Chapter 18
Chandler
As the party bustled around me, I pulled out my phone and read Gabriella’s text again, as if trying to find some other meaning than she had papers for me to sign.
She never texted me on the weekend, or outside of office hours in general.
I was pleasantly surprised to see her name pop up on my phone, her contact now her name rather than Bitchzilla which I had dubbed her weeks ago.
I furrowed my brow slightly, trying to think about which documents would so desperately need to be signed on a weekend. Nothing came to mind.
“Business as usual?” asked Greg, interrupting my train of thought as he walked over holding a beer in his hand.
“Something like that,” I said, slipping my phone into my jacket pocket, having not responded yet.
“Well, maybe you could set it aside tonight. It is your mother’s and my engagement party.” He took a sip of beer and glanced around the restaurant.
“I’m aware,” I muttered, gripping my tumbler of whiskey a little tighter.
I was in no mood to be subtly berated by the man my mother was intent on marrying, even though she didn’t tell me about their engagement until I pried it out of her over the phone.
I was still peeved that Nathan was the one to deliver the news.
Even more peeved that Greg hadn’t run it by me.
I wasn’t expecting to ask for my blessing or anything, but hell, the man had been in my life for over twenty years. I figured I deserved something.
“Don’t look so thrilled,” said Greg sarcastically before walking away and leaving me alone in the corner of the restaurant.
I watched in silent disdain as he walked up behind my mother and wrapped his arms around her midsection.
She laughed gleefully as she looked up at him over her shoulder.
She looked beautiful in a modest white dress and her hair pulled up into a loose up-do.
My heart swelled slightly. She did look happy, which made me feel guilty for being so miserable.
She had been through her own personal hell with my father. She deserved to be happy. I just wished it wasn’t with Greg. I wondered why I resented him so much. Maybe it was because it was hard to trust anyone with my mother after what she had been through.
I still remembered the day when my father told her he was leaving her.
Us. She hadn’t seen it coming. Neither of us had.
Sure, he wasn’t around a lot. He was always working or away on business, or so he claimed.
Little did we know he was in Poughkeepsie, cooped up with his mistress.
She was a waitress he had met one night when he was away at a conference.
Clearly, he thought she had more to offer him than his wife of fifteen years.
When my mother wouldn’t let him leaving us go, demanding answers through teary eyes and her shaking voice, he finally came clean.
I heard everything from my bedroom, where I was pretending to be asleep.
I was shocked to find out I had siblings out there that I didn’t know existed.
Who probably didn’t know I existed either.
That was how good of a liar my father was.
He had been putting on a show for years, all while raising a one-year-old boy and three-year-old girl a train ride away.
I wondered if he told his mistress the same thing he told his first family, that he was away at work.
I wondered if that was what he thought of us as—a job.
Maybe he grew tired of his double life and finally decided to come clean, so he could live one life with the family he chose over us.
He packed his bags and left that night, leaving my mother reeling and me to pick up the pieces as a ten-year-old who didn’t have the right emotional skillset to really be of much help besides holding my mother while she cried.
That was the only night she cried, or at least let me see her cry.
The next day, she acted as if nothing had happened and made me a bowl of my favorite cereal while planning out my school supply list.
She continued staying that strong woman until this day, doing her best to raise me and keep a brave face, even when her world had crumbled beneath her feet.
It was why I was so protective of her. She was unlike anyone I had ever met, and I didn’t think just anyone deserved her.
Even Greg, who had been around for longer than I could remember at this point.
I should be happy for her. For them.
“You look like you might throw up…” said Nathan, sidling up beside me with a beer in hand.
“Just lost in thought,” I said, taking a sip of my drink and tearing my eyes away from where Greg and my mother were dancing to no real music at all.
It made my stomach hollow out momentarily, an emptiness settling in me.
It came on every once in a while. A loneliness I often willed away, but now it was nagging at me as I looked around the party at the rest of the happy couples there to celebrate.
I wished I had someone by my side. Not someone, but Gabriella.
Her face popped into my mind, but I shooed it away.
It was a ridiculous thought. She was nothing more than sex.
Incredible sex. It would never turn into something serious.
She would never be here with me and my family or keeping a spare toothbrush at my penthouse.
I wondered if anyone would fill that sometimes nagging void.
I had always been too focused on work to really think about a wife and kids, but in moments like this it was hard not to.
“Earth to Chandler…” said Nathan, waving a hand in front of my face.
“Shit. Sorry, bro,” I muttered, snapping my attention to him.
