Chapter 6 #2
I was grateful for the offer, and I had no doubt she meant it.
Still, I didn’t see myself dragging her into that fray.
My aunt especially could be trusted to say some pretty nasty shit, secure in the knowledge that no one would push back for fear of confrontation.
Having someone like that in a conflict-avoidant family was… fun.
Aunt Elizabeth and Grandma wouldn’t be here today, though, so I tried not to think about that inevitable shitshow. For now, Ava and I got out of the car and headed inside.
I stole a glance at her, and something in my chest went a little fluttery.
She was cute as hell whenever she was lounging at home in pajamas with her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun or ponytail, or when she was in “miserable business casual,” as she called it.
Tonight, she had on a black blouse and snug jeans, and she had a braid draped over each shoulder.
“Just admit you’re cheating,” Jillian’s voice echoed in my mind. “She’s hot as hell and her bedroom is right across from yours. I’m not stupid, you know?”
“I’m not cheating,” I heard myself insisting for the billionth time, and I hadn’t been. “I just can’t afford a place on my own!”
“So, move in with me! We’ve been together a year. What’s the holdup?”
We’d split up not long after that because I’d finally spelled out all the reasons I hadn’t wanted to move in with her after a solid year.
That had turned into a fight, which had been the end of us.
We’d packed up each other’s various belongings in our respective homes and met one last time for what felt like a hostage exchange, and that was that. We were done.
Though as I followed Ava up to my parents’ front door, I had to admit I could see why Jillian had been worried that I was cheating.
She’d been frustratingly insecure anyway, but I had to admit that I probably would’ve been uneasy if my girlfriend had been living with a woman as amazing as Ava.
Especially if I knew that woman was single, into women, and had been joined at my girlfriend’s hip for most of her life.
I kind of felt guilty about that now. Not enough to unblock Jillian and text her to let her know I understood where she was coming from, though—we were way too toxic for a million reasons that had nothing to do with Ava.
That was something to unpack with a therapist later. For now? It was New Year’s Eve, and we were joining my family for what would hopefully be a festive evening.
It didn’t get off to the greatest start, though—we’d been in the house all of five minutes before my mom summoned me to the kitchen under the pretense of helping her with something.
She wasn’t subtle; I could sense the uneasiness coming off her, and I knew in an instant she wasn’t asking me to restock a snack tray.
Sure enough, as soon as we were alone in the kitchen, Mom turned around and faced me. “Listen, I don’t want to rain on your engagement or—I want you and Ava to be happy, of course.”
“Right. I know.” But I was nervous now, because something was obviously on her mind. Crap, was I losing my own mom as an ally? I’d thought she supported me and?—
“I’m just concerned because you two just started dating recently, didn’t you?” Mom asked.
Oh. That. Okay, that was valid.
“Yeah, we did,” I said. “But we’ve known each other since forever. We live together.”
“There’s a difference between being friends, being roommates, and being spouses, though,” she insisted. “Don’t you want to be girlfriends for a while before you’re wives?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “It really won’t change much, honestly.”
She eyed me. “If it doesn’t change much, then what’s the point of getting married?”
Because Ava would do for you what I’m doing for her mom.
I swallowed the emotions that thought tried to bring up; I didn’t want to think about them right now. “Insurance? Taxes?” I shrugged. “So if something happens to one of us, the other can make decisions or be at the hospital bedside?”
Mom straightened. “Oh. I… okay, I guess those make sense. And you trust her with those decisions?” Her eyebrows knitted together. “If anything happens to you, you’d trust her to advocate for you?”
“Absolutely,” I said without hesitation, and I meant it. This marriage may have been for show, but if Ava was ever tasked with advocating for me in a medical situation, I knew to my core that I could trust her.
Mom studied me. I thought she might press, but her shoulders relaxed a bit and she nodded. “Okay. I’m sure you two know what you’re doing. It still just seems so fast.”
“I know.” I laughed quietly. “But once we finally got together, it was like, damn, why didn’t we start doing this ages ago?”
“I’m sure it was. We’ve all wondered for a long time, honestly.”
“You—really?”
“Of course.” She smiled. “The speed was a little concerning, but ‘Ava and Tori are together’?” She snorted. “That’s about as surprising as Aunt Elizabeth showing up to an event with an opinion .”
