Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
ALLISON
Allison’s hands shook as she grabbed the three gift bags in her entryway.
They’d crossed the twelve-week mark into the second trimester. Time to tell their families.
She was dreading it.
Wells walked through quickly, taking the trash out. He’d stopped by once a week to handle it for her, their only consistent contact the last three weeks beyond him checking in every few days about how she felt.
“Maybe we can wait another couple weeks,” she said as he came in to wash his hands.
“Don’t chicken out on me now, Styles.”
She sucked in a breath, trying to keep her panic attack at bay. “You know, I can do this on my own, actually,” she said, waving him away. “No need for you to deal with my family.”
She said it with a wry smile as she gulped.
His eyes caught on the shaking tissue paper in her hands. “They’re your parents. They’ll love you no matter what.”
Allison barked out a laugh. “Sure. My incredibly judgmental parents who have treated me like an adult since I was six except for when they want to treat me like a child when I’m thirty-seven will be incredibly mature and understanding about me choosing to live my life in a way they don’t understand.
” She gasped for breath, choking back another laugh, smoothing out her hair as she looked in the mirror.
“You don’t have to earn their love,” Wells said, as if it was obvious. “You’re lovable just as you are.”
Her eyes caught his in the mirror, her hand pausing in midair. Did he mean—?
No. That’s silly. He’s not saying he loves me.
“It’s their loss,” he said, clarifying quickly. “I mean, they’re gonna find out. Were you planning to live the rest of your life being afraid of disappointing them?”
Maybe?
She looked at herself in the mirror. She put on her lip gloss.
“No,” she said, conceding. She’d pierced her nose, made her hair pink instead of the bottle blonde that her mom preferred. Heck, she’d gotten divorced. “I’m sort of their worst nightmare, actually,” she said with a small laugh.
I just want them to like me so badly.
She put a hand over her stomach, looking worried. “Maybe this would push them over the edge, and I don’t know, they’d stop talking to me.”
“Would that really be so bad?” Wells said, grimacing.
She glared at him.
“I’m kidding. Mostly.” He opened the door for her, gesturing her forward. “You can do it.”
She could do this. She’d hand them their commemorative custom t-shirts, wish her mom happy Mother’s Day, and say her present was being promoted to grandma.
“It’ll be fine,” she said, locking the door.
She’d rip it off like a band-aid.
Ten minutes later, Allison and Wells walked into her parents’ house.
“Wells, you remember my parents,” she said as he loomed large in the kitchen, waving to her parents. “And this is Molly,” she said as her little sister walked in the back door.
“Hey,” Molly said with a bright smile as Allison’s parents wandered into the kitchen, fixing a snack. “Did you sign my name on the Mother’s Day card?” Molly whispered, looking at the bags in Allison’s hands.
“Oh.” Allison shook her head. “No, sorry.” She’d completely forgotten about that in the stress leading up to telling her parents.
Wells narrowed his eyes at Molly and then looked at Allison. “Allison’s had a lot on her plate. Maybe you can cover the next few Mother’s Days. Since she covered the first thirty-seven.” Molly laughed and agreed.
Allison smiled as she mouthed, “Thank you.”
He nodded in acknowledgment.
“What are the bags for?” Molly asked.
“Ready?” Wells asked.
Allison’s stomach swooped like she was on a rollercoaster. They sat down at the kitchen table, and she tried to stop her hands from shaking as she handed her parents and sister the gift bags.
Maybe they’ll be excited for me. Maybe everything will be okay because they’ll finally be grandparents. They’ve always wanted to be grandparents.
Her mother held up the t-shirt that said “promoted to grandma” and her face turned sour.
“We’re having a baby,” Allison said with a tight smile.
“And we’re very happy about it,” Wells said, trying for a positive tone.
Her sister had squealed at her “Fun Aunt” t-shirt and hugged her. A bright spot in the otherwise stony silence.
Allison tensed at the teeth-grinding tension from her parents. Wells’s hand landed on her knee, and she grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers.
“Allison,” her mother said, chastising her. As if the baby she wanted so badly was a mistake.
Her dad’s face turned red as he threw down the t-shirt, glaring at Wells. “You’re marrying her.”
Wells squeezed her hand, and she could feel his body tense.
“Dad—”
Her father pointed with hateful insistence. “You’re marrying him, young lady.”
“No, I’m not,” Allison said calmly. “It’s not what I want. We’ll co-parent.”
“What will everyone think?” her mother said, looking away, tears in her eyes.
