AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rachel to help me with the planning when we get back from Vegas. I’m sure I can get a lot done before next semester starts.”
“Let’s talk about the wedding later.”
“What do you want to do right now?”
“I’m not going to lie. I was stressed as fuck today at the PT appointment. I kept thinking of you and hoping you were okay. I just want to take a long, hot shower and lie in bed for the rest of the day. We can pack for Vegas tomorrow morning.”
“I can handle that.” I slide off the counter, feeling a little guilty for allowing him to carry me here with his knee the way it is. Sometimes, I forget about it because he never complains. But he insists it’s getting a lot better since he started therapy.
As soon as we’ve showered, we lie down in bed and I pull the red songbook he gave me out of the top drawer of my nightstand.
“I promise I haven’t peeked at the last page. I just want to read while we lie here. Is that okay?”
He grabs the book from me and lays it on his nightstand. “Just tell me what you want to hear and I’ll sing it to you.”
He hops out of bed and grabs his acoustic guitar off the wall. He sits on the edge of the bed and I slide off the bed so I can sit cross-legged on the carpet in front of him.
His eyes are locked on mine as he sings each word to me, his voice soft as a lullaby and I’m mesmerized. Bombs could be going off outside our window and I’d never know.
I may be the melody of Chris’s soul, but Chris is my harmony. He is the one who fills my heart and soul with peace. I’m so glad he will be standing next to me when I see my father on Monday.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chris
Trying to keep a secret from someone you live with, someone who knows everything about you, is like hiding under a box with pinpricks for windows. If you put your eye next to one of those holes, you can see everything on the outside, but no one can see what you’re hiding inside.
Every time Claire says something about Rachel’s wedding, I want to shake her and say, “Can’t you see what’s going on right under your nose?”
“She said she’ll have my dress waiting for me in our hotel room. I can’t believe I don’t even get to try it on again before the wedding,” Claire says as she packs some face soap and creams into her makeup bag. “I mean, the dress looked okay at the fitting, but it was so rough. What if it looks hideous or the seamstress messed up? I just think it was a bad idea to rush this wedding. She and Jake have been together more than seven years. Why did they have to get married on New Year’s Eve?”
I grab her hairbrush out of the top drawer and hand it to her so she doesn’t forget it. “Maybe they didn’t want to wait anymore. Don’t you ever feel like going to the courthouse and getting married without anyone knowing?”
“Not really. I want your mom there at the very least.”
“I think they’re doing the right thing. They’ve put it off for too long as it is. They’ve been living together for more than three years,” I reply as I follow her into the bedroom.
She stuffs her makeup bag into her suitcase and zips the suitcase closed. “We’ve lived together for more than three years. That doesn’t mean I want to rush to set a date for the wedding. Anyway, the point is, if I hate this dress, Rachel is going to owe me big time.”
I grab her suitcase off the bed and set it on the floor. “Are you ready to go?”
Her eyes widen as she realizes this is it. “No, I’m not ready, but I’ve got no choice. I have to see my sister.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want to at least try to call before you show up?”
“I don’t want to give him any opportunity to put on a mask. That whole letter reeked of someone with something to hide.”
I can see that she’s trying to be strong despite her growing anxiety. I smooth her hair back and kiss her forehead and she lets out a deep sigh.
“Everything is going to be fine.”
We arrive at my mom’s house to pick up a pair of heels Claire ordered for the wedding. She had them delivered to the house in case they arrived after Claire and I left to California. When we pull into the driveway, Joel is rolling my mom’s red suitcase down the walkway toward us.
“What the fuck?” I mutter.
“Be nice,” Claire insists as I get out of the car.
“What’s going on?” I ask as Joel approaches me with the suitcase.
“Your mom is almost ready.”
“We’re just here for the shoes. My mom’s flight isn’t until tomorrow.”
Joel raises his eyebrows as if this is out of his control. “She said she was going with you two. She wants to be there for Claire.”
My mom comes strutting down the walkway with her coat on and her purse over her shoulder.
“Mom, what are you doing? Claire and I are going to California alone.”
“She’s my daughter. I’m going with her whether you like it or not.” She kisses Joel on the cheek and he shrugs apologetically as my mom climbs into the backseat.
Claire hops out of the car and insists that my mom take the front seat, but my mom doesn’t budge. I place her suitcase on the backseat next to her and she doesn’t look at me. She’s pissed. I didn’t tell her about the letter from Claire’s father until last night. I didn’t want to give her anything more to worry about, after everything we went through with Abigail. But she did not appreciate being kept out of the loop.
The silence inside the car is making me uncomfortable. I reach for the stereo and Claire reaches for my hand to stop me. She shakes her head imperceptibly and I sigh as I pull my hand back.
“I’m happy that you’re coming,” Claire says.
I crane my neck a little to get a better view of my mom’s face in the rearview mirror. She looks more worried than angry.
“I just can’t believe you two have been keeping so many secrets from me.”
After a brief, but still agonizing nonetheless, silence, I ask the question that needs to be asked. “Did you book yourself a room at the hotel?”
Claire smacks my arm. “God, Chris.”
“What?”
I don’t want to share a hotel room with my mom. I had plans for Claire tonight.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll get my own room.”
Claire throws me a look that could make my nuts shrivel up. “Jackie, I’m sorry we waited so long to tell you. I just didn’t want to bring it up in case I changed my mind. I’m still not sure I’m making the right choice, but I’m happy you’ll be with me.”
My mom spares a tight smile. “Is there anything else you two are keeping from me? Do you have a sixth toe or an evil twin I should know about, Chris?”
“Well, Mom, I didn’t want to tell you this, but… I’m pregnant.”
Once again, Claire smacks my arm.
“Shit! Take it easy on the arm. I need that to perform.”
“Are you pregnant, Claire?”
“No!” Claire shrieks. “You see what you started?”
Claire ignores me all the way to the airport. After we park the car and check our baggage, we get in line for the security check and I can’t help but smile when she takes off her shoes and puts them in a plastic tray to be scanned.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks as we push our trays down the steel table toward the conveyor belt.
“No reason.”
“You’re such a jerk.”
I laugh as she slides her tray onto the conveyor and gets in line to be scanned. “You’re so fucking adorable when you’re pissed.”
My mom slides her tray after mine and gets in line behind me. “Stop antagonizing her,” she warns me. “She doesn’t need you to be cute; she needs you to be supportive.”
Once we get on the plane, I try to switch seats with my mom so she can sit next to Claire, but she insists on sitting alone so she can read. After takeoff, Claire orders a bottle of water and I consider asking for a Capri-Sun, just to see if I can get a smile out of her, but
I have a feeling it would just annoy her right now, so I settle for water.
“I’m sorry for the comment about being pregnant. I think I’m just nervous about this trip and I’m deflecting.”
She glances at me then stares at the water bottle on her tray table. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it, and it was kind of funny, but I’m still upset. And I know it’s stupid to be upset about not being pregnant, but I think I’m just stressed about the trip and I’m probably PMS-ing. I’m sorry if I’m being a bitch. I just feel so… angry today. I’m afraid of what I’m going to say when I see my father.”
“You don’t have to be afraid. Anything you say to him will only be a reflection of how you feel. You deserve to speak those words. He wasn’t there for you.”
