Only One Mistake, page 14
I shake my head. “I need all the help I can get,” I share honestly. “Her sister isn’t exactly welcoming, and I don’t expect her mother to be that happy to see me.”
“Why?” she asks, grabbing a juice bottle.
“I left her alone for the first seventeen weeks of her pregnancy,” I admit, sitting on the stool and taking a deep breath.
“It’s not like you did it on purpose,” she reminds me. “It’s not like you knew and didn’t give a shit. Granted, you’re an idiot,” she offers. “But the minute you found out, it’s not like you walked away.”
“I thought I heard you two,” my mother says, coming into the kitchen in her robe. “What were you two talking about?”
“Michael thinks that Jillian’s mother and sister hate him,” Alex blurts, taking a sip of her juice.
“I didn’t say hate,” I say, looking at my mother, who looks like she’s ready to rumble.
“Well, what did they say?” she asks, walking to the fridge and grabbing some water.
“They didn’t say anything,” I reply, getting up. “I just, can we not go crazy tomorrow?”
Alex just looks at me and laughs. “Yeah, let’s for once act like normal.”
“We are normal,” my mother says in a shocked voice.
“I want you all on your best behavior tomorrow,” I plead to both of them as they look at each other. I point at both of them. “This means a lot to me.” They both nod at me, and I walk out of the room, seeing my father there listening.
“It’s going to be okay, son,” he reassures me, slapping my shoulder.
“I married your mother without anyone there,” he shares. “When they found us, your grandmother wept the whole time, and I thought Matthew was going to throw me off the balcony.” He laughs. “It can’t get worse than that,” he says, walking into the kitchen.
“I really fucking hope not,” I say to his retreating back, going into my bedroom and reading the pregnancy books. “I really fucking hope not.”
Chapter 24
Jillian
“What time will you be here?” my mother asks, and I can tell she is a bit nervous about having Michael and his family over. I mean, it’s a big deal, and I know she wants to make sure everything is perfect.
“He just texted me that he’s going to be here in ten minutes.” I slip on the gray short-sleeved t-shirt dress that hugs my body. It goes to my knees, and I slip on my white running shoes. I don’t even look in the mirror because I know I’m going to hate the outfit, and I don’t have any time to change. Nor do I have any clothes to change into. “I’ll text you from the car,” I say, and she hangs up at the same time as there is a knock on the door.
I grab the jean jacket that I put on my bed and walk out of my room to the front door. He stands there in dark blue jeans, and a white button-down collar sticks out from under his navy blue sweater. His eyes sparkle when he smiles at me. “Hi,” he greets softly, bending to kiss me. I wait for his lips to hit mine, but instead, he kisses the corner of my mouth.
“Hi.” The word comes out in almost a whisper.
“You look amazing,” he says, looking me up and down.
“You look pretty good yourself,” I reply, grabbing my purse and locking up. He slips his hand into mine, and I don’t pull away from him. When we walk out the front door, I see Max is standing in the middle of the pathway with his phone in his hand.
Alex is in the back seat of the SUV with Allison next to her. They look over at me as we wave to each other.
“Hey,” Max says when he looks up from his phone toward us. He is wearing the same thing as Michael is wearing. “How safe is this neighborhood?” he asks, and I shrug.
“Dad,” Michael scolds as he walks with me to the SUV and opens the passenger door, and I just shake my head.
“I’ll sit in the back, so your father has room,” I offer, walking to the back door and opening it. “Do you want me to sit in the middle?” I ask Alex, who just slides over. When I get in the SUV, the first thing that hits my nose is the smell of flowers. “Hi,” I say, looking around as I take a couple of inhales.
“If you think you smell a flower store,” Alex says, looking at me. “It’s because the trunk is filled with every single flower known to mankind,” she says, looking over at Allison.
“It’s not every flower,” Allison rebuts as Michael and Max get into the car.
“Did you do your Sherlock Holmes investigation, Dad?” Alex says from beside me.
“It’s just not safe that you can just walk in,” Max says, looking over his shoulder at us in the back seat. “There have been seven break-ins this year?” he questions, and I just stare at him.
“How do you know that?” I ask as Michael looks at me and shakes his head.
“It’s a crime-mapping service,” he explains, holding up his phone, and my mouth hangs open.
“Can I get the address so we aren’t late?” Michael tries to change the conversation, and I give him the address.
“If you think this is bad,” Alex says from beside me, “he got a list of sex offenders in the area when I went away to college.” She shakes her head as she looks at her father. “The person who took care of the dorm room actually did a dance when I decided to switch to an apartment the second semester.”
“I don’t know why,” Max says, turning to look ahead.
“You called her weekly for updates,” Alex hisses. “And wanted to know confidential information on other dorm members.”
I roll my lips as I think about how over the top he is, and then I look over at Michael, wondering if he’s going to be the same as his father. We pull up to the house, and I lean forward to open the back door when Michael talks. “Best behavior,” he says in a warning, and I laugh.
I get out, and Alex gets out after me, shaking her head. She is in black jeans with a black and cream button-down long-sleeved silk shirt. Her feet are in sky-high heels. “I can’t wait to touch your bump,” she says to me as she smiles and looks down at it.
