Chapter 30
“They just landed at the airport.”
I blink at my phone to make sure it was, in fact, Lauren calling me and not a wrong number. Winnie and I are watering the seeds in the planter boxes on the bacon-knee that Tanner helped us plant the other day.
“What are you talking about?”
“Mom and Paul. They just landed in Traverse City. Paul said they’re driving down and will be here soon, then driving back to Illinois tonight and—”
“Did you invite them?”
Silence.
“Lauren. Did you invite Mom and Paul to visit?”
“On accident?”
“Lauren. How do you accidentally invite our parents up without telling me?”
“I thought Mom would bail!” She’s exasperated. I can hear her shuffling around, probably panic cleaning. “She always bails. I have invited her a few times, and she doesn’t ever come, and I thought with them being in Florida she wouldn’t!”
“Okay, take a deep breath. It’s not the end of the world.”
“Not the end of your world. But possibly the end of mine.”
“Okay.” I hand Winnie the plastic watering can and sit down. “Let’s go through the basics. Are they staying here tonight?”
“No. They aren’t staying. Paul said they redirected their flight to Traverse City, so they could just pass through then drive to Illinois tonight.”
“Perfect. That’s one less thing to worry about. Now are they expecting a big dinner?”
“Paul? Probably not. Mom? Probably.”
“Then let’s make Rhett cook. He’s a decent cook, and it will just be the six of us, so that shouldn’t be too bad.”
“Actually.” Lauren pauses. “I may have invited Tanner too, and he’s offered to cook.”
I suck in my lips and close my eyes. I don’t know if I have it in me to address this with Mom tonight. Or ever.
“Lauren.” Her name is a whisper, and she should be thankful for that. “Why wouldn’t you run that by me? Or at least tell me that you invited him?”
I can picture her hiking up her shoulders then dropping them. “Because! He’s a good mediator. Everyone loves him, and he just makes you happy and relaxed, and Mom and Paul like him, and were asking about him. Besides, he’s our friend too. Not just your little boyfriend.”
I haven’t even told Lauren that I plan on staying yet.
I hadn’t told anyone other than Tanner. I have no idea how to breach the conversation at all, let alone with my parents.
Hi Mom and Dad, I have decided to pursue a relationship on the heels of my divorce and uproot me and my daughter for an extra couple of months to do so.
If he wasn’t here, then I wouldn’t have to talk about it. Lauren’s baby news would have been enough to keep them all occupied for the evening.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I know, I should have mentioned it. I just panicked and he’s so great and I swear it wasn’t just because of you and him. He’s honestly around all the time anyway…”
“You owe me,” I tell her and push up out of the rickety chair. “We’ll clean up here and be on our way.”
Once we arrive, Lauren puts us to work and for the next hour, we deep clean the main level of the cabin.
Lauren has always been very particular about her surroundings.
Anxious cleaning has been a hobby of hers since we were children.
But the mess I do see, makes me smile. She’s comfortable here, comfortable enough to have messes and leave them.
But now, Lauren is finding dirt in places no person would ever look. Top of door frames, in between the spindles of the chairs, the top of the fridge where they store bread.
Rhett has been assigned yard work with Winnie. The two are supposed to be picking up sticks for a fire, but it has turned into picking up sticks and throwing them for Storm, who Winnie has decided needs to marry Lemon.
Lauren runs the washing machine with extra detergent to make the house smell like fresh laundry and lights a massive candle on the kitchen table. Then cleans the counters. Again.
Then before we know it, an SUV is pulling up the driveway and Lauren returns to her sickly shade of green.
“It’s okay,” I assure her. “Remember. If she causes drama, she’s Paul’s problem.”
She nods and opens the door. The four of us wait there on the front deck while Mom and Paul shuffle out of a black Suburban.
Mom now dons a deep tan, a floppy hat, and a huge smile.
All good signs. Paul has his sunglasses pushed into his hair revealing tan lines on his temples.
They look happier than I have seen them in years.
Or maybe just since their last trip to Florida.
“Grampy!” Winnie takes off and doesn’t slow at all until she crashes right into Paul’s chest.
He lifts her up off the ground and spins her around. “Oh, my Win. I missed you so much kiddo.”
Winnie’s little face is buried into his neck and Mom doesn’t prickle at being ignored, shockingly. Instead, she’s smiling.
“Hi Mom.” Lauren skips down the steps and hugs our mother with Rhett right on her tail.
“Hi Laur.” She hugs her and then hugs Rhett. “Oh, you two look just so great together.”
Lauren laughs awkwardly. “Thanks mom.”
I go down to Lauren and Mom hugs me too, then she pulls away, her eyes searching my face.
