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“Well, I think this is the best news I’ve heard in a while,” Drew says as he stands and hugs Will and then me. We are all standing, except for Diana whose eyes have now fixated on me. She must feel my gaze because she stands and gives me one of her signature smiles.Fake.
“That is…wonderful news. Congratulations.” She hugs Will and gives me a cold kiss on my cheek. “I think the hens are finished, so let me just go check on them,” she says before she disappears out of the room.
I purse my lips, trying to tell myself not to cry as the rejection from my future husband’s mom cuts deeper than ever before. It’s not just about me anymore.She’s rejecting my baby too.
I. Have. Fucking. Had. It.
“One second,” I tell Will, and I feel his hand on my arm stopping me.
“Baby…” he trails off and I shake my head.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Should I come—”
“No,” I tell him. I press my lips to his, completely ignoring the fact that his father and brother’s gazes are on me.
I make my way through the rooms, and when I make it to the kitchen I am shocked to see that she isn’t there. I see that the Cornish hens have been taken from the oven, but I don’t see her anywhere. I make my way out of the kitchen, through the foyer and stare at the long staircase that leads to the second floor. I look around once before making my way up the stairs, knowing that there would be a long road ahead of me if I didn’t end this tension between us once and for all.
I make it to the top and the sounds are unmistakable as I move closer to what I assume is the master suite. I’m frozen in place as I peek into the room, and spot Will’s mother seated on a cream sofa in the corner of the room. Her face is buried in her hands as sobs wrack her body. I take a step into the room, holding my breath wondering now that I’m here, what on Earth am I going to say?
“D…Diana?” I stammer out and her eyes shoot up as if she’s just been caught. She sweeps two fingers under her eyes and stands, wiping her hands on her apron.
She clears her throat. “I just needed a minute.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude I just wanted to—”
“To tell me about myself, I assume,” she says.
“Well, that was the intention…” I trail off as I reluctantly move to the sofa by the window. She sits back down, and I sit next to her. I reach my hand out to touch her before yanking my hand back instantly like she’s a stove…hot to the touch.
“Does my son hate me, Charley?” she asks, the tears in her eyes streaking down her cheeks. “Did I ruin him?”
The words hurt my heart, and I want nothing more than to tell her that she certainly didn’t help. “Your son isn’t ruined,” I say softly. “He’s brilliant, and kind, and wonderful. He’s an amazing human. You should be proud of the man you raised,” I tell her honestly.
“I’m a mother to a psychologist. I know what sidestepping a question looks like.” She smiles sadly as she wipes her eyes. “This is all so very embarrassing. I shouldn’t be asking you that.”
“I think Will harbors some pain over things that have happened in the past but…Will doesn’t hate you. Despite any issues, he adores you. He looks up to you.”
“He does?” she asks, and I nod, knowing that deep down it’s the truth, which is why I need everyone on the same team.
“I thought he hated me, and then…” she sniffles, “he’d never let me see my grandchild.” The tears flood her eyes. “And how I’ve treated you…why would you want me around your baby? I wouldn’t. I’d tell me to go straight to hell.”
“I think I kind of already did that once.” I smile and she gives me a small smile in return.
“I had a mother in law from hell too.” She looks at me before she looks down at the ground. “I had the last word though,” she says, and I can’t help but chuckle at her morbid humor. “I don’t expect you to want to get lunch or spend time together or…want me involved in your life but, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me for being my worst fear—mymother in law—I would really love that.”
My thoughts go back to something that Lauren had said a few months back. “Children may not fix anything, but grandchildren fix everything.”I guess she was right. All it took was the promise of new life to quiet the storm.
“I…I have sonograms…if you want one.”
“I would love one.” She smiles before she dabs at her eyes. “I am sorry, Charley. I know you don’t think I was acting in my son’s best interest, but I truly was. And now that you’re a mother, I hope you can understand. I just—”
“I get it,” I tell her, wondering how I’d react if my son were in a similar situation.Would I trust the woman? Would I trust that her intentions were true?“But I would just like you to know, that I wouldneverhurt Will. I love him with everything I am. He’s my soulmate…and I was powerless to stop what happened between us. Maybe you still need more time to trust me, that I’m not going to hurt him or leave him or whatever it is that you thought, but I’m just asking that you give me a chance.”
“I’ll give you one if you give me a chance to make this right.”
I look away from Diana towards the door and smile. “You have to make it right with more than just me.”