“What’s with you?” he asked, eyeing me over his large glass of beer before taking a long sip.
“This is all so sudden.” I shrugged.
“Over twenty years is sudden?” he asked, raising a brow.
“I just wish she had told me.”
“What are my boys talking about?” my mother interrupted as she danced over to us with a grin on her face.
Fuck. She looked so happy. I did my best to muster up a smile that matched hers, but knew I was failing.
“Just talking about how long you and Greg have been together,” said Nathan, pulling her in and putting his arm around her.
She looked so small next to him. I could see her in his features…
his eyes and nose and light hair. I had gotten most all my features from the man I had spent years trying to forget, but saw in the mirror all too often.
“A long time,” she said drawing out the word dramatically. She looked toward me and held out her hand with pride. “I forgot, I haven’t showed you the ring, Chandler.”
I looked down at her dainty fingers speckled with sunspots, a modest round diamond sat on her ring finger. It’s smaller than she deserves, was all I could think, but I gave her the “ooh” and “ahh” she was looking for, bringing it in for a closer look.
She smiled at me proudly before looking at me intently.
“What?” I asked, wondering what she was thinking.
“I’m just wondering when you might have someone on your arm,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
“You know I’m busy, Mom. I just became CEO of a huge company. There’s not a lot of time.”
“But you always have an excuse. If it’s not this company, it will be something else. I just wonder why you haven’t met anyone you want to bring around.”
“And subject them to all of you?” I joked, hoping it would ease the look she was giving me and lighten the mood.
“I mean it, Chandler. You’re not getting any younger…”
“Gee, thanks, Mom,” I muttered, taking a sip of whiskey.
“You know what I mean. I just want you to be happy.”
“What about Nahan?” I asked, pointing my thumb at my brother who looked from me to her innocently.
She waved him off. “He’s busy with school. And he’s young.”
“I’m not a freaking grandpa!” I scoffed.
“Could be,” said Nathan, nudging me with his shoulder.
“You two are insufferable.” I shook my head at them both.
“Fine, fine. It’s your life,” said my mother, putting her hands up in defense. She knew when to drop it. Just like I knew when to drop it and keep my opinions to myself when it came to her relationship with Greg. She knew how I felt about him, though. It was obvious to just about anyone.
I couldn’t understand why they had to get married now, after all this time. I wondered what changed. What made them make the sudden leap toward marriage. They could just continue living in sin, although that was something I could throw up imagining, and not make such permanent decisions.
“There’s my girl,” said Greg, holding his arms out to her as if he wasn’t just with her two minutes ago. I refrained from rolling my eyes as he took her hands and led her back to their makeshift dance floor in the middle of the restaurant.
“Are you ever going to like him?” asked Nathan, noticing the look in my eye as I watched after them. “You know, he’s not all that bad.”
“I know,” I said, lying through my teeth. It was hard not to tell him how I really felt, but he was Greg’s son. I signaled for the server and pointed at my drink, wishing I had a funnel of whiskey to numb me and get me through the rest of this party.
“Want another?” I asked Nathan, looking at his near empty beer.
“Sure. Why not?”
I signaled for another beer. Soon, we were done with our second round of drinks and I was feeling better.
I was glad I had my brother there with me, even though we didn’t see eye to eye on our parents.
He was a good kid, and if anything came out of my mother and Greg’s relationship, I was glad it was him.
“Are you seeing anyone?” I asked curiously.
“You kidding? I hardly have time to sleep this final semester,” he said with a shake of his head.
“You’re taking college a lot more seriously than I did,” I said, thinking back to the glory days with Wyatt when we would drink and fuck anything with two legs.
“I just want to make you guys proud,” said Nathan softly.
I put my hand on his shoulder, cupping it firmly. “You are,” I assured him. “But you could have a little fun, too.”
“And you.” He gave me a look.
A faint clinking sound grew louder and I realized it was time for some sort of speech from Greg who was holding his glass and tapping a knife against it.
“I better go,” said Nathan, nodding in that direction.
I was good where I was, tipsy and a crowd of people away from Greg. While I drowned his corny speech out, I slipped my phone from my jacket pocket and opened the text from Gabriella.
Me: Where are you for me to sign the documents?
I eagerly watched the three dots bounce on the screen, waiting for her response. I wondered if I was too late. She had texted me much earlier, but it wasn’t the end of the day yet for her so-called deadline.
Gabriella: I’m at my apartment. I’ll send you the address.
I smiled down at my phone, thinking tonight might just head in a good direction.