Chapter 9
Haley
“Mom?” I call while knocking on the door of a small bungalow. “Are you home?”
There’s no sound and I step back for a moment.
It’s still freezing in Minnesota, so I have a giant puffer on that covers me from head to toe.
It makes me look like an abominable snowman, but that’s the point because just two weeks ago, we discovered that I was pregnant.
Chase’s eyes filled with tears when I told him.
“Sweetheart, this is the best Valentine’s gift ever,” he said in a choked voice while putting a big hand on my tummy.
I giggle.
“But last month was Valentine’s and besides, I was your Christmas treat. So is this baby going to be a Valentine’s gift or Christmas present?”
My man was overcome with emotion, so much so that his blue eyes grew suspiciously glassy.
“Both,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Maybe the baby will come in November so that he or she will be our turkey baby.”
I giggle.
“You’re all about the holidays, aren’t you Daddy? But this little stinker is expected sometime in mid-December, so he or she will be born between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’ll see, though, because it’s a lovely holiday surprise, no matter what.”
Then, I pressed a gentle kiss to my man’s lips and to my surprise, his mouth was wet with tears.
“You’re everything to me, Haley,” Chase rasped once we pull away, those blue eyes fierce. “I’ll protect you and the baby with everything that I am. You will never need for anything.”
I kissed him again, my heart fluttering with adoration because I love Chase Wheaton.
I cherish everything about the alpha male because he’s incredibly handsome, generous, kind, and caring.
He offered to make a ton of calls to help me with my career, and even suggested buying a day care for me to operate.
But I nixed those plans because now, I just want to focus on my pregnancy and becoming a mother.
Nothing could make me happier ... except breaking the news to my own mother.
After knocking again on the wooden door again, I hear some shuffling. The door cracks open, and Brenda peers out, her blue eyes sparkling.
“There’s my sweet girl,” she says before opening the door fully to give me a hug. “Oof, it’s cold! Come in, Haley. Take off your jacket and take a seat.”
Brenda doesn’t offer to help because to my dismay, my mother has put on even more weight.
At this point, she resembles Tammy Slaton from the show 1000-Lb Sisters.
She’s hardly able to walk, and uses a cane.
Not only that, but her hair is bedraggled and wispy and her skin clammy.
My mom appears to be wearing a men’s XXXL t-shirt, and elasticized shorts that come down to her toes paired with pink slippers that have seen better days.
“Mom, what happened?” I ask with barely concealed horror while seating myself on the couch. “Did you comb your hair this morning? Have you been brushing your teeth?”
Brenda is chipper as she eases her mass down on a nearby divan.
“I’m fine, Haley,” she says in an even tone. “I know I’ve put on some weight but things are great! Look at the house,” she says with a proud smile. “Spick and span and the furniture’s real nice too.”
I nod because after I got the money from my sale at the Citadel, I decided to help my mom buy a place.
Brenda didn’t need to live in poverty anymore, and so I purchased this little bungalow and set her up in it.
I also got her a credit card (which monthly bill I pay), and help her with her utilities and a gym pass.
To be fair, the house is immaculate and comfortable, and there are even fresh flowers on the dining room table through the doorway.
But what about my mom herself? Why does she look so unkempt? ”
“Brenda, what’s wrong?” I ask, deciding to take the bull by its horns. “Why are you dressed in rags? And why aren’t you taking care of yourself?”
My mom nods, her faded blonde hair thin and wispy.
“Well, I’ve fallen into a bit of a depression,” she says in a humorous tone. “As you can see.”
“But why? How? Have you even left the house in days?”
“Nope!” my mom says cheerfully. “It’s hard to maneuver when you’re my size, and even difficult to get out of bed. That’s why it took me so long to answer the door. These days, getting my feet over to the floor and then hoisting myself up is no small feat.”
I pause, unsure what to say.
“Mom, are you okay? What’s going on? Please tell me. Why are you depressed? We can go to the doctor together, and get you looked out. Maybe Dr. Combs can suggest a therapist too, and you can start seeing a professional.”
“Haley, I don’t need a head doc,” my mom says in an even tone.
“I need to know where you got the money to buy all this,” she says.
“That’s what’s been tearing me up inside because you were a barista at Aroma House.
Everyone knows that baristas barely make a living if at all. So tell me where you got the money.”
“I got a loan from the bank!” I say quickly. “Remember? I told you. There’s a new credit card out where you can get cash advances, and I got the money from there.”
My mom shakes her head.
“Haley, I wasn’t born yesterday. The bungalow next door just sold for $75,000 and it’s nowhere near as nice as mine.
Besides, where are you staying? How are you putting food on the table and taking care of yourself, especially now that you have a baby on the way?
” she asks, pointedly looking at my stomach.
I flush while my hands creep over my tummy because I didn’t think I was showing, but I guess another mother always knows.
“I’m expecting, and the father is a man that I love,” I say in an even tone. “Actually, he’s the one behind all this,” I say, nodding at her home. “He’s the one who gave me the money to buy all this, and it’s fine because he’s very wealthy. It’s not even a drop in the bucket for him.”
My mother shoots me a sharp look.
“Then who is he, and why haven’t I met him?”
This is where the pedal hits the metal, and I know I have to be honest.
“Mom, I’m dating Chase. You know, Chase Wheaton whom you used to be married to. He’s the one who got me pregnant, and he’s also the one funding your lifestyle.”
“My ex-husband Chase, you mean,” Brenda says in an even tone.
