Chapter 32
Vera
2012
T he warm Florida sun had felt beyond good on Vera’s skin. It had been too long since she’d been out of Maine, and she was happy to be spending Ellie and Brayden’s fall break from school relaxing at her sister-in-law’s Clearwater beach house. They had been there several times before but never with their whole family. Mason had also brought her friend, Chase Monroe, with them. She’d assured Isla and Vera a hundred times they were just friends , but Vera had a feeling something more could happen there. Vera loved Chase and made sure Mason knew she approved of her.
Walker, Chase, Mason, and her cousin, River Bennett, had taken Ellie and Brayden to Walt Disney World for the day. Vera was secretly relieved that the twenty-somethings had agreed to take the rambunctious seven-year-olds. It gave her time to relax with Isla, Everleigh, and Nora, Isla’s sister. And it gave her time to finally take a breath after the crazy year they’d had.
It has been a long but good year for the Mackenzie family. The year started with Everleigh’s birth just after the new year. Vera had helped Isla deliver her in their bedroom, and it was a moment she would never forget. In May, Ellie and Brayden finished kindergarten, and Vera still hadn’t recovered. Summer brought with it Everleigh’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, which the family was still figuring out. At least the service dog Mason had been training had been more than helpful in helping them know when Everleigh’s blood sugar was out of range.
But she and Isla had overcome that obstacle like they did everything else: together.
Reaching out, Vera took Isla’s hand, which was hanging off the side of the Adirondack chair. They were lounging by the pool while Nora fed Everleigh her bottle a few feet away under an umbrella. Although Vera couldn’t see Isla’s eyes due to the dark sunglasses, she felt she was asleep. But when she squeezed her hand, Isla squeezed it back.
“What are you thinking about?”
“How we let Mason take Ellie and Brayden for the day.” Isla sat up a little, a smirk on her face. “What were we thinking?”
“That we wanted a nice day alone.”
“Yes, with my sister,” Isla teased, sticking her tongue out at Nora, who did the same back.
“You two are worse than Mason and Ellie.”
“This is what happens when we only see each other once a year,” Nora laughed. “We’re going to make it a point to see each other more. I hate how much I’m missing with the kids.”
Roads work both ways.
Vera kept her comment to herself. She loved Nora; she did. But Nora was very focused on what was best for Nora and no one else. Well, and her daughter, River. River was a year younger than Mason and the light of Nora’s life. Although they had kids close together in age, Nora and Isla barely saw each other until the last five years. Vera knew sibling relationships were complicated, but Nora and Isla were so different it was hard to imagine them as sisters.
If it wasn’t for the fact Mason and River could pass as sisters, Vera wasn’t sure she’d believe the familial connection.
And it wasn’t as if Vera could talk about healthy relationships with her sisters. It had been years since Vera had seen Lena, and she’d yet to meet Everleigh. It hurt Vera more than she would ever admit to have a sister who seemingly didn’t want to be in her life.
Then there was Walker. She was an adult now, and there was little Vera could do to protect her anymore. Walker had to find her own way in the world, and Vera had to focus on her family. Her kids came first, always.
“And I can’t believe Miss Everleigh here is almost one ,” Nora cooed as she sat Everleigh’s bottle on the table and held her up above her head. Everleigh laughed, enjoying all the attention on her. “I remember Blake’s first birthday.”
Vera felt the air get sucked out of her lungs at the mention of Blake's name. She caught Isla’s expression out of the corner of her eye, noticing how she grit her teeth. It was clear she wasn’t in the mood to talk about Blake, but Nora wasn’t picking up on that cue. Not that Vera could blame her. Vera could read Isla better than Isla could read herself. She’d known that for years, and it came in handy at times like this.
Nora continued as Isla dropped Vera’s hand and sat straighter in the chair.
