, I sure as hell don’t want her to see the other parts,” he muttered, suddenly knowing exactly what his mother was talking about.

“She might like you if you only ever show her clean hands, but she’ll never be able to love you unless you show her everything.”

Rob had no idea what to say, but he was deeply uncomfortable and wished he’d never gotten into this conversation.

He and his folks didn’t talk this way. It made him feel foolish and vulnerable and way too young.

He stared down at his empty plate and tried to figure out a way to end this conversation without hurting his mother’s feelings.

But she was already continuing, “You know, I’ve thought about what happened with you and Maria a lot.”

Rob’s head shot up. “You’re not saying that was my fault?”

“No, no, of course not. I’ve just thought a lot about how it’s not surprising you never want to feel that way again—like everyone can see through you, all your mistakes and weaknesses and humanness.

I completely understand why you keep trying to avoid it, but that’s not what love is about. Now, Robert, I can see you love her.”

Rob opened his mouth to object, but his father muttered, “Don’t interrupt your mother.”

His mom nodded. “We can both see you love her, but it’s never going to be what you want it to be unless you give all of yourself to her. You’ve got to trust her not to hurt and humiliate you, like Marie and Dee did.”

Rob was breathing too heavily, despite his attempts to control it. He felt too hot and adjusted the neck of his T-shirt in the hopes that he could breathe better. “I appreciate you trying to help. I really do. But she’s the one who’s holding back. I’m trying to be patient for her.”

“And it never occurred to you to be brave and make the first move?” His mother must have seen something in his expression because she shook her head and patted his hand again.

“I’m sorry, dear. I know you don’t want to be having this conversation.

Just tell us you’ll think about it, and we’ll drop the subject. ”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Now go outside to finish with your father, so you can get back home at a reasonable time.”

Rob was intensely relieved to leave the stuffy house and get back to work he knew how to do, work he was comfortable with.

He couldn’t help but think about what his mom had said and concluded that she’d had a point to a certain extent, but she didn’t understand his relationship with Allison.

He couldn’t just dump all of his problems on her when she wasn’t even sure she was ready for the relationship.

There was nothing that would make her run faster.

It wasn’t because he didn’t trust her. He genuinely couldn’t move too fast.

He remembered how she’d acted this morning and felt better again. Things were going fine. He was making progress. Better not to change anything at this point, or the whole tower of cards might come tumbling down.

When they’d finished with the outbuilding, he went back to the house to clean up and say goodbye. It was two o’clock, but that still left plenty of time to get back home make sure everything was set for tonight.

“I’ve got something for you,” his mother said as he was drying his hands with a dish towel. “Come with me to get it.”

“What is it?” he asked, curious. Sometimes she gave him food to take home and occasionally she gave him a piece of furniture or a picture, telling him to fix up his house a little more attractively.

“You’ll see.” He and his father followed his mother into their bedroom, where she went to a box on her dresser. “Now, son, we want you to know that we really like your Allison.”

His shoulders stiffened, and he couldn’t keep the surprised pleasure out of his voice. “You do?” The knowledge gave him a silly flare of hope that he might not be making another huge mistake, that he might not have picked another woman who would never stay. “You barely even know her.”

“We know her well enough to know she’s a good choice for you, and we’ve seen how you’ve been this last month, so we know she can make you happy if you let her.”

“Mom, I appreciate it, but I already told you that we’re just starting to?—”

“Yes, yes, I know what you said. I think it’s silly not to court a girl if you have feelings for her, but young people today have their own ways. I just wanted to give you this.”

She reached into the box and pulled out a diamond ring with a gold band.

It was beautiful and delicate and obviously old, but the diamond wasn’t anything to sneer at. Since his parents had married as teenagers, they’d had no money for an engagement ring, so his father had bought his mother this ring on their tenth anniversary, after the farm started to do really well.

Rob almost choked. “I can’t give her the ring, Mom! She’s only now agreed to go out with me.”

“I know. I’m not suggesting you give it to her now. I’m giving it to you to let you know that your father and I believe in you. And we believe you’re going to do right by her and win her heart in the end. Take it now, and you can give it to her when you’re ready to truly trust her.”

Rob was shocked speechless and ridiculously touched. He stared at the ring, trying to make his mind work, trying to make his muscles work, his mouth work. “I shouldn’t…” he began, unable to finish the thought.

“Yes, you should. It’s from me and your father. It’s a gift, and you can’t turn it down or you’ll hurt our feelings.”

“Take it,” his father muttered.

They couldn’t have said anything else that would have made him accept, but he reached out to take the ring from her hand.

It was in what once had been a jeweler’s box, but the lid had broken off at some point, so the ring was visible, sitting in the slot in the velvet of the bottom half of the box.

“But you should be wearing it,” he tried once more.

“It doesn’t fit my fat finger anymore, but it will fit hers. Not now. It sounds like you aren’t there yet. But when you are, when you’re ready to love each other and enjoy each other and depend on each other for the rest of your lives, you give her that.”

Rob had absolutely no idea what to say. He couldn’t help but imagine offering this ring to Allison—sometime in the future, when things were settled between them. He wondered if she would like it. It was old and not nearly as fancy as the one she’d probably gotten before.

But she hadn’t wanted that one. She hadn’t wanted her rich, arrogant husband.

Maybe, one day, she would want him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, brutally self-conscious and more than ready to get out of there.

“You’re welcome.”

Because he loved his parents and he appreciated their attempts to help him, no matter how silly they made him feel, he gave his mother a tight hug and then his father one too before he left.

He took the ring with him. When he got home, he stuck it in the top drawer of his dresser with his socks, telling himself it would be a long time before he needed to worry about it.

It would be there when he needed it.