“Yes,” I acknowledge, now a bright tomato red. “I know it’s wrong. I know that he left you because you got fat, and that it wasn’t even your fault that you did. It was the medication, and you’re still on medication, and I can help you, Mom. We can help you. Chase can pay for specialists—”
“Is that what he said?” Brenda asks slowly. “That he left me because I gained weight?”
I pause.
“No, not exactly, but he didn’t deny it either.”
“What did he say then?”
I pause.
“He said that you can never understand someone else’s marriage, and that I shouldn’t rush to conclusions. But I know, Mom. You were on drugs and you put on weight, and it’s not your fault—”
My mom makes a chopping motion with her hand and interrupts me gently.
“Sweetheart, Chase is right. You never know what’s going on in someone else’s marriage, and he was very wise to tell you that.”
I pause.
“So you’re not angry that we’re dating?” I ask in a small voice. “That your ex-husband is also going to be your son-in-law?”
Brenda shoots me the shadow of a smile.
“It is a little bit of a weird situation, but I’m going to tell you something that speaks well of your babydaddy. Chase moved out because of you, sweetheart. Sure, my weight gain wasn’t great, but he’s not a shallow guy. He understands what our marriage vows meant.”
“What are you saying?” I ask in a confused voice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You didn’t know because you were in high school and caught up in cheerleading, the school play, and navigating different cliques. But you were very beautiful, Haley, and coming into your own as a woman. Chase saw, and he couldn’t help but be attracted to you.”
I gasp.
“But I must have been sixteen or seventeen!”
“You were,” Brenda acknowledges in a slow voice. “He didn’t say anything at first, but I could feel him looking at you. It’s a miracle that you didn’t sense his gaze because Chase was a hungry alpha male despite his best efforts to keep his attraction under wraps.”
“What?” I gasp. “I had no idea!”
“I know,” says Brenda quietly, sitting as still as a stone on the couch. “But I was his wife, and I knew. I could feel his existential torture, and when he told me he was moving out and wanted a divorce, I wasn’t surprised. Besides, I’d moved on too.”
“What?” I gasp. “What do you mean?”
“Our marriage had been dead for a while by the time the divorce rolled along,” my mom explains. “We were civil to each other, but we were really roommates more than a couple. So while he was busy trying to resist his attraction to you, I fell in love with someone else.”
“Who?” I gasp, my cheeks going pink. “Oh my god, this is crazy!”
“No, it’s not,” my mom says in a low voice. “I needed to feel seen again, and a handsome physical therapist at the hospital did that for me. His name was Jared, and he was twenty-five and athletic. He was kind too, and soon we were engaged in an affair.”
“You were cheating on your husband with a twenty-five year old physical therapist?” I almost scream in a hoarse tone. “Are you joking?”
“Sadly, no,” my mom says, her mouth pressed in a firm line.
“But I was desperate for romance in my life, and I fell for a young man who was nothing more than a swindler. He swindled me out of my divorce settlement and my life savings. Your stepfather actually settled quite a large amount on me as part of our separation, but it was gone within a year because of my actions,” she says in a rueful tone. “I was a fool for love.”
I can’t compute.
“So you met a younger lover at the hospital, and he took you for a ride.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” my mom confirms. “Jared’s probably in Vegas now with his boyfriend, laughing his ass off while using my money to pay for hotels and drugs.
I even contacted the FBI when I realized he’d made off with my money, but they said there was nothing they could do.
I gave him the funds of my own free will and there’s no way to get it back. ”
“But how did he convince you to give him cash to begin with?” I gasp, eyes wide. “Oh my god!”
Brenda grimaces.
“At first it was just little things,” she explains.
“Jared was leasing a car, and the lease expired, so I bought him a vehicle. Of course, I was paying for insurance and gas too, and then I paid for his share of the rent at a place he split with his friend. Then, he said he needed some help with his student loans, so I gave him money for that as well. Then, he said he was going back to school for an advanced degree, and needed to pay the tuition upfront. That’s what got me,” she says ruefully.
“I gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars to pursue an alleged degree in kinesiology, and he left the next day. Last I heard, he and his boyfriend are living like high rollers at the Bellagio. That is, until the money runs out.”
My eyes fill with tears as I take my mom’s hand.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Brenda,” I choke out. “I had no idea.”
“No, it’s okay, my sweet girl,” my mom replies in return.
“I’m so sorry that any of this happened, and especially because I had a role too.
I know that you went out there and hustled because we had no money, and I was scared, baby girl.
I was afraid that you were going to sell your body to make money, and I was even more scared of who you might meet and what might happen to you. ”
I take a deep breath and decide to fess up.
“I did sell my curves, Mom, and Chase is the one who bought them. I—”
But my mom holds up a hand.
“I don’t need to know the details, hon. I’m just happy that your stepfather has actually done the right thing in all of this.
He knew he was attracted to you, so he vacated.
He was generous with spousal support. He bought you, and has taken care of you, judging from your healthy glow.
I’m happy for you, sweetheart, and if being with Chase is what you want, then I’m all for it. ”
I get up and throw my arms around my mother because it’s always been me and Brenda against the world, with her as a single mom fighting the good fight on my behalf. But now, things have changed and we’re going to start a courageous new future.
“I love you, Mom,” I say while holding her tight.
Brenda strokes my hair with one hand.
“I love you too, baby,” she says in a quiet voice. “You’ve always been my number one.”
With that, our relationship is renewed as the new love below my heart grows because I’m going to be a mother, and Brenda a grandmother.
Plus, now that we’ve patched up our differences, I can move on with the man that I adore, even though Chase happens to be my mother’s ex-husband.
Who knew things could be this complicated?
And yet they’re not because with a little bit of kindness and understanding … anything is possible.