“Ha!” Dad’s laughter filled the room, and he leaned back farther on his chair, his gray hair sticking up everywhere. He pulled off his reading glasses and shook his head. “At least you’re doing the right thing and marrying him before the baby comes.”
Mom heaved a big sigh. “Really, Gary, you’re embarrassing our son. The first time he brings home a boyfriend—fiancé—and you’re asking if Vane knocked him up. I can’t take you anywhere.”
“This is my house, Patrice, and if I want to be funny in my house, I can.”
“You mean you’re attempting to be funny,” Mom replied without missing a beat.
I groaned and let my head loll against Vane’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, but Vane merely laughed along with my parents’ antics, and it was… nice. It felt like he’d known them forever and hadn’t just met Dad tonight.
“Why?” Vane asked, turning to kiss me on the forehead. “I like them.”
“Aren’t you two adorable? I never thought I’d see the day that you found a man.” Dad grinned, and my face grew warm. I glared at him, but Dad’s eyes twinkled, and there was no way I could be mad at him when he’d only just gotten out of the hospital. There’d never been a time when he wasn’t supportive of me, and my heart thudded, full of the love I saw there.
“How did the discharge go?” I asked, glancing at Mom. She was usually the one with the answers, but when they blanched, I knew there was more to the story than what they were going to tell me.
“It was fine,” Mom said, a strange lilt to her voice that made it even more unbelievable. She slammed the album shut and stood, hurrying over to the mantle where she usually kept the photos. She slid the album back into its usual place. “Shall we go have dinner?”
“Mom!” I said sharply, making her pause halfway across the room on her trip toward the kitchen. She let her head drop and sighed.
Dad pursed his lips, and the amusement left his eyes.
“Tell me.” I sat up straighter and eyed her weathered face, tired from struggling her entire life.
She brushed her bangs off her forehead and glanced at Vane. “I’d rather not do this right now.”
I shook my head and linked my fingers with Vane’s, where he had them resting against his knee. His touch grounded me, reminding me that everything I’d done up until now wasn’t just for myself, but for my parents, too. I’d struggled too hard to get this far, and I wouldn’t see my parents drown before I could take care of them for life.
“What are the bills like, Mom?”
“Jax.” Her voice turned stern, the kind that said,I’m the mother here, not you, which also meant she wanted me to drop it, but I was stubborn, like she and Dad had taught me to be.
“No, how bad is it?” I stood and dragged Vane with me, but he didn’t seem to mind. He kept quiet, and I appreciated that it probably took some effort.
“That’s none of your business, Jaxson. I won’t talk about this with you,” Mom snapped, then slapped her hand over her mouth, as though embarrassed she’d raised her voice. She smiled apologetically at Vane.
“Quit, both of you,” Dad whispered, just loud enough for us to hear. We all turned to him, and he massaged his forehead before his arm dropped again. He curled his fingers around the arm of the chair until his knuckles were white and concern had me taking a step forward. Vane pulled me back, though. “This is my fault.”
“Your fault?” Mom whipped around to him and slammed her hands on her hips. “Don’t be ridiculous, Gary. It’s not like you woke up and said, ‘I’m going to have a heart attack today.’ ”
“Nevertheless, I was laid off last spring. If I hadn’t—”
Mom’s hand sliced through the air. “I’ve heard enough. We’re here to celebrate Jaxson’s engagement and get to know the man our son is marrying. We won’t be talking about money any longer.”
I sighed and released Vane’s hand to cross my arms. “I’m not doing a damn thing until you tell me how bad it is.”
“Are you really going to embarrass me like this?” Her face crumpled and guilt clumped in my gut. I was tempted to back down, forget about it, but that’s what she wanted, and I couldn’t do that. Not when she needed me more than ever.
“Mom, please. Ineedto help you if I can.” I stepped forward and grabbed her hands in mine, squeezing them. Her skin was warm and reminded me of the times I’d spent as a kid holding her hands while she tried to hide the concerned tears that welled in her eyes. The first time I’d seen her like that was when the engine had blown in one of our cars, and I’d promised myself that I’d give her a better life when I was old enough. I’d get a good-paying job and I’d take care of them.
Her shoulders slumped forward, and she breathed in deeply through her nose. “It’s bad. We… couldn’t afford the insurance after your dad was laid off. He got back to work fast, but we dropped it when he wasn’t, and never… never picked it up again.”
Fear slithered through me, icing my veins. “How much do you owe?”
A comfortable weight fell on my shoulder, and I glanced at Vane and the hard lines of his face. He opened his mouth, and before I could shake my head at him, he was already talking. “Patrice, I’d like to help you.”
Mom’s eyes shot up, and she pursed her lips like she was stuck halfway between a smile and a grimace. “Thank you for the offer, Vane, but we do not need help. My son shouldn’t have brought this up right now.”
“He cares about you.” Vane squeezed me reassuringly, and while I felt like I should have been telling him to stay out of it, all I could do was lean against him and let him take charge. “You can do this two ways: find a way to pay back the bill and stress yourself—and your husband—even more, which in his condition is not helpful at all, or you can allow me to pay the bill.”