“What?” I ask with an awkward laugh of my own.
Mom shakes her head. “You look good. You look like you got your color back.”
“Well, it is summer—”
“No. That’s not what I mean. You look happy. Where’s that boy of yours?”
Now I blush and let Paul pull me into a side hug while he continues holding Winnie.
“My girls, all in one place again.” He smiles and kisses my temple, saving me from my mother’s meddling. For now.
The nerves, just like that, almost slip away. There are plenty of moments for that to change, there’s no denying that, but right now, things are okay.
Rhett gives our mom his arm. “Let’s get your feet up with a glass of wine.”
“Oh, I knew I liked you.” She accepts his gesture, and we all follow them inside.
Rhett pours my parents some wine, Lauren and I, a glass of iced tea, Winnie some chocolate milk, and we settle on the back deck where Winnie shows Paul an old dirty plastic pencil box.
“Is this your rock collection?” Paul asks, looking at the box filled with stones.
“Yup.” She nods and brings it to us, setting it on Paul’s lap. “Uncle Rhett and Tan help me.”
I look up at Rhett who’s smiling a big proud smile. “The kid likes rocks.” He shrugs.
Winnie holds up each rock explaining why each one is special. It’s smooth, it’s bumpy, it’s broken. They’re nothing other than normal rocks but she sees them as so much more.
The back door swings open, and we all turn to find Tanner straight from work. I’m glad Winnie makes the greeting because I can’t bring any words to come out of my mouth. There’s nothing special about how he looks right now. But God, he is so much more.
“Hey Fred.” He hugs Winnie back, then lets her drag him over to her rock collection. He shakes everyone’s hands on his way over.
“Hi guys, good to see you again,” he tells my parents.
As he steps by me, he reaches for my hand and gives it a subtle squeeze. My mom catches the interaction with raised brows.
“Alright, what do we have here?” he asks Winnie and sits next to Paul, examining the rocks in the box. “Oh, there are some new ones in here! Tell me about them.”
Mom opens her mouth, but Lauren clears her throat, and we all snap our attention to her. Rhett gives her knee a squeeze.
“I’m pregnant,” she says and then there’s a pause.
Tanner and Winnie look over their shoulders with the same wide-eyed look on their faces, Rhett is watching Lauren, and Lauren sneaks a glance over at me like she did when she was little. Like she’s looking for me to do something.
“Lauren and I are having a baby,” Rhett says.
“It wasn’t planned, but we are really excited.
There is not a single person on this planet I love more than your daughter.
And I know I’m marrying her soon anyway, but I want you to know that I would choose this a million times over.
She will always be my first and greatest love, but this baby—” He shakes his head, mouth pinching.
“This baby is going to be the best thing we have ever made.”
Winnie looks at Tanner with scrunched eyebrows and crinkled nose. “They made the baby? How?”
“We can talk about it when you’re older,” he tells her and she only looks more confused.
“Sorry,” Rhett laughs to me, and I shake my head with a smile.
Then everyone’s eyes level on mom, who has yet to speak.
She lets out a shaky breath. “I always knew you two would make such beautiful lives for yourselves.” She shakes her head and pokes at the corner of her eyes to erase a tear. “I am so, so happy for you. Both of you.”
“Mom.” Lauren’s voice is soft.
“And Winnie!” She spins and faces Winnie. “What do you think?”
“It will be practice until I get my own baby sister. That’s what Aunt Laurey says.”
“Now.” Tanner claps his hands against his knees before I can grill Lauren. “Who’s hungry? I went to the grocery store and got the stuff to make homemade fettuccine.”
“Oh, let me give you a hand.” Paul stands. “I’m quite the expert on homemade pasta.”
“Perfect. Come on Rhett.” Tanner nods while Paul pats his back. Winnie heads in after her three favorite men.
“So?” Mom narrows her eyes on me the moment they go into the house.
“So what?” I can taste the defensiveness in my words even though I know there’s no getting around this.
“So, Tanner is still around.”
“Mom. He lives here and he’s Rhett’s best friend. Of course he’s still around.”
“I caught them making out in the kitchen at the Fourth of July party.” Lauren announces and then claps a hand over her mouth.
“Lauren!” I half yell. “It— I was just—” I try to be angry at Lauren, but I can’t. If she can tell our mom she’s pregnant, then I can admit I casually kissed a guy. Casually would be the only lie.
Mom is belly laughing, and for a moment I see a flash of Winnie in the way she laughs. Head back and bright pink cheeks. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to come clean. Jack has been giving me and Paul updates for weeks on the two of you.”
“I hate all of you,” I lie and sit back in my chair, shaking my head, not bothering to hide my smile.