She looked at Wells as he squeezed her hand. “This was planned. Wells and I will be co-parents.”
Her dad kept talking over her. “This is not how I raised you. First, you’re the first person in the family to get divorced. Set a terrible example for your sister. Your business went under.”
Tension roiled in Allison’s stomach as she tried to figure out how to fix this. How to smooth everything over.
“Dad, that’s not what—”
“Now you’re an unwed mother, running around like some whore—”
“Hey,” Wells barked, standing up. “That’s enough.”
Wells leaned over the table, glowering at her father who went silent with a hateful stare. “No one speaks about her like that in front of me, understood? Allison is kind and thoughtful and will be an excellent mother, despite being raised by you. Apologize.” He sat back down, glaring at her father.
Every muscle in her tensed as she waited for an outburst, or for her father to throw something at the wall, which happened sometimes.
Allison’s father tossed the t-shirt on the floor as he stormed out of the room.
Her mother stared at her cake, shaking her head back and forth quietly. “Why would you do this to me?”
Allison’s heart broke. But what had she expected? That they’d be some big, happy family with modern values?
That they wouldn’t have expected her to get married in a shotgun wedding so they could still be the perfect family?
That was what they’d always pretended to be.
“Can you even manage it at all?” her mother continued with a worried look. “You’re so flighty. First, you wanted the big wedding to Keith. Then you got divorced, sold your shop. I mean, you have pink hair, Allison. Like a child.”
Allison’s voice caught as she struggled to figure out what to address first.
“May I?” Wells said to Allison.
She nodded, overwhelmed.
“Your daughter,” he said, leaning forward, “has managed this family well enough for over thirty years. From everything I understand, she raised herself. She managed your emotions and your husband’s.
You’ve done nothing but make her life harder.
It’s your job to love her or move on. And you will certainly never be allowed to speak to her or your grandchild like you did today if I have anything to do with it. ”
An unfamiliar wave of relief washed over Allison as she realized she finally didn’t have to fight her battle alone.
“I’m not doing anything to you,” Allison said, turning to her mom. “I’m just living my life. I thought you’d be happy. I know you want grandchildren.”
“I want them in the right way, like everyone else has,” her mother said, setting her fork down gently so as to not make a sound. “And now I have to go manage your father.” Her mother’s eyes filled, and she left the room.
They gathered up their things a few minutes later.
Wells stood by the car, waiting with the door open for her. Allison’s hands were still shaking from rage or anxiety. She wasn’t sure.
“Hey,” he said, stopping her as she got to the car. “You okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” she said with a shaky breath.
“Liar.” He pulled her into a hug.
She sighed against his solid chest, settling her rattling heartbeat. He held her head against his chest in a way that healed something inside of her.
“You did great, okay?” he said, rubbing her back.
“Liar,” she volleyed back.
He chuckled. “I’m being honest. You said what you wanted. You stood up for yourself. I’m proud of you.”
After you stood up for me. She’d been brave enough because she hadn’t been alone. He’d said so many nice things.
“Do you believe what you said in there?” she asked into his chest.
“Mm-hmm,” he answered.
Her hands had stopped shaking.
“I’m glad you were there,” she murmured, slowly pulling back.
He tilted her chin up with such gentleness. “Me too,” he said quietly, giving her a sad smile. “Hard part’s over.”
She let herself lean into his touch for a minute before she stepped back and hefted her purse on her shoulder.
He took it from her and opened the door to the backseat, sliding it in. “We’ll tell my family tomorrow night. And then we can finally just live our lives.”
As she watched her parents’ house fade in the rearview mirror and her pulse returned to normal, she wondered how the man she’d liked least in the world five months ago had become the perfect person to face her demons with.
WELLS
Wells checked the four sizzling pots on his mom’s stove, trying to keep his mind on task.
The back door opened, and Olivia, Luca, and Annabelle stomped through in a cloud of chaos.
“Hi,” he called from the kitchen.
“Uncle Wells,” Annabelle called as she hopped into the kitchen with excitement.
Wells smiled. “Hey, you. Watch out. I don’t want you to get burned.”
“I get to call you uncle now,” Annabelle said, hopping up and down. “It’s fun!”
“The funnest,” Wells said with a laugh.
Luca had finally popped the question. Annabelle had apparently been shocked she got another grandma and grandpa and uncle in addition to the future stepmom she already adored.
“Need some help?” Luca offered.
A meek knock on the back door sounded, and Wells’s heart leapt.