Chapter Eighteen
The dining room feels different with five people around our table instead of the usual three.
Mom has pulled out the good dishes, the ones we only use for holidays, and the smell of lasagna and garlic bread fills the house.
She’s clearly nervous, fussing with napkins and refilling water glasses every few minutes.
“This is incredible,” Emma says, taking another bite of lasagna. “Did you really make all this?”
Mom’s cheeks flush slightly. “I may have gotten some help from Tony’s Italian Kitchen downtown. But I transferred it to my own dishes, so it counts as homemade, right?”
Jeremy laughs, “Emma’s been teaching herself to cook because she got tired of my attempts at dinner.”
“Your grilled cheese is good,” Emma protests. “And your scrambled eggs are only slightly rubbery.”
“High praise from a teenager,” he says.
I watch this easy banter between them, trying to absorb what it reveals about their relationship. I have the same relationship with Robert, and while it’s great, I can’t help but feel jealous of them
“So tell me about your school,” Mom says to Emma, clearly attempting to include her. “Are you still doing theater?”
Emma’s face lights up. “We’re doing ‘Our Town’ this spring, and I got the role of Emily. Dad’s already taken time off work to come to opening night.”
“That’s a beautiful play,” Mom says. “Very emotional.”
“I’ve been practicing the wedding scene with Dad reading all the other parts,” Emma continues. “He’s terrible at doing different voices, but he tries.”
Jeremy shrugs good-naturedly. “I do my best. Though I draw the line at playing Mrs. Webb in a falsetto.”
“The things we do for our children,” Robert observes, and I see Jeremy’s expression shift slightly at the word ‘children.’ Plural. As in, Emma isn’t his only child.
“What about you, Olivia?” Jeremy asks, turning his attention to me. “Are you planning to keep playing soccer in college?”
“I’m hoping for a scholarship,” I say. “I’ve got a couple schools interested, but nothing definite yet.”
“She’s being modest,” Mom interjects. “Three Division I schools have reached out, and her coach thinks she has a real shot at getting a full ride.”
“Maybe you can come to more games next season,”
“I’d love that,” Jeremy says quietly.
After dinner, Emma helps me clear the dishes while the adults linger at the table. As we load the dishwasher, she chatters about Michigan, about her friends, about the differences between her high school and mine.
“Your mom seems really nice,” she says, scraping plates. “I was worried she might hate me because of… well, you know. The history with my mom and everything.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” I assure her. “She might be struggling with seeing Jeremy again, but she’s not taking that out on you.”
“Good. Because I really want her to like me.” Emma pauses in her plate-scraping. “Is it weird? Having me here? Learning you have a sister?”
“Weird, yeah. But good weird.”
When we return to the dining room, the adults are deep in conversation about insurance regulations, of all things. Robert’s explaining some policy changes that affect Jeremy’s business, and Mom is asking surprisingly informed questions about small business challenges.
“Ready to head back to the Airbnb?” Jeremy asks Emma as we rejoin them.
“Do we have to? I’m having so much fun.”
“You’re exhausted, and we have a full day planned tomorrow,” Jeremy says gently but firmly.
As they gather their coats, Emma hugs me goodbye with the enthusiasm of someone who’s found her missing puzzle piece. Jeremy’s goodbye is more tentative, a brief, awkward hug that suggests he’s not sure of the boundaries yet.
“Thank you for dinner,” he tells Mom. “And for… this. All of this.”
“Thank you for coming,” she replies, and I can tell she means it despite the complexity of the situation.
I curl up on the couch, my phone buzzes with a text from
Derek
How’s the family reunion going? Everything okay?
I stare at the message, realizing I haven’t thought about Derek much today. Between the game last night and meeting Jeremy and Emma, my boyfriend has been relegated to the background of my attention.
Me
Weird but good. Talk tomorrow?
“Who’s texting?” Mom asks, settling onto the couch beside me.
“Derek. He wanted to know how things went tonight.”
Mom raises an eyebrow. “He’s been very supportive through all the family stuff. He seems like a good friend.”
“Actually,” I say, deciding there’s no point in hiding it now, “we’re kind of dating now. Like, officially. It’s pretty recent.”
Robert pauses in his leftover-organizing and looks over with interest. Mom sets down her water glass and turns to face me fully.
“Dating?” she asks. “When did this happen?”
“He’s a good kid,” Robert says approvingly. “I’ve always liked Derek. Solid family, good values, treats you with respect.”
“I feel like I’ve missed so much lately,” Mom says, and there’s guilt in her voice. “Between your heart condition and the Jeremy situation and Emma reaching out… I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend.”
“It’s not like I was hiding it,” I say gently. “There’s just been a lot going on.”
“Too much,” Mom agrees. “I’ve been so focused on managing the family crisis that I forgot to just… be your mom. To pay attention to your regular life.”
“You’ve been dealing with a lot too. Finding out Emma contacted me, having to face Jeremy again after all these years, that couldn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t,” she admits. “Seeing him tonight, watching him with you… it brought up a lot of old feelings I thought I’d buried.”
“What kind of feelings?” I ask carefully.
Mom is quiet for a long moment, choosing her words carefully. “Regret, mostly. Not about leaving Michigan. I still think that was the right choice for us. But regret about the ways I handled it. About the choices I made that kept you from knowing him.”
“You were protecting me.”
“I was protecting myself,” she corrects.
“From having to share you. From having to see him be a father to you when he chose to be a father to Emma instead.” She takes a shaky breath.
“But watching him tonight, seeing how he looked at you… I think I might have been wrong about his motivations back then.”
Robert sits down on Mom’s other side, creating a protective circle around her. “It’s never too late to make different choices going forward.”
“I know. And I want to support whatever relationship you decide to build with them. Even if it’s complicated. Even if it’s hard for me.”
I lean over and hug her, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume mixed with garlic from dinner. “Thank you. That means everything to me.”
“So tell me about Derek,” she says as we separate. “How serious is this relationship? Should Robert be cleaning his shotgun?”
“Mom!” I laugh, relieved by her attempt at normalcy. “It’s not that serious yet. We’re just… figuring things out.”
“But you care about him.”
“Yeah. I do. A lot.”
“Then I want to get to know him better. Maybe we can have him over for dinner soon. A normal family dinner, not one complicated by long-lost relatives and eighteen years of unresolved drama.”
“That sounds perfect.”
As I head upstairs to get ready for bed, I think about the strange life is right now. I am grateful to know Jeremy; I’ve been wanting this for so long. Never expected to meet him this soon.
My phone buzzes with a instagram message from Emma.
Emma: Thank you for tonight. I’m so happy we’re sisters. Can’t wait to spend tomorrow together!
Me: Me too. Sleep well.
It’s overwhelming and wonderful and terrifying all at once.