Healing Hearts (New Hope Falls #6) - Kimberly Rae Jordan Page 0,4
similar hairstyles with faded sides and back and slightly longer on the top. It was a style that Ryker had favored once upon a time. Now he went for something less refined simply because he didn’t feel like going for a haircut every month.
“Grandma says it’s time to stop talking and sit at the table,” Emery announced, reaching out to grab her dad’s hand.
They migrated from the hallway to the dining room where Donna was helping put food on the table.
“Hi, Ryker,” she said with a warm smile. “Good to see you again.”
“You too.” He gave her a one-arm hug, then turned to greet his parents as they came into the dining room from the kitchen. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, darling. I’m glad you could make it.”
Ryker bent to press a kiss to her cheek. “I said I’d be here.”
“That you did, son,” his dad said as he clapped him on his shoulder. “And we’re happy to see you.”
Though he didn’t enjoy parts of the family dinner, Ryker always tried to join them. Out of all of the family members, he was the one with the least demanding schedule. His Sunday evenings were never booked up. The rest of the family tended to have other stuff going on, so they only managed to get together once or twice a month. It was usually dependant on Silas’s schedule.
“Why don’t we sit down?” his mom said, gesturing to the table.
They had done this often enough that everyone knew where they were supposed to sit. He waited for his mom to take her seat, then settled onto the chair beside her with Jonah on his other side. At one time, someone different had sat by his side, but not anymore.
“Let’s pray,” his dad said, and Ryker bowed his head, listening as he said a prayer of thanks for the food.
As soon as he said amen, the conversation around the table picked up. His mom talked with Callie and Donna who were seated across the table from her, while Ryker focused on Jonah.
Silas, who sat at the opposite end of the table from their dad, occasionally interjected, shifting his attention between Jonah and Emery.
“Nick asked me the other day how you were doing.” Ryker’s mom’s words were accompanied by her hand resting on his arm, enough to grab his attention if what she’d said hadn’t.
“Mom,” Ryker said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Is that how you and Nick get around confidentiality issues?”
“He’s just concerned about you.” She squeezed his arm gently before releasing it and turning her attention back to her food. “When did you last see him?”
Ryker sighed, almost wishing that he’d never agreed to see Nick St. James for counseling in the first place. Along with a third partner, the two of them had one of the most successful psychiatric practices in Seattle.
“It was about a year or so ago.” More like two years, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.
“Ryker.” Disappointment practically dripped from the word. “You should still be checking in with him.”
“I’m doing fine,” Ryker said.
“Sure you are,” Callie scoffed. “You look like you haven’t slept in years.”
Tension built in his shoulders at her words. “Not sleeping has been a way of life since I was eighteen.”
“Silas has gone through medical school, had sleepless nights with two babies, and has a stressful career, and I think he’s still getting more sleep than you,” Callie said.
“Don’t drag me into this,” Silas remarked from the other end of the table.
“We’re just worried about you, darling,” his mother said.
“I’m fine.”
“Maybe if you had a life, we’d believe you,” Callie said.
“What is your problem?” Ryker scowled at his sister. “I have a life. Just because it doesn’t meet your standards doesn’t mean it doesn’t qualify as a life.”
“You’re wasting your time and talents working with mud and sticks.”
“That’s enough, Calista,” his father said, his tone firm. “We don’t need to argue over this right now.”
Ryker was grateful to his dad for stepping in. Still, the reality was, his dad didn’t exactly support the decisions he’d made over the past few years either. The man had already had plenty to say on the subject and would likely still have more to say in the future. He just didn’t like to have arguments at the table while he was trying to enjoy his dinner.
Callie let out a sigh but didn’t say anything further on that subject. Instead, she picked yet another subject that Ryker wasn’t interested in discussing.