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“Everything should be good now, but I do know that she was waiting for you to crack open the bottle of wine.”
I take a deep breath and then stand from the swing. “Well, I guess there’s no time like the present.”
“Don’t worry. Just be yourself, babe. She’s not gonna drill you. That’s not her style. She just wants to know you better.”
“That’s understandable. I know we’ve met a handful of times, but we haven’t really been able to talk.”
He kisses me on the lips and then smacks my ass. “We’ll be out here when you two are done.”
“Did you just smack my ass at your mom’s house?”
“Yeah, I did. What are you gonna do about it?”
I narrow my eyes at him as I walk backward toward the house. “I don’t know yet, but don’t worry…I’m sure I can think of something.”
“Looking forward to seeing what you come up with,” he challenges as I shake my head at him and walk back up to the house.
“Lisa?” I ask as I step inside.
“Hi, Amelia.” I turn to my right to find her in the kitchen, chopping up some vegetables for a salad. “I poured you a glass of that wine.”
“Thank you.” I take a seat at the counter across from where she’s working and intercept the glass. “And thank you for having me here.”
“It’s my pleasure, truly.” She sets down the knife and reaches for her glass of wine as well. “Amelia, my son and Oliver are my entire world.”
“I understand.”
“And I just want them to be happy.”
“I want that too.”
She smiles. “I can tell. I worried about Ethan after Monica left. He closed himself off so much, became jaded, and only focused on work and his son. But you’ve changed that.”
“He’s changed my life too.”
“He smiles, and he laughs again. He talks about you and makes plans…”
“We’ve come a long way since we first met.”
She laughs. “Yes, he’s told me a little about that. And Oliver loves you. Seriously, he talks about you all the time.”
“I think I fell for him before I fell for Ethan.”
“Are you in love with my son, Amelia?”
Swallowing down the emotion I feel, I nod. “I am.”
“I think he’s in love with you too.”
“He told me so the other night.” She holds her wine close to her chest as she listens. “He knows how serious I am about them, and I know that being a part of their lives comes with expectations, and the last thing I want to do is let them down, Lisa. I see my future with them.”
She licks her lips and nods at me. “Then I hope this is the start of many dinners with all of us together.” Raising her glass toward me, we knock them together lightly before taking a sip of the crisp liquid. “Now, tell me more about yourself…”
* * *
After we eat dinner, I insist on cleaning the dishes. It’s the least I can do after Lisa made an incredible meal. The spinach and artichoke chicken was so good that I overate because I didn’t want to waste a bite. And then I begged her for the recipe.
“I really love her,” Lisa’s voice echoes out from the hallway.
Eavesdropping on their conversation wasn’t on my list of things to do, but of course, my curiosity wins. And knowing that Lisa accepts me makes me feel even more content with where I’m at in my life at this moment.
“I love her too. She’s amazing, Mom.”
“I’m so happy you get a second chance, honey. And not later in life like I did, but right now when the three of you can be a family. That woman is the one you marry, Ethan.”
There’s a pause in his voice, which has my heart rate picking up. “I’m—I’m not getting married again, Mom.”
And then my stomach drops.
“What? Why?”
“I think of all people you would understand why.”
“Because of what happened with Monica? Ethan, you and Monica were doomed from the start, honey. And she’s the one who chose to walk away, not you.”
“I know. But I have no desire to go through another divorce again, Mom. I mean, look at what I see on a daily basis. Besides, Amelia and I don’t have to be married in order to be happy. We can be one-hundred percent committed to each other without that piece of paper.”