“She just loved that birthday cake. Put her face right in it and started eating.” Nora was still talking to Everleigh, who kept laughing. But it meant she wasn’t seeing that Isla was now noticeably uncomfortable. “Yes, she did. Are you going to do that, too? Are you going to be like your sister Blake?”
Clearing her throat, Isla stood. Vera hesitated momentarily, unsure if she should say anything or just let Isla be. She decided on the latter.
“I should get Everleigh ready for bed.”
Isla walked over to Nora, took Everleigh, and walked inside the sliding glass door. Although it was still an hour before Everleigh’s bedtime, Vera didn’t say anything. Vera kept her eyes on her, knowing she was upset, but she knew more than anything that she had to let her feel those emotions right now. Going to Isla now would lead to an argument. Vera knew that. So she’d just have to give her space.
Nora slowly stood and walked over to Vera, taking the seat Isla had just occupied. “I’m sorry, Vera. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay, Nora.” Vera finally pulled her eyes away from the glass door. “She gets this way sometimes. It seems to get worse the longer time goes by, too.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“Me either. I’ve tried,” she laughed sadly. “I’ve tried to take her pain as my own to get her through this, but at the end of the day, I can’t ever fully understand what she has gone through. I can’t imagine not having my kids in my life. Isla loves them all so much, and she loves Blake just as much.”
She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and she wiped it away quickly before continuing.
“I know Blake’s okay; that’s what gets us through most days, but still.”
“You want her in your lives.”
“We need her in our lives,” Vera corrected.
“Have you had any luck contacting her?”
“We send letters regularly but have never gotten anything in response.”
“What about those fan conventions? Does she do any of those?”
Although Vera knew Nora was only trying to help, she was desperate for the talk of Blake to end. She and Isla had tried everything they could think of to get in touch with Blake. Nora didn’t know everything Isla had been through the last twenty years. She wasn’t around like Vera had been.
“She has, but Isla won't go.”
“Why?”
“She doesn’t know what to say,” she shrugged. “I can’t imagine Isla walking up and being like I’m your mom is the best way to go. It would catch Blake off guard, and who knows how she’d react. Isla wouldn’t do that to her. You know Isla. She loves her too much to cause any added heartache.”
“I get that.” Nora leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs. She had the same dark hair and eyes as Isla had, which meant she also favored Mason. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“It’s okay.”
Thankfully, Nora changed the subject to her daughter, and the two spent the next hour gushing over their kids. It was a topic Vera would—and could—talk about all day.
“So,” there was a slight hesitation in Nora’s voice, “how’s Mason been?”
Vera didn’t need Nora to elaborate. She knew what she was talking about. Mason had spent a few weeks at the end of the summer in Connecticut with a service dog company, learning what she’d need to do to start her own company. While she had learned a ton and was in the process of establishing her own company, Mason had also had a fleeting relationship with her older mentor there.
When Isla and Vera heard the news when Mason got back from Connecticut, they were shocked. Mason had always shown interest in women; that wasn’t the shocking part. The shocking part was how crushed Mason had been. Even though it had been only a few weeks, Mason fell hard for Ashley Clinton. Vera had resisted the urge—so far—to drive to Connecticut and give Ashley a piece of her mind for hurting her little girl. But Mason kept insisting she was fine.
Even if Vera didn’t believe her.
“She’ll be okay,” Vera said with a sad smile. “She’s never had her heart broken before, so she just has to get through this. She’ll get through it.”
The sisters-in-law were quiet for a moment as Vera sent up a silent prayer for her daughter’s broken heart.
“So, tell me,” Nora leaned in toward Vera, her eyebrow arched. “What’s the deal with Mason and Chase?”
Vera couldn’t contain her laugh at the question.
“Oh,” Nora laughed, too, “did I walk into something there?”
“Well, according to me, yes. But according to your sister, no.”
“Go on.” Nora leaned back in her chair, sipping the margarita she’d made a half hour earlier. “I’m listening.”
“See, I think Mason and Chase will get married.”
