That thought hit me hard. My mother-in-law. I had a mother-in-law.
Matt looked me up and down when I came out of the bathroom in a new dress I got when I went shopping with Hannah and had tucked away in the back of the closet to keep for a special occasion. It nipped in at my waist and skimmed my hips before flaring out into a skirt that made the little girl inside me want to twirl around. Combined with the lipstick and extra swipe of mascara, the effect was giving me a little extra pep in my step.
The look in Matt’s eyes when he saw me was exactly the reaction I was hoping for. He came up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His head dipped down toward mine, but just as our lips were nearing each other, the doorbell rang.
Matt stopped, a rueful smile coming to his lips as his head dropped. I laughed and patted him on the arm.
“You better go get your mother,” I said.
“Do you think if we’re really quiet, she’ll think we aren’t here?” he asked in a whisper.
I laughed again. “I don’t think it works that way when you invite someone over.”
He faked a grimace and walked over to the door. In the seconds before he opened it and his mother came in, I got suddenly nervous. When she found out we got married, she seemed thrilled, but what if that was just her way of getting over the shock and lulling us into complacency? Could this be the moment she stormed in, ready to rip us to pieces because we ran off and did it without her?
I took a moment to think through that last flash of fear. This wasn’t my family. She wasn’t my mother. I had to remind myself that there were people in the world who were actually genuine and didn’t always think about themselves first. Maybe she was just truly happy for us.
When she walked in, she kissed Matt and then turned toward me. I noticed something wrapped in fabric with a thick satin ribbon around it in her arms.
“Can I make everybody some tea?” I asked.
“That sounds good,” Matt said, and I headed for the kitchen.
When I got there, I realized I hadn’t even said hi to her. I hadn’t hugged her or anything. I had just dissed my mother-in-law. This was getting off to a smooth start.
I made the tea and piled it onto a tray with cups, honey, milk, and a plate of cookies I wished I’d baked but had actually just tipped out of a bag. Matt and Mrs. Anderson were sitting in the living room talking when I walked out, and she looked up at me with a warm smile. At least we had gotten over the awkward greeting hurdle.
Setting the tray down on the table, I poured a cup for her first, then one for Matt before making a cup for myself. Augmenting it with plenty of honey, I scooped up several of the gingersnaps and headed for the chair beside the couch.
“No, Chloe, come sit beside me,” Mrs. Anderson said, patting the cushion beside her.
I complied and settled in between her and Matt where he sat in the opposite chair. She took a sip of her tea, then nibbled at one of the cookies.
“I love gingersnaps,” she said.
“So do I,” I told her. “They’re my favorite. When I was little, everybody around me always wanted chocolate chip, but I wanted the gingersnaps. The spicier, the better. That wasn’t so popular when it came time for sharing desserts at lunch.”
Matt’s mother laughed. “More for you, though.” She set the cup down in front of her and picked up the object she had been carrying when she came in. When it was on her lap, I noticed it wasn’t actually wrapped in fabric, but made of fabric. She rested both hands on it and looked at me with emotion in her eyes. “I brought you something.”
“What is it?” Matt asked.
She put it into my lap, and I untied the ribbon. Unfolding the fabric, I discovered a beautiful quilt.
“I have given every one of my sons and their wives something special when they got married. Each gift has been something their father and I got as wedding gifts when we got married. I saved this one for last. This is the quilt my mother made for us. It was on our bed for many years. Then I started displaying it instead. Now, it’s yours,” she said.
I choked up looking at the quilt. It was so pretty, and the fabric was soft and pliable from the many years of use. I couldn’t believe she was giving it to us. Something like this must have been so incredibly precious to her.
“This is so sweet,” I said. “Thank you so much.”