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“What are you gonna do with it?”
“I’m gonna deposit a portion into a trust fund for your brother and sister. Once they’re eighteen, they can use the money for college, and the rest of it they’ll receive once they graduate and get their degree. I was gonna do the same for you, but Noah told me not to worry about that. He’s already contributed generously to you.” She winked.
I guess this was gonna be another one of his surprises that I would have no choice but to accept.
“As for the rest of the money,” Mom continued, “I’m gonna pay off all our credit card debt, cut up the plastic, and start paying for things in cash so I can get a better sense of how much I’m spending. I need financial stability at this point in my life. Noah’s generosity is a godsend.”
I felt this overwhelming sense of pride in him. He wasn’t a big fan of my mother, but he knew I loved her a lot, and so he must have wanted to help in any way he could; that’s what it meant to love someone unconditionally.
“Can I ask you a question, Mom?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
“What was Noah like at sixteen?”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t told you himself.”
“Well, you know him. He’s pretty reserved about his past. He hates talking about his family. Did you know about Evan?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I hardly ever talked about your father. Why on earth would I have discussed his adoptive brother out of the blue? I’ve tried my best to block out all the memories of his messed-up family.”
“I don’t think they’re as dysfunctional as we are.”
“You haven’t met your Grandmother Olivia.”
I could sense the animosity she felt toward this woman just by the change in her tone.
“Do you blame her for your breakup with Noah?”
“Blame?” she scoffed. “The self-centered shrew practically orchestrated the doom of our relationship. She was always so manipulative, and she had never been in favor of Noah dating me. According to her, my family was of a lower class and not fit to be in the same social circle as them. I remember her telling Noah he could do so much better, right in front of me! The nerve of that woman!”
Not wanting to open old wounds for her, I had to ask this last question:
“Mom, do you still have feelings for Noah?”
Her hesitancy made me uncomfortable.
“I… care about him,” she admitted. “Lately, I’ve seen a new side to him. He’s so caring and protective of the people he loves. I never expected Noah to be so kind to me. Funny how life changes a person.” She sighed and said, “I’m gonna tell you a little secret, but please don’t tell Rob or your father. Don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”
It seemed to take forever before she finally confessed.
“I think a part of me will always love Noah.”
There it was: the confession I feared the most. I guess that explained why she never liked to talk about him; she never got over him.
“Mom, if you were still in love with Noah, why didn’t you accept his proposal when he asked you to marry him all those years ago?”
“I didn’t believe he was genuine. After everything his mother had said to me, I thought he only wanted to marry me because he had knocked me up. I didn’t want to spend my life with a man who was uncertain of his feelings for me. Plus, I didn’t particularly want to have a monster-in-law.”
I supposed that made sense.
“Aria, when you get married you don’t just marry your partner, you marry into the family,” she emphasized. “Noah’s father had always been a kind man, but Olivia was just cruel. I knew she would have never accepted me into the family if I had married her son. She would have made my life a living hell.”
