Chapter 23 #2
Unless you were a woman who worked for her, of course. Then pregnancy was an inconvenience that required Saint Victoria of Ophthalmology to shoulder yet another burden in life.
Sabby never had had the guts to ask her mother if somehow her sister being lesbian disappointed her, since Jess would never be traditionally married, at least in Victoria's eyes.
She personally didn't understand it. Jess could still have kids, or adopt, or whatever.
Jess was totally awesome as she was, how could her mother see her as any sort of disappointment?
Still, almost nineteen years of living with the woman had trained a lot of Pavlovian reactions into Sabby, and she answered her mother's question.
"My social life is just fine. I'm... I'm actually seeing someone. He's a soldier in Jess's unit."
"Oh really? An officer maybe?" her mother said hopefully. "You know, I heard that those West Point men are?—"
"Actually Mom, he's enlisted... but he's already got his degree," Sabby said quickly to stave off her disappointed look. "From Miami. In math."
The look that came over her mother's face was almost... smug? It confused her, and finally her mother laughed softly, smiling.
"So, I guess you're finally getting your act together. That's good, Sabby."
"Mom—"
"Your father's and my tough love finally bore fruit. I mean, it'd be better if your boyfriend were an officer, someone with a long-term future," she continued, talking right over her daughter. "Why waste yourself with some common soldier?"
Sabby's hand tightened around her phone.
Years of conditioning screamed at her to bite her tongue, to smooth things over, to pretend she didn't care about the jab at Logan.
But the words were toxic, and they weren't just about him.
They were about her, about Jess, about everything she valued.
The risk was huge, but the silence felt heavier.
"Mom, how about you just shut the fuck up for a moment?" Sabby said, her voice hardening. "Tough love," she called it. It felt a lot more like being discarded.
Her mother was shocked. "How dare you?—"
"How dare I?" Sabby interrupted, her heart speeding up in her chest as anger and adrenaline flooded her body.
"How dare you? Taking credit for what I've done over the past years since you chased me out of your house.
Like you and Dad had anything to do with it!
You shunning me wasn't 'tough love,' it was my sister, who took me in but held the line.
She's loved me unconditionally. It was my sister who didn't react with anger or derision, but just held me to a standard.
Never, in all this time, has Jess ever looked at my fashion choices or life choices as if I didn't measure up to some bullshit fucking line in her head. "
"I—"
"No, this is my turn, and if you ever want me to pick up a call from you again you can shut up and sit there and listen," Sabby said.
"You disrespect me constantly, you disrespect Jess constantly.
Me seeing a common soldier? Guess what Mom, Jess is a 'common soldier.
' Except she's nothing but common. Jess is an exceptional soldier.
She's a leader, she's a badass, she's a warrior, and yes, she's a great older sister.
If anything, me falling in love with a 'common soldier' should be a compliment, because he's a good man, and Jess is teaching him how to be a better soldier.
Between all of that, I'm in good hands. Now if you ever disrespect Jess like that again, I swear that if Logan and I have a baby, and guess what, he and I are fucking on the regular and he's fantastic at it, you and Dad will not be a part of my baby's life. Do you understand me?"
Her mother looked like she'd just been slapped, and her face flushed.
Sabby wondered if she was going to see one of her mother's famous meltdowns, but instead she swallowed back whatever she was going to say and just pursed her lips in that way she did that made her look about twenty years older than she was.
"We'll talk later. Goodbye, Sabrina."
Sabby clicked hangup before her mother could, staring at the computer with angry tears in her eyes. Finally, unable to hold back, she pounded her fist down on the table.
"FUCK!"
"And you wonder where I get the energy to go through my workouts from," a quiet voice said from the kitchen doorway. Sabby looked up to see Jess there, her arms crossed over her chest and a bemused, sad smile on her face. "You okay?"
Sabby wiped at her face, fiercely sweeping away the tears that threatened to fall. "Fuck no. How long have you been there?"
"Came in about halfway into the conversation." Jess came over and sat down. "I heard Mom's voice first, and I knew it'd be better if I stayed out of it. So... you had the talk with her."
Sabby nodded, and realized that her sister was suddenly on the verge of tears too. "When?"
"Right before I joined the Army," Jess said softly. "You remember how they were when I came out to them, but there were a few conversations with Mom that were... caustic."
"Let me guess. Saint Victoria realized that all of her good work was going down the drain with her abnormal, deviant daughter, and how could you just spoil all of her good parenting?" Sabby asked, and Jess nodded. "Jesus Jess, how'd you ever come back home?"
"I kept hoping that she'll realize what she did and maybe change," Jess said quietly. "Sabby, I wish I could have been there when you were getting in trouble, but I... I had to save myself."
"Which allowed you to save me," Sabby reminded her, putting an arm around her sister.
Jess turned to her, and the two hugged, tears flowing freely. The cushions of the couch wrapped around them as they held each other, the familiar scent of Jess's shampoo mingling with the salt of tears.
"I love you so much, Jess."
"I love you too, Sabby," Jess whispered, squeezing her tight. "I swear you're always going to have a home with me. I don't care if I get hitched to Cara Delevigne and become her love slave. You're always going to have a home with me."
"I know." Sabby squeezed her sister tighter. "You're too hot for Cara Delevigne though."
"Look who's talking!" Jess released Sabby and smiled through her tears. "Calling me an exceptional soldier and all that. And you're too hot for Hollywood."
Sabby shrugged, and smiled. "I'm not worried about that. I know I'm hotter than he deserves, but he's a good boyfriend."
"Meh, he's not too bad... for a college boy PFC," Jess teased. Glancing over her shoulder, she hummed. "Want some wine?"
"No workout tonight?" Sabby asked, and Jess shook her head. "Even after all that barbecue?"
"Recovery fuel, and I'll work any extra off tomorrow," Jess said.
Twenty minutes later the box of admittedly cheap wine was half empty, and both girls were tipsy, Jess laughing about the barbecue.
The cool glass felt good in Sabby's hand, the sweet liquid washing away the bitter taste of confrontation.
"So Carter, he decides that starting a fire the old fashioned way wasn't good enough, so he goes and gets a bottle of rum and pours it on the wood!"
Sabby laughed. "He didn't!"
"He did!" Jess laughed. "God Tom Franklin was so fuckin' pissed, but Nate Nichols was like 'bro, we coulda used gas.' So we all started trying to top one another on the most ridiculous ways to start a barbecue."
"What was Logan's idea?" Sabby asked, and Jess laughed uproariously. "What was it?"
"He said the best way was to get me pissed off and hungry, and name the barbecue Hollywood," Jess said, sending both of them laughing hard.
"He didn't!"
"Oh he did!" Jess said with a giggle when she could speak again. "You got yourself a good one. Although..."
"What?"
"Telling Mom that he's a good lover?" Jess asked, holding her stomach. "I nearly yarked myself!"
"Why?" Sabby asked. "Come on, Logan's a good guy."
"Yeah, yeah, he's a good guy," Jess admitted. "And, I like him. He's good to you, and you clearly are enjoying yourself."
"But?"
"But," Jess said, taking another sip of wine and shivering, "dick. No thank you."
Sabby laughed, and sipped her own wine. "Don't worry, his tongue's also more than adequate."
Jess rolled her eyes. "Bitch you did not find a guy with dick who can also go down on you right, did you?"
"And he can flick the bean like a champ," Sabby said smugly. "Face it Jess, I got me a triple threat."
Jess smiled, shaking her head at her sister's luck. "Yeah, but still... dick. Ewwwwww."
They both laid back, laughing. Sometimes, laughing about dick was more therapeutic than anything a doctor could provide.
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