27. Meredith
Chapter Twenty-Seven
MEREDITH
Witnessing how Logan’s Aunt Beatrice lives really gives me some insight into how privileged I’ve been my whole life.
Her house is clean and well-kept, but the building is crumbling around her, the pipes loud and creaky as she boils a kettle of tea.
Something as simple as the off-brand sugar she has in the pantry shows that her life has been a lot harder than mine.
Logan’s life had been a lot harder than mine back then, too.
I don’t always appreciate that.
“How long have you been in town, Logan?”
Logan winces. “A few months. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten around to calling you. Everything’s been so busy, opening a new business?—”
“A new business? Did you buy another garage?” Beatrice’s voice was bright and interested.
“I did. The one downtown. That’s how Meredith and I… reconnected.”
“I remember how crazy you were about her when you were kids.”
Logan pales, but he doesn’t respond, sipping his tea even though it’s surely too hot.
“Is that so?” I tease, and Beatrice nods, sitting next to me and sliding me a cup of tea.
I sip from it, and I’m surprised that it’s quite good, mint and rose.
She clearly spares no expense with her tea.
Everyone has their luxuries, I suppose.
“He always talked about growing up and starting a business and a family with you.”
Logan clears his throat. “Let’s not talk about the past. We have news, Auntie.”
She looks at him. “What kind of news?”
I smile, putting a hand on my stomach. “I’m pregnant.”
She gasps, holding a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Logan. You’re starting that family after all.”
Logan’s chest puffs. “Yes. We’re due in September.”
“That’s so exciting. You’ll invite me to the wedding, yes?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
“Of course, we will.”
I nudge him with my knee under the table. There’s no reason we have to explain our complicated love life to his ailing, elderly aunt.
“It’s wonderful news. I wish I had a bottle of champagne to pop, but the doctor says it doesn’t go well with my medication.”
Logan stiffens. “What kind of medications? Are you sick?”
She waves a hand. “All old ladies are sick, Logan. My body’s failing me. It happens to us all.”
“But if it’s something serious... I could get you a better doctor. A team of doctors.”
“Dr. Klein is doing all right by me.” She doesn’t allow the conversation to go further, standing up to go through her pantry for some cookies.
I’m hungry again already, so I eat four cookies, dipping them in my tea.
“Eating for two.” Beatrice pats my hand and smiles.
It’s such a welcome comment from someone that isn’t my mother that I can’t help but grin. “Have you two thought about names?”
Logan stares at her blankly. “It’s still too recent. We haven’t even sat down to talk about any of that.”
I smile and nod. “I do have a few ideas for a boy, nothing for a girl yet.”
“Don’t name her Beatrice.” She laughs, and I laugh with her.
“Why not?” Logan huffs. “It’s a perfectly good name.”
Beatrice and I laugh harder, and Logan seems a little put out but in good spirits.
“I’d love to invite you two for dinner, but I’m afraid I’ve already eaten.”
“That’s okay.” Logan stands. “I’ll go and hit the head and get out of your hair, Auntie. I just wanted to share the good news.”
He leans down to kiss her forehead before leaving the room and heading to the bathroom.
Beatrice instantly slides next to me as if we’re in on a secret.
“He’s still crazy about you, you know?” Her voice is almost conspiratorial.
“I don’t know about that.” I shift a bit in my seat.
Logan must not have been that into me back then or he wouldn’t have left.
“He’s spent his whole life working to be enough for you, Meredith. Don’t you see that?”
My mouth drops open. “Are you suggesting that his business growing, everything, has been for me?”
I can’t believe that. He’s the one that left. He’s the one that broke my heart.
“You know, he’s never brought another girl home. Not ever.”
I blink at her. “That can’t be true.”
She shrugs. “I mean, I don’t know the whole story, so I guess I could be wrong, but I think you’re the only girl he’s ever loved.”
Is it that outside of the realm of possibility? I mean, Logan is the only man I’ve ever loved.
She can’t be suggesting that , can she?
“Beatrice,” I start, but then Logan’s coming back into the room, drying his hands on a towel.
“Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding.” She gives me a wink.
Logan ushers me out of there like the house is on fire, and he’s flushed red.
“Are you okay?” I can’t stop smiling. I like it when the tables are turned.
“Just... family. They’re embarrassing, no matter how much you love them.”
“I don’t think she was embarrassing at all.”
He opens my car door, and I slide inside, buckling my seatbelt.