“You can touch it,” I say to her, and she looks at Michael, who just smirks.
“I touched it last night,” he gloats, puffing out his chest as I shake my head. Alex puts her hands on my belly and leans down.
“Hey, little one, it’s your favorite aunt,” she coos, and I look around to see if Julia is anywhere near to hear her. “I’m going to give you all the candy.”
“That’s enough,” Michael says when the trunk slides open, and I get my answer about what kind of father he is going to be, pretty much just like Max.
“You look so pretty,” Allison says when she comes around as she gives me a hug. She’s wearing her own black jeans and a soft pink long-sleeved shirt with a sash around her throat tied in a knot. She walks over to the trunk and grabs the biggest flower arrangement I’ve ever seen.
“Oh, my,” I say, and Alex just shakes her head.
“There is more,” she says, walking to the trunk as she grabs another flower arrangement in one arm, holding it sideways, and all I can do is stare at how big it is. In her other hand, she carries a big brown bag.
“What in the world?” I ask, and she just shrugs.
“This is them doing things normally,” she says as she waits for her father, who carries three brown boxes.
“Michael,” I say his name when he closes the trunk, and he’s holding one brown bag in his hand. He looks over at me.
“I know,” he says, coming next to me. “But you have to pick your battles. This is one I choose to lose.”
“Do I want to know what is in the bags?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Dessert,” he shares, looking down at the bag he has. “We couldn’t get one cake like a normal family,” he says, looking over at his mother. “So we took one of everything.”
I close my eyes. “I’m afraid to ask about the flowers,” I say, looking at the three bouquets in front of me. “You ready?” I ask, and again, he shakes his head. I slip my hand into his to give a united front. “It’s going to be fine.” Walking with him to the front door of the house is nerve-racking for me, so I can’t even imagine what Michael is going through. “Here we go,” I say, opening the front door and walking in. The smell of roast hits my nose right away. I walk into the living room right off the front door, and my mother comes around the corner.
“Oh my goodness,” she says when she sees them with all the gifts in their hands. She is dressed in jeans and a sweater. She looks at me first, and I can see she has tears in her eyes. “Hi,” she greets, coming to me and kissing my cheek. “And you must be Michael,” she adds, giving him a soft smile as he nods his head.
He hands her the brown bag in his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says nervously to her. “Thank you for inviting us.”
“Mom, this is Allison and Max,” I introduce, pointing at them. “And Michael’s sister, Alex.” Who just smiles at her.
I’m about to say something else when I hear footsteps behind my mother, and my sister comes in. She smiles as soon as she sees us, and then her eyes go big. She scans the room, and then her eyes go to Max’s, and I can see tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh my goodness,” Allison says when she sees Julia wipe away a tear. Her eyes are looking down and then looking back up at Max.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “It’s silly. Please ignore me.” She turns her head.
“Welcome to our home, I’m Sharon.” She walks over to Allison and holds out her hand.
“Thank you so much for having us,” Allison replies, holding out her hand to shake my mother’s. “You have a lovely home.”
Both of them are blinking away tears. “Can I help with any of these bags or flowers?” my mother asks as she walks over to Alex.
“Let me help,” Julia offers as she walks over to Max, and she just stares at him.
“This moment,” she says, and I look over at Michael, who puts his hand around my shoulder and pulls me close as I wipe away my own tear.
“What am I missing?” Max asks and looks over at me.
“Their dad used to watch every single hockey game when he was alive,” my mother says, and she looks at Julia. “You were his favorite, and they used to watch you two together.”
“Oh my God,” Allison says, walking over to Max. “Put down the boxes,” she tells him, and he looks around for someplace to put down the boxes. He doesn’t move. Instead, he bends and puts them on the floor next to the couch.
He looks over at me and smiles, then turns back to Julia, who has her head down as she silently cries. “It’s nice to meet you,” Max tells her, and she just looks up at him.
“Can I have a hug?” she says, and Max takes her in his arms. She wraps her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry,” she finally says when she steps back. “It’s just…” She shakes her head. “He would have gotten a kick out of meeting you,” she shares, and I look up at Michael, who just smiles at me. “He would have probably had some choice words about the situation, too,” she continues, and my mother gasps.
“Julia.” She hisses her name, and we all laugh.
“But he would have loved to meet you,” she finally says.
“The pleasure would have been all mine,” Max responds graciously.
“Why don’t I take some of this stuff in the kitchen? So the moms can talk,” Julia says, looking at Allison and my mother.
“I’ll take these.” Max picks up the boxes, and Michael looks at me, not sure what to do.
“You go and help your dad and Julia,” I suggest and then lean in. “Let her get to know you.”
He nods, not sure he should leave me alone. “It’s a girl thing,” I say, and he just looks at his father for some advice. Max silently nods his head at him, and they turn to follow Julia into the kitchen.
“Gosh, this is hard,” Alex ponders. “Do I want to stay and see the moms cry?” She points at our mothers. “Or do I want to go into the kitchen and listen to Julia gush over my dad, making me want to gag,” she says. “I’m going to go for gagging.” She walks out of the room.
