Jules
FIFTY-TWO
Drew got a penalty misconduct. Silas talked the GM into not suspending Drew, but he has to pay a fine and he’s benched until further notice. I can’t believe he did that for me. I mean, the man will play through the pain, but he broke one of the biggest rules for me.
I tilt my head back to look at him. We’re lying in his bed, his arm curled around me, Bailey sleeping at the foot of the bed. Drew looks down at me, his mouth tilting up into a smile. God, he’s beautiful. And he’s in love with me.
“Will it be in poor taste if I admit I’m secretly glad you’re benched because it gives your shoulder a rest?” I ask.
Drew chuckles lightly. “You’ve made your feelings about my shoulder obvious. I’m not surprised you feel that way.”
“I know you’re going to get hurt and it’s all part of the game, but playing through the pain isn’t.” I push up onto my elbow and look down at him. “I need you to promise me you’re not going to treat your body like it’s a machine.”
Smoothing back his hair, I kiss his forehead. “You’re so much more than hockey, Drew. I wish you realized that. You don’t have to prove that you’re worthy because you are. No one is going to be disappointed if you take the time to heal or if you don’t play anymore.”
Drew pinches my chin, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip.
“What will we do when I retire?”
“We’re going to move to Nantucket, obviously.”
He hums. “You’ll be able to get all the fresh gossip.”
“We’ll set up an art studio in the attic that will overlook the water with plenty of light. It’ll be our office.”
“We’ll buy a fixer upper so we’ll always have something to do around the house,” he adds.
“It will need to have a big yard for Bailey and the kids,” I say.
“We’ll build a rink so I can teach the kids how to play hockey.”
I nod, already imagining the life we’re painting. The softness of our words are like a memory we’ve already lived and I ache to go back to that life.
My eyes meet Drew’s.
“Promise me I won’t ever be an obligation to you. I want to be your partner, Drew, not a responsibility. I don’t want you to be careful around me because you think I’ve gone through too much. You don’t have to heal me. That’s what Dr. Kim is for.”
He kisses the corner of my mouth softly. “I promise I will always think you’re fragile like a bomb, and not emotionally fragile. You’ll always be my responsibility, Jules because I love you and I want to protect your heart, mind, and soul. That’s not something I take lightly.”
I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. “Fine, I accept.”
“Good.” He presses a kiss on the top of my head.
Tomorrow, we’re going to see my parents. But tonight, it’s just us without the worries.
I chose a black bodysuit and wide-legged black slacks for the lunch meeting. I apply a layer of Ruby Woo over my lips because it was Gemma’s favorite and on my black coat, I pin her broach. The tiny jewels twinkle in the daylight.
My parents are waiting for us at the table when we arrive and Drew squeezes my hand when he sees them.
“We should just let the lawyer deal with them,” he says.
He’s not wrong, but there are some things I need to say that can’t be done through proper legal channels. I’ve sat with these words for so long that they need to be released.
“I’m sure the lawyer will have plenty to say, but so do I,” I tell him.
Nodding once, he leads me to the table. My mother sits with a pinched mouth while dad offers me a small smile. It’s too bad he chose to be a good husband over being a good parent, though I’ve long since stopped wondering how different my life would be if I’d been raised by him as a single parent.
The server comes to offer us menus and I shake my head. “We won’t be here long.”
When they leave, I turn to my parents, if they can even be called that because all they did was procreate. They weren’t involved in raising me.
“Let’s make this quick. You’re not getting the money for rent and you’re not getting any of Gemma’s things. It’s been a decade and you’ve lost the right to contest her will. I don’t believe your bullshit claims.”
“Now, Jules,” Dad starts.
I hold up my hand, looking him square in the eyes. “I’m not finished talking.”
Dad’s cheeks flush red and he glances at my mother who’s looking at me stone faced.
“You’re both terrible parents and if you have a modicum of sense, you should be thankful to Gemma for raising me.
” I meet my mother’s eyes. “For so long, I believed your cruel words and let myself think I wasn’t worthy of being loved and respected.
How stupid of me, no? I’m nothing like you, and while you may think you need a man to love you to be someone, I don’t. ”
She loves drily. “Then what’s he doing here? I’m sure you don’t need him.”
I look at Drew and he offers me a small smile.