Logan gets into the driver’s side and starts up the car, driving me home.
“Your aunt seems to think that you and I are soulmates or something.” I mean it to sound teasing but instead, it just sounds curious.
He freezes, then his face goes blank. “What are you talking about?”
“Your next girlfriend, after me. What was she like?”
His shoulders go stiff. “Fine. She was fine.”
“Fine? That’s all?”
“I, uh, haven’t dated much, since you and I split.” He’s flushed even a deeper red now, staring straight ahead at the road.
“Logan, you left me because you wanted to see other people, and now you’re telling me?—”
“I’m not telling you anything. You’re asking a lot of questions.”
“Am I not allowed to ask questions? We’re having a baby, for God’s sake.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Not about our past.”
“Of course, I want to ask questions about the past. You left me, Logan. You’re the reason I dropped out of college.”
We’re at a stop sign, and his head swivels to look at me. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. You broke my heart, ruined me. I didn’t know how to get out of bed in the mornings. And now you’re saying?—”
“I'm not saying anything . You’re just assuming.”
“Why did you break up with me?”
“Things weren’t working out.”
“Why not? Because you had another girl on the line? But your aunt, she said?—”
“Aunt Beatrice needs to mind her business."
We are stopped just a few feet from my mother’s gate, so I get out of the car, slamming the door.
He sits in the car for a long moment, but then gets out, stalking over to me.
“You can’t make a scene here. Your mother?—”
“Oh, fuck my mother! I’m only going to get more pregnant, and we’ll have to tell everyone. Including Grayson. Or are you so upset that I won’t be your secret anymore that?—”
He steps toward me, and I don’t back up, glaring up at him.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Did I mean nothing to you?” Tears fill my eyes. “You just didn’t want to be with me anymore, so you said you wanted to see other people? In reality, what, you just didn’t want me?”
“You don’t get to tell me what I want or don’t want, princess.”
“I just want a fucking clue , Logan! You hurt me. Do you have any idea how bad you hurt me?”
“It hurt me, too.”
“Then why ? Why do it? Why can’t we be together now?”
He blinks. “Do you.... do you want to be together now?”
I throw up my hands. “Does it even matter?”
“Of course, it matters.” He gets closer, reaching out to touch my shoulder, but I wrench my arm away.
“Don’t touch me. You don't get to touch me until you tell me the truth.”
“I don't know what you want me to say,” he says flatly, and I want to hit him, but instead, I just buzz myself in the gate and start the walk up the driveway.
Logan doesn’t follow me.
When I jerk open the front door, my mother sits on the couch, and her eyes widen.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
I burst into tears and throw myself into her arms.
She strokes my hair, for once not commenting, only letting me cry. It’s nice. Lovely, even.
“You look a fright, dear. What’s going on?”
I pull away from her, biting my lip. “I’m afraid to tell you.”
“Oh, sweetheart. If this is about your job?—”
“It's not about my job. It’s so much worse than that.” My voice trembles, and my mother takes my hand, looking into my eyes.
“You can always tell me anything, Meredith.”
“But you won’t approve.” Tears spill down my face.
“It doesn’t matter. I still love you, no matter what.”
I guess that’s what I needed to hear, because I break down.
“I’m pregnant, Mom. I’m pregnant and the dad doesn’t want me, and I don’t know what to do.”
To my mother’s credit, she barely reacts. She just draws me into her arms, holding me tightly as I cry against her chest.
“Who’s the father?”
I shake my head. “I’m not ready to tell you that.”
She takes a deep breath, and I can tell she’s struggling not to get angry.
“Have you told everyone yet?”
I shake my head.
“Thank you for trusting me.” She hugs me tighter for a second.
“Look, I know no one wants to talk to me in this family, but I learned my lesson and I’m sorry. So, even if I’m not allowed to stay, why don’t you invite the whole family over? You can talk to all of them at once.”
I look up at her. “Even Dad?”
“Yes, Dad, too, of course.” She shrugs, smiling, probably trying to get used to the idea.
“R-really?” It seems almost too good to be true, but of course, she doesn't know the truth yet.
I suppose a family dinner is as good a time to ruin my life as any.
She pats my hand as I stop crying. “I’ll make you some lunch. Now I know why you’ve been getting chunkier.”
“Mother, please don’t call me chunky.”
She leans down to kiss my forehead. “You're right. You’re eating for two.”
Her parroting what Beatrice had said makes me smile.
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.