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“Not that woman again!” Mom exclaimed with a mix of anger and frustration. “Don’t tell me she’s the one you have been seeing lately.”
“No, Mom, she’s not,” I reassured her. “But there’s a situation with her?”
“What is she up to this time?” Mom raised a curious brow.
“Apparently she had my child.” I delivered the news, expecting the reaction I received. Her face twisted in distaste. “His name is Parker. He’s five.”
“I know I should be thrilled about having a grandson, but I don’t trust Jessica.” My mom said, folding her arms across her chest. “You will need to make sure he is truly yours. If he is, then you need to be a part of his life.”
She was right and I knew I would do the right thing, but why was it so incredibly difficult?
“I know, Mom, but Olivia . . .” I trailed off.
“Olivia?” she asked inquisitively.
“My girlfriend,” I explained. “We’ve been dating for a while and I love her, Mom, I really do.”
“You think she won’t want to be with you now that you have a child?” Mom asked, missing the point entirely.
“No, not that. Olivia isn’t someone who would do that,” I replied, confident in the woman I loved.
“Then what’s the problem?” Mom asked, a smile starting to form on her lips. “You love her and you trust her enough not to leave you, so why are you so worried?”
“Mom, I have to accept Jessica’s child, that means?—”
“I told you to acceptyourchild, not Jessica,” Mom interrupted, shrugging her shoulders.
And just like that, my hopes of finding a solution by the one person I looked up to vanished. She didn’t even see the problem. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.
“But a child needs both of his parent,” I argued, hoping she’d see the problem.
“That’s why there’s something called co-parenting. Haven’t you heard of it?” Mom waved her hand in front of my eyes emphasizing her point.
“I don’t want my child to grow up in a broken home. We have to be a family,” I countered, trying to convince myself as much as my mother.
Mom sighed, gently cupping my face. “Listen, Ethan, you’re creating problems where there are none. If you love Olivia, you can’t leave her just to work things out with a woman who cheated on you only for the sake of your child. You might think you’re doing your son a favor, but trust me, you’d realize sooneror later that you’ll only end up hurting yourself when you can’t stand her anymore. And then it’s Parker who will suffer.”
I understood what Mom was trying to say, but she also knew how stubborn I could be. If I really wanted to work things out with Jessica and live as a family, I knew I could do it. Leaving Olivia was the one thing I wasn’t sure I could bear.
I rubbed my face, cursing under my breath as my helplessness became evident. Everything my mother said after that point didn’t register in my brain. I knew I had to do something.
“In the end, it all boils down to what you truly want and desire, Ethan,” Mom said, placing her hand above mine. “No one can decide that for you, especially not me.”
“I know, Mom. Thank you,” I said relaxing into the chair.
“And whatever you do, don’t deny me the pleasure of meeting Olivia,” Mom added, feigning a threatening tone.
I chuckled despite myself. “Okay, Mom.”
“Now that we’re freely talking about her, tell me everything,” Mom said eagerly.
“She’s James’s sister,” I revealed, enjoying the confused look on his face.
“James? James McKenna?” Mom’s delight was reflected in her voice.
I couldn’t hold back anymore, so I told her everything about Olivia—the story of how we first met, when we started dating, and every moment in between.
Mom listened attentively, her enthusiasm rubbing off me as we talked. Even though I was just recounting events that had happened to me, her excitement made it all feel significant. After our discussion, Mom insisted I stay for dinner, and as I was ready to leave, those intrusive thoughts returned in full force.