“I do need him, but my self-worth isn’t tied to him,” I say. “My self-worth isn’t tied to anyone. I’m not chasing a high from what men can offer me, but arguing with you is futile. You’re never going to understand me.”
“Like you’ve once tried to understand me?
” Mother leans forward over the table. “Do you have any idea what a woman’s body goes through when she has a child?
Do you have any idea what I went through?
My sacrifices mean nothing to you, you ungrateful girl.
” Her eyes shift to Drew. “He’s not going to stick around forever, you know.
He’s just not the type. They never are.”
I can hardly believe my own ears. I’m not privy to what happens in my parents' marriage, but my father has stuck around forever. He’s still sitting next to her quietly, so I don’t know why she’s assuming men never stick around.
“First of all, please don’t loop my boyfriend into whatever pathetic excuse of men you know,” I say. “You don’t know him any more than you know me. Second, did you really just blame me for getting knocked up? Like I had a choice in the matter?”
Mother sits back and crosses her arms. “Let’s see how you feel when he knocks you up and promises you the world.
I have tried to give you the best of everything and in return, all I’ve asked is for a little love and attention.
I’m your mother, but you always saw me as the enemy.
Gemma was perfect and I was just an evil crone. ”
Her voice thickens like she’s about to cry but not a single tear falls. She buries her face against my father’s chest, her shoulders heaving like she’s actually crying. I roll my eyes.
“Juliet, you need to apologize to your mother right now,” Dad says, patting mother on the back.
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I say. “This is the same woman who told her teenage daughter the only thing I’ll ever be good for is sex and I should be grateful for having the right assets to attract a man.”
Drew reaches my hand and the warmth of it steadies me.
“Like I said, nothing I say will have any impact on you. I’m happy to let my lawyer do the talking.
Understand this, you’re not getting a cent from me, but by the time my lawyers are through, the only thing you’re going to have left are the clothes on your back.
They’re going to eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. ”
Opening my purse, I grab my lawyer’s card--which Ford gave me last night after Lavinia told him I needed a lawyer--and place it on the table. With two fingers, I push it toward my father and have the satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen in shock when he reads the name on the card.
“Do you see how nasty and cruel she is?” Mother cries, looking at dad and Drew for support. “No one wanted to believe me when I said she hated me but you can see it with your own eyes now.”
Even Drew rolls his eyes at that.
“I’m done being terrorized by you,” I say, standing up. “Don’t ever try to contact me again or I’ll have no choice other than to involve my lawyer.”
I already have a meeting scheduled with them for next week to possibly get a restraining order for them. Taking Drew’s hand, I walk out of the restaurant, leaving my parents behind.
Outside the restaurant, Drew wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close for a kiss. “That was the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen you do. I’m so proud of you, but also I can’t wait until we’re home and I can finally bury myself in your cunt.”
I laugh with giddiness, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Tempting, but you kissed me in front of thousands of people last night and it aired on live television, which means we need to officially tell your family that we’re dating now that the cat’s out of the bag. They’re waiting for us.”
“Right. They’re going to be so weird about this.”
Drew sighs, leading me toward the car, which is parked down the road.
“They deserve to be weird about it.”
It takes us about an hour to get to his parents’ house. As soon as we walk through the door, Dr. C envelopes me in a warm and familiar hug.
“I’m so happy,” she says, her throat clogged with tears.
“I don’t even care that you’ve been keeping it from us for months.
” She pulls back, taking both of mine. Her eyes shine with unshed tears.
“I’m so, so happy. Ecstatic. You can stop calling me Dr. C now.
Call me Melanie or Mom or whatever you want. ”
“See, I told you they were going to be weird about it,” Drew says. Closing the door behind us, he hugs Dr. C and kisses the top of her head. “Hey, Ma.”
“I’m not being weird, I’m just so happy,” Dr. C--Melanie--replies.
She leads us into the living room where the rest of the family is waiting for us. Lavinia is grinning, her smile spreading ear to ear.
“I always knew it,” Aunt Constance coos. “That's why I sent you two to New York. Be honest, is that where it happened?”
“No, it happened in September,” I say.
“You wasted a whole summer together?” Aunt Constance frowns.
“The kids needed time to realize their feelings,” Grandma Lizzie says to her sister.
Aunt Constance rolls her eyes, sitting down on the couch. “They’ve had feelings since they were kids. How much longer did they need to realize it?”