“We’re adults and this is our relationship, not yours to manage.”
“It wouldn’t matter how old you are, Tally. We’d still be worried, and we would still have questions five years from now if you brought home someone who had been previously married and failed to disclose it,” Dad says. “You can understand how concerning it is that you’ve been on my team this entire time and no one, not even Stiles, knew about this.”
“It’s okay, Tally, I’d rather get things out in the open now.” Phillip squeezes my hand.
Phillip explains, concisely, what happened with Fiona and why they divorced. He’s had to tell this story multiple times over the past few days. It’s hard for me to hear it again, so I can’t imagine it’s easy for him either. “I realize my keeping it a secret wasn’t good for anyone, least of all, Tally, but it wasn’t done out of malice.” He tucks me into his side, maybe sensing my unease, or maybe it’s because of his own.
“Why keep it a secret at all,” Dad presses.
“It was a very difficult time in my life, and I didn’t want to drag it with me into the present.” He runs his thumb along myshoulder. “I always planned to tell Tally, but dating me has brought a lot of new attention to her, and I didn’t want to add more stress on top of what she was already dealing with this semester. That was a mistake, and one I won’t make again.”
“Secrets put a lot of strain on a relationship,” Mom says.
Dad crosses and uncrosses his legs.
Phillip nods. “I’m not perfect, and I’m learning how to navigate this relationship along with Tally. I don’t ever want to blindside her like this again.”
I’m overwhelmed, this feels too fresh and like the wrong time to deal with all of this. I don’t want to cry in front of my parents, or for this dinner to turn into family therapy time.
Fenna appears with her bow in hand. “You can all come to the music room now.”
I’m grateful for the interruption to the interrogation. My head is spinning and so is my stomach. I want everything Phillip is saying to be true, but we haven’t had much time to process and it’s all been triage. Besides, he’ll tell my parents what they want to hear. He might be sincere, but he hasn’t had much time to prove he can be honest and open about his feelings with me.
We move to the music room, and Fenna plays one of her favorite pieces flawlessly, which is always the way.
Afterward, everyone helps put dinner on the table.
Phillip asks my brother and sister questions about school, and the conversation is surface and light post living room grill session.
“How are you feeling about exams and your upcoming showcase?” Mom asks.
“I feel good.”
“You had some problems earlier in the semester with studio practice time, didn’t you?” Mom presses. “Did that issue resolve itself?”
“Um.” I pause with my fork halfway to my mouth. Everyone’s eyes are on me. Including Phillip’s. Which is the moment I realize I never told them about the studio. “Sort of.”
Mom’s eyes narrow. “What does that mean?”
Phillip answers for me. “I rented a studio close to campus for Tally and her troupe so she wouldn’t have to struggle for practice time.”
The table goes silent.
I can’t look at my boyfriend as his knee presses against mine under the table.
“You rented my daughter a dance studio?” Dad asks.
“It’s leased until the end of June. There were issues with one of the main studios and I wanted to make it easy for Tally,” