Page 55 of Rearranged

“I know you’ve noticed I’ve been dodging your questions about my parents.” He shook his head as it bobbed downward. “I just couldn’t bring myself to talk about it until now.” He gripped his hands together between his knees, his shoulders hunched forward. “When I went to tell my parents that Yasmine and I were breaking up, I didn’t actually do it.”

“What?” I was confused. He’d come home with a whole story. “You didn’t tell them at all? Any of it?”

He set his head in his hands, shaking his head. “No.”

A beach ball was lodged in my throat. I was having a hard time breathing. “Why?”

“When I got there, I could tell they’d been crying.” He glanced up, turning his gaze to meet mine, his eyes full of emotion. My heart continued to beat recklessly. By the looks of it, this was going to be a tough story. “They were trying to hide it from me, being overly cheerful, trying to act like everything was okay. I kept asking what was wrong, but they wouldn’t answer. Instead, my mom wanted to feed me, which was her usual. We sat down at the table and began to eat the meal she’d prepared, and I was about to tell them that the engagement was off, when my mom launched into how much she loved Yasmine and how happy she was for us. That went on for a while. Then, abruptly, she started to cry.” He rubbed his face with his hands.

I ran my hand up and down his arm, giving him comfort. That would’ve been enough to crush him. He loved his mom so much. Seeing her in distress would’ve been hard.

He took a few moments to compose himself. We sat together in silence.

“I asked her what was wrong. And kept asking until she told me.” He took a deep breath. “They found out that day that her cancer has returned, and the prognosis isn’t great. But she wanted me to know that she was extremely happy to see me settled and in love and that even if she wouldn’t be alive to see her grandchildren, she knew that Yasmine and I would be amazing parents. She went on and on.” My heart broke for him. “I just…I just couldn’t add to her stress and worry. I couldn’t tell them that the engagement was off.” His eyes darted to mine, holding my gaze. “But I knew it was a temporary decision. I’d fix it soon. Like in a week or two, after she wasn’t in as much shock, and we had a set plan for fighting the cancer.” His head bobbed downward again in defeat. “But that didn’t happen. I kept putting it off. I just couldn’t distress her further. I’m so sorry. I should’ve leveled with you from the beginning, but I didn’t want to disappoint you either. Breaking the engagement was a big deal. A defining moment. It legitimized our relationship. I just thought I’d do it soon, and everything would be fine, and you didn’t have to know that I chickened out.”

My heart was a mushy mess. “First of all, I’m so, so sorry that the cancer has returned. That’s awful news. Your family is your top priority. I completely understand why you didn’t want to tell your parents in that moment. I would’ve supported that decision. But as time passed, why not tell me? It was so much harder to keep it from me.” I continued to rub his back. “I would’ve been totally fine with your choice to wait—I am fine with it. We can go at your pace, whatever you feel comfortable with.”

He lifted his head, turning toward me, a half smile on his face. “When I left to go speak with them, we were both so upbeat. It was the beginning of a brand-new chapter in our lives. You were excited, and so was I. Then, when I got back, you were so hopeful. So sincere. You asked me how it went, and I could tell it mattered a lot to you. I didn’t want to ruin it and make you think you weren’t the most important thing to me, because you are. I didn’t want you to feel that this relationship isn’t real and valid, because it is.” He moved, gathering me in his arms, resting his head in the crook of my neck. “You’re so incredible,” he murmured. “I couldn’t look you in the eye and tell you that I didn’t tell my parents the engagement had been called off. It felt like a betrayal. I just figured I could handle it. That I’d tell them in a week or two, and everything would be fine.”

We held each other for a long moment. I stroked the back of his head.

“I’m so sorry you had to shoulder that burden by yourself,” I whispered. “We haven’t known each other well that long, but just so you know in the future, family is incredibly important to me. The health and happiness of your parents and your relationship with them are all paramount in my mind. I’ve been completely stressing about this. If you’d told me the truth, I would’ve understood completely.”

“I knew that in my heart.” He drew back, his hands gripping my arms. “You’re a very generous, loving soul. And still, I just couldn’t bring myself to disappoint you. We were in this happy little bubble together, and I felt like if I told you the truth, it would burst. I know it’s silly, and as time went on, and my mom started her new chemo treatments, I kept thinking I would tell them, and things would work out, but I couldn’t. Then I’d see you, knowing that I didn’t tell you the truth, and it killed me.” He shook his head. “I just wanted everything to be perfect. Yasmine and I were in a less-than-par relationship for a long time, then suddenly I was with you. It was such a wonderful feeling. It felt too risky to deliver bad news so quickly.”

Sounded just like Marco.

“That’s pretty much what Yasmine thought,” I confided. “She felt that whatever this was, you were just overthinking it and didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

“You talked to her about me?” he asked. “I don’t blame you. If something was going on with you, I probably would’ve reached out to one of your friends eventually.”

“I did chat with her,” I told him. “We went out for drinks last night. I knew you were keeping information from me about your parents. But I actually thought you’d told them everything, and they were so angry they threatened to disown you. She didn’t think that was a correct assumption. She knows your parents love you beyond reason. She felt whatever it was you were keeping from me you were doing because you were worried about how I would take the news so early in our relationship.”

