After his father's death, Jay starts forgetting which way is up.
Riley wants to be there for him, but is overwhelmed with her fears and the uncertainty of their future together.
Will their relationship be strong enough to overcome all the obstacles...
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Hailey and Riley sat together at a small table in a breakfast restaurant, sipping their coffees and enjoying their breakfast.
Riley sighed, swirling the coffee in her mug. "Hailey, I gotta get something off my chest." Hailey straightened up, putting down her things as she nodded to let her know she was listening. "You know that my mom came back into my life, out of the blue, last week right?"
"Yeah, you told me about it."
"It's such a mix of emotions that I don't know how to deal with." She put her face in her hands, shaking her head before glancing up to hold eye contact with her friend. "Part of me is happy to see her again, but there's this other part of me that feels so uneasy about it. It's like I'm waiting for something to go wrong, because why would she come back when everything's going good for me, right?"
"I get it." Hailey nodded, carefully listening to every word she spoke. "Trust is a tricky thing, especially when it comes to family. Sometimes it's hard to forgive and forget." Hailey spoke from experience.
Riley was glad to hear those words from Hailey, because she knew her friend was well aware of it. "Exactly! I mean, just because someone is family doesn't automatically mean they deserve forgiveness, right?"
"Right. Forgiveness should be earned, regardless of blood ties. You've got to prioritize your own well-being and emotions." Hailey told her honestly. She was aware that Jay had a big part to play in Riley seeing her mother again. Jay was a man of principle, so of course he'd encourage her to reconnect with her family - even though he never really did the same with his father. So Hailey wanted to make sure Riley prioritized her needs and well-being over Jay's.
"That's what I've been thinking too. I don't want to blindly trust her just because she's my mom, and in Agnes' case - my grandma. I need to see if she's truly changed and if she deserved a place in my life." Riley shrugged, further explaining herself. "You know, Jay told me that it might be good for me to do so, to get closure and all. But I think it might have been more about his regrets with his father than the ones I might have."
"It might be," Hailey answered, she didn't want to put words into her mouth or thoughts in her head - but she did feel the same, "Do you regret seeing her?"
"I'm not sure. I don't regret seeing her and being able to tell her how I feel about what she did." Riley told her, "But I kind of regret letting her meet Jay and Aurora. They're the most important people in my life and I kind of feel like gatekeeping them."
"I get it, Riley, really. Just take your time and trust your instincts. You know yourself and your boundaries better than anyone else." Hailey answered, making her feel suddenly a lot more confident about it all. "You know, Jay convinced me to go see my dad in the hospital once."
"What?" Riley asked, gasping. She was surprised by her friend's confession. She knew Hailey also had a rocky past and an abusive dad.
"Yeah, same type of situation, but I went to the hospital, saw him in his bed and turned around." Hailey took a bite of her pancakes. "I think it was the right move for me." She shrugged and suddenly an idea came to mind. "You said you felt uneasy about it, right? We could do a background check on them, maybe it'd give you a better feel of things."
