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My mother appreciates that. She was never one for beating around the bush. And since waiting for Peter isn’t an option, I feel like I should just rip off the bandage and get it over with. He can help me pick up the pieces, if there are any left, when he finally gets here.
“I hope it’s that you’ve come to your senses about this whole ‘needing time off from school’ thing and that you’re going back.”
“No, I’m still—it’s not about school.”
Now I feel bad about the cover story I gave her for why I wasn’t going to classes. Peter felt it best to keep her in the dark about the stalker; same with Heather and the rest of them, too. There are so many lies swirling around me, I can’t keep them all straight.
That’s another reason why it feels good to be doing this today. There’s at least one thing I get to be honest about, and it just so happens to be the best thing in my life right now.
“Then what is it? And I don’t think I’m going to have anything here,” she says, discarding her menu.
I ignore her obvious unhappiness about the food situation and dive right in. “I’ve been seeing someone.”
Her eyes grow large and her eyebrows shoot up in genuine surprise. But then her expression quickly clouds over again when she says, “I had a feeling there was a man involved in your decision to leave school.”
She’s got it so right, but not in the way she thinks.
“Emily, I don’t know how else to stress the importance of—”
“I’m not leaving school, Mom. And Peter has nothing to do with my break, either.”
A deep crease furrows her brow, and she looks at me dumbstruck.
Shit.
I didn’t mean to let it slip out like that.
“Peter?”
I take a deep breath and nod.
“Peter Peter?”
I nod again, caref
ul not to jump into any long explanations until she’s ready for them.
My mother falls back in her seat, looking like she’s had the wind knocked straight out of her. “So, this is why you set up this lunch? You wanted me in a public space so that I’d be forced to keep my reaction civil.”
Well, the thought did cross my mind. But I don’t say that.
“I warned you about him, Emily. I told you the men from that family are—”
“Peter’s not his father.” I stop her before she can go any further. I hate hearing her talk about him like that. “He’s gentle, and kind, and—and I’m having his baby.” I square my shoulders when I say it. I need her to know that I’m serious about this.
Her mouth drops open so far it looks like it’s about to hit the ground.
One good thing about her shock is that she doesn’t have any words to throw at me.
“We love each other, Mom. The connection we have is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I want you to be happy for us. Do you think you can do that?”
She shakes her head vigorously, as though she’s trying to clear out her jumbled thoughts. “A baby.” She scoffs. “I’d like to see you become a doctor now.”
“People do this all the time, study while also having a family. I have no intention of dropping out just because—”
“You don’t get it. I worked my ass off to give you the opportunities I never had, so that you didn’t have to live through the things I did. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be me? To sit here and find out that after everything, your life is going in exactly the same direction as mine?”
“No, it’s not. Don’t you see that? Peter’s great, and he supports my dreams.”
