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“You think they will freak?” She looked at me, slightly worried.
“No,” I laughed. “Freaked would be if I brought home a goth girl or someone from the Bronx. Surprised, probably, but no matter what, I want you to know how absolutely beautiful I think you are.”
She smiled and turned to watch the passing scenery out the window. I wanted to protect everything about this girl, and as far as I knew, my parents were still unaware of who my mystery girl really was. I assumed there was a possibility that Jordan had told them, but I didn’t think he would have. However, I did duly note to myself that there weren’t very many things I could actually trust when it came to my brother anymore. For all I knew, he ran right over to their room after Saturday morning’s explosion and told them what happened. At the same time, he didn’t want them to know why he had divorced Tiffany, so he was probably keeping as much to himself as he could for as long as he could. He knew my parents would chastise him for it. I w
as almost glad he did what he did, not that Tiffany had gotten hurt but because it gave me the opportunity to be with her, show her what love was really supposed to be like and have her show me the same.
When we pulled up, my parents were standing on the front steps, holding each other’s hands. They couldn’t see through the tinted windows of the car, and I looked over at Tiffany, grasping her hand, reassuring her that no matter what, everything would be okay. She smiled through the nerves that we were both feeling and grabbed onto her bottle as I stepped from the car and greeted my parents. My mother hugged me and my father shook my hand before turning to the darkened area of the open door.
“I’d like you to meet my date,” I said as Tiffany emerged smiling at them. “I think you know Tiffany.”
There was a brief moment of silence where everyone stood stunned.
“Oh, my God,” my mother said excitedly as she ran forward and hugged Tiffany tightly. “You are the mystery girl! This is beyond amazing. I just love you so much.”
Relief flew through me, and I let out a deep breath as I read the happiness growing on my father’s face. He walked forward with his arms out, laughing and shaking his head. He embraced her and hugged her tightly.
“This is just the best surprise,” he said quietly. “Seriously, we missed you so much.”
My father turned to me as my mother talked and laughed with Tiffany. He shook my hand and slapped me on the shoulder. We both turned and looked at Tiffany and my mother.
“Does he know?” My father asked the question I’m sure was plaguing his mind since the moment Tiffany stepped from the car.
“Yeah.” I sighed, and we exchanged a meaningful look. “We never meant to hurt him. It was a hard discovery for him.”
“Well,” my father said, putting his arm around my shoulder. “Maybe he should have held on tighter and not made rash, unfair decisions about Tiffany. Everyone deserves to be happy. He’ll get over it. Besides, he brought that redhead from the party the other night. She is sitting uncomfortably in the living room. I had forgotten to take that last wedding photo down, and she saw it. It's in the drawer now.”
My father chuckled as we turned and walked toward the house, my mother and Tiffany trailing behind us. As we entered, I could see the girl stand up and reach for Jordan’s hand. Jordan walked into the light and looked over at me, a stern look on his face. As I approached, he reached out and shook my hand, nodding at Tiffany kindly.
“Jason,” he said. “This is Rosalie. I don’t think you had a chance to meet before.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand. “This is my date, Tiffany.”
Tiffany smiled kindly and nodded her head at Rosalie who crinkled her forehead, confused. She looked up at Jordan and back at Tiffany, not understanding at all why his ex-wife was standing in front of her. Tiffany took in a deep breath and winked at Jordan, walking forward and taking Rosalie’s hands in hers.
“I know it’s strange,” she whispered. “But don’t feel uncomfortable. Jordan and I were never meant to be together. And yes, I’m dating his brother. Just let it all out. You’ll feel better about the situation once you accept it.”
I watched as Tiffany tried to console Jordan’s date and thought about how adorable it was. It was just another example of how amazing of a woman she really was, always looking out for other people’s feelings. She sat down next to Rosalie and poured her a shot of whiskey, handing it to her and watching as she took it back. When Rosalie had swallowed, she looked at Tiffany and burst out in laughter. I had to admit, if I were here, I’d probably have reacted the same exact way. Jordan rolled his eyes and shook his head, walking over to the mantle and looking at the pictures of us as kids that lined the shelves. I turned toward the dining area as my mother cleared her throat. It really was impressive, the amazing amount of food she had spent all day cooking.