“I’m so sorry,” Allison says. “She speaks her mind. I want to say she gets it from her father.” She wrings her hands. “But she doesn’t.”
“Please sit.” My mother points at the couch, and my mother sits on the couch facing her. My mother leans over and grabs a couple of tissues.
“I would like to start by saying that we couldn’t be happier and prouder of Jillian.” Allison looks over at me, and I walk to the single couch and sit with my hands in my lap. “And I know what our son did.”
“He did nothing wrong,” I say, my voice quivering. “Nothing wrong.” Allison tilts her head to the side as she smiles at me for protecting him.
“You’ve raised a strong woman,” Allison praises, and my mother looks over at me.
“I have to be honest,” my mother says, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I did not behave in a way that I’m proud of,” she admits, looking at Allison, wringing her hands in her lap. “It was a shock, and the only thing I worried about would be how hard it would be for her.” She looks over at me and smiles at me with tears running down her face. “But hopefully, she can forgive me.”
“Mom.” I get up and go to her. “There is nothing to forgive.” I put my hand around her shoulder.
“We want to be as involved as she will let us be,” Allison says, grabbing her own tissue. “I know we can be over the top.” She laughs. “But the one thing we do is we love, and we love hard.” She looks at me. “We want to be there for you and Michael and the baby. Whatever you need, whenever you need it.” I wipe my own tears away. “You say the word, and we are there.” She takes a deep breath. “We’ve been talking, and we want to be there for everything, and the thought of not being around is almost too much to bear.” I get up and walk over to her side of the couch.
“I want you to know…” I have to stop for a second to compose myself. “When I found out I was pregnant, the only thing that ran through my mind was making sure my baby would have love.” I put my hand on my stomach. “I will never ever make this baby feel like it took something away from me or it stopped me from doing anything.”
“That’s for both of us,” Michael says as he walks into the room. The three of us look over at him. “I’m sorry for interrupting,” he apologizes. “But I wanted to just tell you I’m sorry I wasn’t there from the beginning.” He swallows, and I get up to walk to him. “But nothing and no one would have kept me away from them.”
Alex and Julia walk into the room and look around at us. Julia turns back to Alex. “Tequila?”
“Tequila,” Alex confirms, and they walk back out of the room. I shake my head, and Michael puts his hand up to wipe away the tear.
Max comes out of the kitchen. “They are doing shots of tequila in there,” he says, pointing over his shoulder. “And the timer went off.”
My mother claps her hands together. “I love you all already,” she says. “Let’s eat.”
Allison gets up. “Let’s eat.”
They walk out of the room, leaving Michael and me alone. “That wasn’t so bad,” he says, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“You missed the hard part.” I point at the couch where our mothers were. “Promise me something.”
“Anything,” he says, and looking into his eyes, I know he means it. He waits for me to say something, and all I can think about is kissing him. “Kiss me.”
He groans and closes his eyes. “Why do you decide it would be a good idea for us to make out in your mother’s living room?” he asks, and I laugh. “How about we put that make-out on hold until I drop you off at home?”
“Promise.” I put my hand up, and he slips his pinky in mine.
“Oh, you can bet on it,” he assures me and leans down to kiss my lips softly.
“They are making out on the couch,” I hear Julia say from behind me. “Looks hot and heavy. Should I break it up?”
“She’s already pregnant. He can’t do more damage than that,” I hear Alex say with a giggle, and I can’t help the laugh that comes out of me.
“Great,” Michael sighs, looking over my shoulder at Julia. “Let's get this over with,” he says, and Julia just laughs.
“Something tells me that everything is going to be okay,” she says to him, pushing his shoulder with hers.
Chapter 25
Michael
“Thanks for breakfast, Mom,” I say to her, putting my plate away in the dishwasher. “I hope I don’t vomit on the ice.” I look over at my father, who laughs as he picks up his coffee cup and brings it to his mouth, finishing it off.
“You’ll be fine,” she says, cleaning up the kitchen. By the time I rolled out of bed, she was already done making breakfast. My father puts his plate away and then walks to the door where he grabs his jacket.
My mother is slipping on her shoes when my father yells, “Let’s go, Alex,” down the hallway toward the closed bedroom door. We can hear her grunting, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Will you send us pictures?” My mother looks at me and hugs my waist. “I want daily pictures.”
“I’ll try,” I agree, kissing her head. Yesterday at lunch, it was such a surreal experience. I thought I was going to be a nervous wreck, but once we got all the talking out of the way, it was as if we did lunch every single week.
“Is she even awake?” My father looks over at my mother as the door opens, and my sister comes out of the room. She’s wearing yoga pants and a sweater and her black glasses.
“I’m up,” she mumbles. “Why are there so many fucking windows in this house?” she asks, rolling her suitcase behind her.
“Hey, Alex,” I chirp, putting my hands on my hips. “Want some tequila?” I ask her, and I can tell she’s glaring at me.
“I don’t know why you are on my case.” She pushes my shoulder. “I was doing it for you,” she says, and I throw my head back and laugh. “I was trying to make you look good.”
“You drank a bottle of tequila for me?” I point at myself.
