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Then anger hit me. If what they were saying was true then I never even got a chance to know them.
“What am I supposed to say to all this? It doesn’t change the years of pain and frustration. You made sure I felt I was never a part of the family or good enough to be a Winters. It doesn’t take away the frustration of a childhood I never got to have.”
“It doesn’t,” my mother agreed. “I’m sorry, Ellie, I really am.”
“We both are,” Brent corrected. “We’re not going back there.”
Apparently, that was news to my mother. She turned to him in shock. But Brent was defiant now and cut her off.
“We’ll figure it out.”
“Good,” I said. “When you have your lives in order and you figure out who you are… then and only then, you can contact me. I won’t have grandparents in my baby’s life that I don’t trust and you will never meet them until the day that you are a real person again. Learn from this and change.”
“You’re pregnant,” my mother said as a small smile curled on her lips. “I’m glad that wasn’t just a rumor.”
“Congratulations,” Brent said. He wrapped me in a hug. It was stiff at first, neither one of us sure how to handle it. Then I finally gave in and hugged him back. I wished I could say that the scent of him brought back memories of childhood hugs, but I couldn’t.
But maybe one day, it would. Seeing them change and become a part of our lives would be a hard pill to swallow, but it could also be healing.
Ifthey stayed true to their word.
“We can’t contact you at all until then?” my mother clarified.
“You can email me,” I relented. “Give me updates. It’s up to you two. This is the only way you’ll have your children and grandchildren in your life. I can confidently speak for Micah and Tori, too. We want no part of the family that we have currently. Change. Take this seriously and then we’ll talk. Either way, you need to leave Lockwood. Neither one of us can heal or move on while breathing down each other’s necks. I’m not spending years feeling awkward in the town that means the world to me.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow,” my mother said, letting out a breath. She looked older all of a sudden. As if this conversation brought out a bone-deep exhaustion she had been running from.
The slight wrinkles around her mouth and eyes were even more pronounced. Dark circles haunted her eyes and made it seem like she hadn’t truly slept in months. I’d never seen her without a full face of makeup but it was missing for the first time in years.
“I wish you the best,” I said as I stood, giving each of them a genuine hug before walking out of the door.
Shockingly, I meant every word. I did truly hope that they turned things around and escaped that situation.
As someone who was hurt, betrayed, and had to learn how to love herself, I wanted them to find that level of peace as well.
Only time would tell.
Ellie
Six Months Later
The smell in Drake and Valerie’s backyard was phenomenal. My mouth was watering and I was rubbing my now protruding belly as I walked towards the griddle. I took a deep breath before grinning at Drake.
“Now you’re just spoiling me,” I teased as I stood next to him, staring down at the food. Steaks were cooking on one side and a large pan of smoked queso dip rested on the other.
“That’s the whole point,” he shot back as he sprinkled a seasoning mix and lime juice over the meat. It was taco night and I couldn’t be happier. “When Ez calls and says his pregnant omega is craving tacos and smoked cheese dip, you know that Uncle Drake had to make it happen.”
“And I’ve got the drinks!” Valerie sang out as she danced out of the back door onto the deck. She had a green pitcher in one hand, red in the other. “We’ve got virgin strawberry margaritas for the pregnant lady, full tequila margaritas in the other.” She got a cheer from Kat and Serenity who followed behind her with empty glasses.
It wasn’t the first time we had dinner as a pack over at Valerie and Drake’s, but it was the first time we’d had an entire cookout.
The sun was shining and it felt like everybody that was important in my life had shown up, except for Walter, of course. This was way too much socialization for a grumpy alpha like him.
Grant sat at the table with the twins playing a game of cards. Collin and Bear were lazily floating around the pool while Ezra and I were trying to see what we could help with. Though they always shot us down.
When I first met them, I was obviously terrified, but now that I knew them, they were much more family-oriented than I'd anticipated. I figured they’d be the type to load up on their bikes and disappear for weeks at a time, and they did that every once in a while, but for the most part, they spent their weekends taking rides or hosting all of us. I loved that they wanted to be so involved in our lives.
The doorbell rang and I rushed inside. I threw open the door to reveal Micah and Tori standing on the other side. I pulled them into a hug, glad they’d decided to join us.