I sat down next to Tiffany, and we stared across the table at Jordan and Rosalie. There was a slightly awkward moment, but just like Tiffany always did, she poured some wine and broke into the conversation, trying to make Rosalie feel comfortable. If anyone knew how nerve-racking it could be there for the first time, it was Tiffany. She hadn’t come from an affluent background so just sitting at the huge mahogany table in the grand dining room of my parent's mansion could be extremely overwhelming, not to mention that the situation wasn’t quite normal these days. My mother smiled and winked at me as she passed the potatoes, knowing I was happy for the first time in a very long time.
I gazed over at Tiffany as she laughed loudly and talked about life with the other people at the table. Her fair skin and rosy cheeks sparkled in the dim lights of the chandelier, and I couldn’t help but notice just how amazing she looked. She turned and caught me staring at her as I sat back from the table to listen to everyone. She winked at me and squeezed my hand before turning back to Jordan and Rosalie who were telling the story of how they met. We hadn’t realized that the night in the bar when he’d left with her wasn’t the first time they had met. Either way, I didn’t care, I was mesmerized by the beautiful woman sitting next to me, laughing loudly as Rosalie talked about my brother’s clumsiness. She really could make anyone feel comfortable in any situation. She was the light that lit up every room she walked into. I squeezed her hand as they continued to talk through the evening, so glad that everything had turned out the way that I wanted.
There was no shaking it, I was falling in love with this girl. Head over heels in love.
Chapter 20
Tiffany
I always hated doctor’s offices, and especially with the rash of news that completely turned my life upside down recently. I knew that turning my life on end was a good thing since I had realized I shouldn’t have ever been with Jordan, but the baby things were still really numb in my chest. I had spent so much time over the last month dealing with the end of my marriage and the beginning of whatever it was Jason and I had, that I had put the fact that I couldn’t have children in the back of my mind. However, sitting here in this paper gown with my feet dangling over the edge of the paper-covered doctor’s chair, brought a striking feeling to my heart. I always thought by now, I would be pregnant, getting ready to start a family with my husband, but instead, I was divorced and I didn’t even know if I’d ever have my own child. I looked around the room at all the pictures on the walls, staring at the happy mothers, staring at the happy fathers, and looking past them to the baby that always seemed so perfect. In reality, those women were the lucky ones, the ones who got to enjoy their time with their families, enjoy getting pregnant, prancing in and out of doctor’s appointments, in awe at the life dancing across the sonogram screen.
I was jealous, there was no two ways about it. These women had everything they ever wanted, and I was struggling to even think about having a child at all. I hopped down from the chair and walked around the room, the tiled floor cold underneath my bare feet. I looked at the different pictures on the walls depicting a woman’s uterus. I ran my finger down to the ovaries and thought about the disease that plagued mine. I had been healthy my whole life. Nothing even as much as a strong cold ever kept me down. My mother hadn’t become a junkie until after I was born, so I’d managed to skirt any complications from her drug use, except for the occasional emotional issue that I had being left without a family. It was times like these, I wish I had a mother to run to, to talk to, and to feel comforted by. Sure, Lily would be more than happy to be there for me, but until I knew Jason and I were going to be long-term, I didn’t want to get close with her again. I knew if I had no real ties to the family, eventually, they would lose interest in me, and I didn’t want to feel that heartbreak all over again. I sat back down on the chair and looked up as the doctor walked back in.
“Okay, Tiffany,” he said with a kind smile. “I got all your tests entered in, and now, we wait. It should only take a day or two to get the results, and then we can go from there. You are free to go, and we will call you as soon as we get the results.”
r /> “Thank you,” I said with a shy smile. “So, what does that mean? Do you think there’s a chance I will have options?”
“I think that if your blood work comes back clean,” he said, shrugging, “we will have a ton of options to discuss. I've seen cases much worse than yours end up happy in the end. Just relax, breathe deeply, and let’s wait for the results. Once I have those in my hands, I’ll be able to really give you a definitive answer.”