“It didn’t even occur to me that you’d think something like that, that my parents would disown me,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I feel even more awful about keeping everything from you now. I have to admit I’ve been so distracted and worried about my mom, it’s definitely clouded my judgment.”

“That’s understandable. Having your mom battle cancer is a big deal. I’m glad you can be so supportive to her during it. I’m actually relieved that you’ve been talking to them, because I thought you weren’t.”

How could this admission feel like a relief? Not the cancer, of course. But I was so relieved we were getting it all out on the table. My heart rate slowing back to normal.

“I’ve been going to her chemo appointments, which happen over lunch. I sit with her and keep her company,” he said. “I knew if I told you, you’d want to send her a card, or do something else nice. But because she didn’t know you existed and still thought I was engaged to Yasmine, I couldn’t do it. I felt so bad about it. This entire thing snowballed beyond the scope of what I thought possible.” He brought his hand up to my cheek, running his thumb along my face. “If I could take it back and do it over again, I would. I would’ve confided in you immediately. I can’t go back, but I made it right tonight. I finally told them about us.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “My mom was admitted to the hospital overnight for observation. I found out right as I was getting off of work, so I went straight over. I’ve been there all night, which is why I was close. I hadn’t planned on telling them, because we were all freaked out she was in the hospital in the first place, but I ended up spilling everything as the night went on—about Yasmine and me breaking up, about getting involved with you, about keeping the truth from you. I told them I’m crazy happy with you. I gushed about you. I told them about the first time we met. We cried together, then we laughed, then we cried again. It was cathartic to get everything off my chest.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I’m so sorry. About everything. I hope you can forgive me.”

Tears streamed down both of our faces.

“I forgive you,” I whispered, my hands on his cheeks. “We’d only been together three or four days when you went to tell them your engagement was over. We barely knew each other. I support you not wanting to hurt your parents. You’re such a sweet, generous person. It makes total sense. I don’t blame you for not wanting to tell me either. We were in this happy bubble together. So much so that I didn’t realize things weren’t adding up with your parents until almost two months later. All I could see was our happiness. Then, when I began to notice that you weren’t talking about your family or telling me about going to see them, that’s when I figured out something was wrong.”

“I know. You began to ask about them more often,” he said. “And I should’ve addressed it right then and there instead of trying to dodge those questions. But I kept getting more and more worried that if you knew I’d kept the truth from you, for almost two months by that point, it would somehow dampen what we’d begun to build together. But the damage came anyway. You’ve been pulling away from me. When you left the other night after I made the call to my cousin Sophia, I knew I had to make things right. It was even more glaring when you didn’t want to go to dinner with me tonight. I was completely miserable.”

“Is that why you ended up telling your parents tonight?” I asked. “While your mom was in the hospital.”

“Maybe? I didn’t go over there with the intent of telling them, but I knew I had to very soon. My mother was admitted because she has a weird rash brought on by the chemo. We didn’t know if it was really serious or if she was having some kind of allergic reaction to a new drug. I certainly didn’t think I’d tell them while she was lying in a hospital bed. But the timing felt right. She, my dad, and I were reminiscing about things as a family, trying to keep things light, telling funny stories. And it just sort of came out. I was so relieved, I just kept talking and talking.”

“You said you all cried together.”

“We did.” He brushed his lips lightly against mine, one hand behind my neck, his fingers splayed in my hair. “They were tears of happiness. For everyone. I told them all about you, going back to college, the twenty dollars, the sweatshirt, meeting you at the bank, my feelings for you, everything that went on with Yasmine, how Yasmine reconnected with Matt. We laughed, and we cried, but it was all because we were happy. They can’t wait to meet you.”

I drew back from him. “Really?”

“Really.” He kissed me again. “By the end, they were saying our relationship had to be fate, that we must be meant to be together. They said our story resembled how they met. My dad ended up meeting my mom a few years before they actually started dating. He’d been intimidated by her beauty and grace. His words.” Marco grinned. “It was very sweet. My mom gave me an extra-long hug before I left, telling me to go find you immediately to tell you the truth and assuring me that you would understand because my heart was in the right place and your heart was open. Then she reminded me to let you know that they’re excited to meet someone who makes me so incredibly happy.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “It made me feel wonderful and sad at the same time. Wonderful that they’re so ready to embrace you, and sad because I obviously made the wrong choice by keeping things from everyone.”

“I don’t think you made the wrong choice,” I whispered, my voice catching. I was having a hard time getting the words out. “If you’d told them that night, when they’d just found out about the cancer returning, things could’ve gone differently. You could’ve easily given them a bigger burden to bear in the moment.” I cleared my throat. “But you listened to your heart, and I can’t argue with that. Next time, you’ll just have to tell me sooner.”

“There won’t be a next time.” He leaned in for a kiss. It was sweet and soulful. All of our combined emotions were wrapped up in it. “I know you can handle anything. You’re my absolute rock. Not telling you the truth has been weighing on me so heavily, I can assure you it’s not going to happen again. We are in this together, through thick and thin.”

“Yes, we are.” I stood, grabbing his hand.

As we walked toward my bedroom, I knew I’d never been happier.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com