I laughed, but I was kind of reeling, too. Marco had said as much. Our friends had been zero percent surprised about us getting together. My ex-girlfriend’s insecurities over me and Ava had turned our relationship into a nightmare.
Thank God I’d come to my senses.
The party continued, and I managed to get into the flow of things even after my mental stumble about my mom’s comments. We had everyone convinced our wedding was the real deal. That was the important thing. Everything else…
Well, a little wine took care of most of that, so—awesome. I’d be sober by the time we drove home after midnight, but this early in the evening, I could get tipsy without issue.
Our family always broke out the board and card games on New Year’s, and just like she always did, Ava slid easily into the banter and trash-talking.
We made mincemeat of my dad and brother at Spades.
My mousey preschool teacher sister-in-law absolutely destroyed us all at Cards Against Humanity, putting down some card combos that had us all gasping.
“Corinne!” My brother touched his chest and stared wide-eyed at his wife after she’d put down a particularly horrifying combination. “That’s fucked up!”
She smiled sweetly at him. “That’s the point of the game, isn’t it?”
“It is, but…” Duncan glanced at her cards, then at her. “Jesus Christ, honey.”
She snickered, and we all laughed, including my brother.
While the cards were put away and everyone debated what to play next, I slipped out to the kitchen to refill mine and Ava’s drinks.
I was just pouring our wine when my dad walked in.
“Hey, kiddo.” He had that same concerned expression Mom had worn earlier. Aww, crap.
“Hey.” I put the bottle down. “What’s up?”
“Just, uh…” He glanced at the kitchen doorway as if to make sure he hadn’t been followed. Then he faced me again. “Listen, word is definitely getting around to the family. About you and Ava getting married.”
“Mmhmm.” I swirled my wine. “I figured it would be. How is it going over?”
Dad sighed. “I’d love to tell you the whole family are happy and supportive. And most of them are. But…”
I nodded. “I know. I’m not expecting Grandma or Aunt Elizabeth to be happy about it.”
He didn’t gainsay me. Resting his hip against the counter, he said, “It’s your wedding, though. You and Ava are happy together, and that’s all your mother and I care about. We support you, and so does most of the family. Just… probably not those two.”
“Does that mean I don’t have to invite them?”
He rocked his head back and forth. “It might cause more drama if you don’t than if you do.”
“Considering how much drama it’s going to cause that I’m marrying a woman…” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yeah. I know. But marrying a woman and committing a social faux pas might make people talk. ”
I grinned. “But that could be fun!”
Dad sighed. “Victoria…”
“I’m kidding. I mean, it would be fun, but yes, I’ll invite them.” I huffed a laugh that was dryer than my wine. “Kind of a waste of money to print and mail their invitations, but…”
“Yeah. I know. Family sucks sometimes.”
“You said it, not me.”
Dad chuckled and patted my shoulder. “Come on. Sounds like they’re getting a game of Risk started.”
“Ooh, you’re all toast!”
He rolled his eyes. “Get in there.”
I laughed, gathered both wineglasses, and headed into the living room. When I saw Ava, though, I almost stumbled.
My aunt and grandma are going to be pissed that I’m marrying you?
Well, maybe they’ll be used to the idea when it comes time for me to get married for real.
Because I’m not getting married for real this time.
I shook those thoughts away, gave her the glass, and sat down so we could join in the game of Risk.
As we played, though, my mind wasn’t on the game. Not like it usually would be.
It unsettled me a little how much I had to remind myself that whenever I talked about my relationship with Ava—about our engagement and wedding—I was lying. I loved Ava, of course, and everything I said about us living together and being best friends since forever—that was all true.
But the parts about segueing into a relationship, and then an engagement? How natural it was to be partners because it felt like we had been for all this time?
It felt too easy to say all of that and mean it.
You’re so cute. You’re so sweet.
Everyone thinks we’re together because they’ve thought all along we should be.
Are we the clueless ones?
Uneasiness coiled in the pit of my stomach. Was this all a mistake? Was it going to blow up in my face? Were we missing something that was right in front of us? What if we were ruining it without even realizing it?
I let my gaze linger on Ava, who was talking with my mom and brother as my dad pondered his next move on the board.
What if this backfires somehow and I lose you?