“Stop it! I thought that, too!” The two laughed before Nora said, “When River told me they weren’t dating, I was shocked.”
“Give it time. Mason isn’t ready to settle down, but I feel Chase is. But I also believe Chase will wait for Mason.”
“So, what does Isla say?”
“She doesn’t think Mason will ever settle down.”
“Mama hen is just worried about her little chick.”
“We both are, but I know Mason.” Vera smiled at the memory of all her talks with Mason over the years about her future. “She wants to settle down. She’s just not there yet.”
“River’s the same way. I don’t think dating or marriage is even on her radar. She’s married to the stage.”
River followed in her Aunt Isla and Aunt Eden’s footsteps and had been actively involved in theater since before she could talk. She graduated from Juilliard a couple of years ago with a Bachelor’s degree in drama and has been in several Broadway touring productions since then. Although she’d yet to gain her much-desired lead role, Vera knew it was only a matter of time. She had all of Isla’s and Eden’s talent on the stage and then some.
“I guess part of being a mother to strong-willed daughters is learning that they march to the beat of their own drum.”
“I hear that,” Vera laughed. “And Ellie’s already so much like Mason. And River. She loves the stage, too.”
“Isla’s sent me videos of her plays. I showed them to River.”
The back gate to the porch opened as Brayden, Ellie, River, Walker, Chase, and Mason all walked through it. They were all tired, that much was obvious. River, Walker, and Chase quickly took seats at the table while Brayden and Ellie ran to Vera and hugged her.
“Mama, we had so much fun today!” Ellie was beaming with happiness as she talked.
“Yeah, we rode Splash Mountain six times !”
“Whoa! That sounds so fun!” Vera matched their enthusiasm as they told her about their day. But it was Mason that Vera’s eyes kept fluttering to. She was looking for Isla; Vera knew that much. “She’s putting Everleigh down, Mace.”
Mason nodded, smiling at Vera before heading into the house. Ellie and Brayden went on about their day for a few more minutes before she sent them inside to shower and get ready for bed. She told them she’d be in soon to tuck them in. Chase, Walker, and River were clearly exhausted, too, so they headed inside as well. Vera bid goodnight to Nora before she padded up the stairs to the room she shared with Isla.
She wasn’t surprised to find Mason in bed with her. Mason had her head on Isla’s lap as Isla ran her hand through her hair. They were looking at photos and videos on Mason’s phone, so neither had noticed her standing in the doorway yet.
Vera took in the sight in front of her. The darkness surrounding Isla had lifted, for which Vera was thankful. That was the power of Mason. Or, really, any of their kids. However, Mason had a special bond with both of them, so she always understood when they needed her without them having to ask.
As she was about to shut the door back, Isla noticed Vera. She smiled and waved her in, and Vera joined them in bed. Vera picked up Mason’s feet and put them in her lap as she watched the video of Brayden and Ellie meeting Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.
“They had so much fun.” Mason yawned, stretching her arms above her head. “Thanks for letting me take them. I had fun, too.”
“I’m glad, sweetie.” Leaning down, Isla kissed her forehead. “You and Chase and River can go to Universal by yourselves tomorrow if you want.”
“Actually, I think we’re gonna take Ellie and Brayden if that’s okay.”
“Of course, Mace.”
“Well, I should probably get to bed then.” Mason kissed and hugged them both before bidding them goodnight. Vera moved closer to Isla as their eyes locked.
“How are you?”
Isla shrugged as a tear ran down her cheek. Vera hugged her, holding her as tightly as she could.
“Oh, baby, I know. I want her here, too.”
“It’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not.”
“One day, though.” Isla nodded with confidence. “She will be one day.”
“One day,” Vera smiled, “we are going to have all our kids together and it’s going to be amazing. And then they’ll have spouses and kids and our house will be so loud but it’ll be so perfect.”
“I can’t wait for that.”
“One day, my love.” Vera kissed her lips softly. “One day soon.”