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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Asher
Goodbyes were never fun. Especially when you’ve waited your entire life to meet someone, hating them for years because you thought they had something you deserved; only to discover how much you have in common, and that they’d never really had things much easier. I’d come to learn that my father hadn’t been as big a part of their lives as I’d thought. I supposed that shouldn’t have been a big surprise. If I thought about it, he’d cheated on their mother, not mine. They had every right to hate me, but they didn’t. They not only accepted me but also embraced me into their lives.
“We’ll see you at the wedding,” Jackson said as he draped his arms around me in a big hug.
“You’ll get your invitation as soon as Mel and I figure it all out.”
I turned to say goodbye to Brodie. He stood there and stuck his hand out. So I reached for it. He grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me into a strong embrace. “I’m excellent at throwing bachelor parties by the way, little brother.”
“Sounds great to me.” I didn’t mind being called little brother. In fact, it felt good, and I had a feeling that Brodie sort of liked the idea of not being the youngest anymore.
“I’ve already got some ideas floating around in here,” he said, pointing to his head as Gabby came up beside him.
“If Brodie’s going to host the bachelor party, don’t count on escaping the night sober. I’ve witnessed the effects of his celebratory antics,” Lena said, wrapping her arms around me.
Gabby came in and squeezed me tight. “Take care, little brother.”
Three months later, Mel and I sat at her mom’s small, wooden-topped kitchen table. Mel was sipping some hot, spiced, chai tea and I was drinking water. Actually not really drinking the water, more like just holding the glass. It gave me something to do with my hands while Mel and I sat staring at each other, waiting for her mom to say something after the news we’d just dropped on her. It had taken us three months to get up the nerve to tell her. We knew she’d be disappointed with us, and it was still so close to Teddy’s death. We’d held off as long as we could, but Mel was starting to get a little tummy bulge, and if we were going to try to have that wedding with all the frills we’d been secretly planning, we needed to clue her in on everything.
Karen stood at the sink, looking out the window. She’d been standing there for about three or four minutes without saying a word. It was quite unnerving.
“You say you’re approximately four months?” she asked in a quiet, reserved voice.
“Yes,” Mel said.
“And you say you’ve been planning a wedding.”
“Yes,” Mel answered again.
Karen turned around and walked to the table. Then sat in the chair between the two of us. “Asher, look at me.” I did, right straight into her eyes. “Do you love Melody?”
I didn’t even hesitate and answered with all honesty. “With all my heart. I always have.” Then I looked at Mel, who gave me the sweetest smile.
“That’s good because my daughter has been in love with you since she was able to talk.”
“Mom, how…?”
“A mother knows these things. You’ll see. Have you been to the doctor?”
Mel nodded. “Yes, of course. I’ve been three times so far. I’m supposed to go again next week for an ultrasound.”
Karen sucked in her lips and ran her fingers through the top strands of her hair, pulling them up and back and then letting them fall. “I don’t like that you left me out of this for so long. I have experience…I could have been there for your questions.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I…we weren’t sure how to tell you, and it just seemed too soon after Ted.”
“Too soon? How could the news of a new life come too soon after losing another?”
Mel glanced at me then back at her mom. I guess we had that figured wrong.
“I was…ashamed,” Mel said, lowering her eyes down to stare at her tea.
My eyes shot to Mel’s. “Mel? I…you never told me that.” God, I felt like a heel. “I’m sorry. You should have said something.”
“I wasn’t ashamed about it with you, Asher. I was ashamed to disappoint my mom,” she clarified.
Karen placed her hand over Melody’s. “Honey, I love you. Yes, what you and Asher did was irresponsible, but I’m not going to judge you. You’re twenty-one, almost twenty-two. I was twenty when I had Teddy. You made love with your knight. I can’t fault you for that. I can fault you for not being more careful about when you took your pills, but not for wanting to be with the man you love. You’ve been in love with him your whole life. I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner. How have you been feeling? Any morning sickness?”
