“Hey, Carol,” Marc says to her.
She tells him hello and I swear she blushes. If my mom was younger and wasn’t married to my dad, she’d probably want to date Marc. Apparently, she likes what she sees with his blond hair and blue eyes. I internally vomit.
Conversation over dinner is mostly about the bickering my parents did on the ride down here. For some reason, they would rather drive the eight or nine hours than fly. Marc makes his exit after dinner. I find myself alone with my mom because Dad joins Meredith when she goes to walk Leo. Something tells me they won’t be back any time soon. Mom helps me put away leftovers and wash the dishes.
“Why didn’t you tell us yourself?”
“Things have been busy,” I answer.
She makes a noise since she doesn’t believe me. “So, she shows up in North Carolina out of the blue, you move her in here with you, start dating again, and don’t feel the need to share that with your family?”
“Don’t say it like that. We’ve been catching up.”
“Hope says she hasn’t talked about her former engagement or injury at all. Is she doing that with you?”
“Somewhat.” Meredith hasn’t mentioned her PT at all, and I haven’t asked her about it.
Mom is quiet for a moment. “Do you really think you two can make this work? Do you really think she won’t leave you again? I’m not going to be able to listen to my baby boy whine over her again. I’m worried that she’s only here because she has no other options. She lost her fiancé and practically her career, so she’s returning to the last good thing she had.”
“Maybe she realized her mistake and is correcting it. She’s happy; I’m happy. She’s not going anywhere.”
“How are you sure?”
Her question stumps me. “I’m not,” I eventually say. “But I love her. I believe what she tells me, and we’re both determined to make this work.”
“Well, she has her work cut out for her to get back onto my good side. Your father is so in love with her, he’s obviously not having any problems. You’ve both been enamored with her in your own ways since you first saw her. I don’t think I’ll ever understand that.”
“Oh, come on, Mom. You’re being too hard on her. You used to like her. You definitely like her parents. Cut her some slack.”
“I will once I see she deserves it.” She rinses the last dish and adds, “I’m going to lie down until your father brings our bags in. It was a long drive.”
She leaves me alone and I realize it may be harder to get Mom’s, and probably Ashley’s, approval than I thought. Honestly, I don’t care about that. Sure, it bugs me a little, but no one knows our relationship better than us. I know we’re going to last. Mom and Ashley will come around once they see that for themselves.
I grab my abandoned duffel bag, carry it to my room, and unpack before changing my clothes into something more comfortable. Meredith and Dad are walking in when I make it into the living room. Dad has their bags in hands.
“Mom’s lying down,” I tell him.
“I think I’ll join her. We’ll see you in the morning.” He gives me a nod before leaving us for the guest bedroom.
I sit on the couch and Meredith sits next to me, her legs coming to rest in my lap.
“I love your dad,” she says, resting her head on my shoulder. Leo crawls out of her arms and over to me.
“So, you guys had a good talk?” I ask while rubbing a knuckle under his chin.
“Yeah. Let me guess; your mom isn’t happy about us.”
“She’ll come around. I don’t want you to worry about it.”
“I won’t,” she replies confidently. “Besides, your dad has enough enthusiasm for everyone. He said they were staying until Thursday. They’ll leave and then you’ll be gone for two weeks.” She sighs. “That’s the worst time for you to leave,” she whispers.
“Why?” Is something happening that I missed?
Mere briefly tenses. “I mean because we just got back together and we won’t be able to spend a lot of time together.”
“We have the rest of our lives to spend time together.”
ALL OF A sudden, it hits me.