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“Well, Paula, I’ll be honest with you. Love hasn’t been my bestie recently thanks to a jerk of an ex, and I have a lot of other things going on in my life at the moment, so for now, I’m not dating.”
“That’s too bad. Bennett has been saying the same bullshit to me since he left his lying, cheating, bitch of a wife. What is it with your generation allowing one bad burn to scar you instead of allowing it to heal and then move on as nature intended?”
“Darwinism,” I quip.
“Nice try.” My mother pats the side of my face as we come to a stoplight. “It’s such a shame when young people stop living their lives to their fullest just because of one asshole. And interesting that despite both of you having a moratorium on dating and love, you brought your friend to meet me.” She twists slightly, catching Katy’s eyes now that she’s sitting in the middle of the back seat. “Katy, dear, do you intend to never date again and does that mean you’ll never want children?”
My forehead hits the steering wheel as a growl collapses my lungs. “Mom!”
“What?” She feigns innocence. “It’s a simple question. She seems so young compared to you. It’d be a shame for her to give up on all facets of her life simply because she dated a dickhead of a man who didn’t appreciate her.”
For fuck’s sake.
“I am young compared to him,” Katy toys, throwing me a smug look in the rearview mirror before she reengages my mother. “Your son is not only my boss but eight years older than me,” she whispers playfully. “Even though neither of us is interested in dating or falling in love, it’s totally the stuff of awesome smutty romance, right?”
My mother is enthralled. “You’re a reader too?”
Katy scoots to the edge of her seat, as close as she can get between us. “When I can be. I don’t have a ton of time. I’m a fifth-year resident. But I won’t lie and say I don’t seek out the smuttiest smut with the best plotlines I can find.”
“I don’t care about the plot if the sex is hot,” my mother admits, and I start to vomit in my mouth. Both women ignore that.
“I love the sexy stuff, but I start to lose interest halfway through if there isn’t anything else to the story.”
My mother nods conciliatory. “I can see that, and since Bennett won’t read erotica to me, I’ve had to start getting books with more plot to them to keep him reading to me. But you’ve done a nice job dodging my question.”
Katy glances quickly over to me and then back at my mom. “Eventually, I’ll date again. Just not for a while. And I have thought about having kids. I want them desperately. You see, I have type 1 diabetes, and then a few years after I was diagnosed with that, I was diagnosed with grade three endometriosis and have been treated for minor PCOS related to my diabetes. Growing up, I wasn’t painted with the happiest of pictures fertility-wise. But I had a successful surgery for the endometriosis, I’m in good control of my blood sugars, and my kidney function tests are normal, and per my OB, my ovaries are clear of cysts. So, with that, I’ve decided to try and have a baby because who knows how long this window will be open and stay that way. Endometriosis has up to a forty percent regrowth rate. But your son—your amazing son—has agreed to help me with that.”
I’m paralyzed. I didn’t ask why she wanted a baby so badly and why she wanted it now. I had overheard some of what she had said to her cousins about it, but I didn’t question it beyond that. Hearing her say that? The way she plays it as if I’m the one doing her the favor?
It’s too much.
My mother’s hand covers her lips. Her eyes—the same color as mine—are larger than I’ve ever seen them. She stares at Katy, who is smiling so wide all her perfect white teeth are showing, and then over at me before turning back to Katy. “Really? You and my son…”
“Are getting it on,” she tells my mother plainly, and I choke. Jesus. Only Katy.
She smirks at my expression, throwing me a wink in the rearview.
My mother laughs, loud and full of mirth, but then grows so very serious as she stares at my profile. “You’re telling me you’re getting it on with this beautiful young woman, and in doing so, you’re trying to make me a grandmother?”
“Yes,” I finally manage, pulling into a parking spot on the street and facing her. “We are.”
My mother’s eyes instantly glass over, and with that, mine do too. I can’t handle my mother’s emotions. She knows what this means to me, and I know what it means to her. No words are necessary between us.
“But you’re not dating?”
I shake my head. “We’re not dating and have no plans to.” I need to make that clear to her because I know how my mother is and how quickly and easily her love of love will take over and run rampant.
“But she’s lovely and so full of life.”
I sigh. “She is. That doesn’t change anything.”
“Well then. This is quite the special morning.” My mother clears her throat and wipes at her eyes. “I hope they have those blintze things today. I could eat all four of them.”
“I’m a big fan of the pastrami scramble,” Katy offers. “But if you’re game, I’ll give you some of mine for some of yours.”
My mother’s eyes light up. “You’re on. But you have to order it with an everything bagel.”
“Pshaw. Is there any other bagel to order with that? And you have to order yours with strawberry preserves.”
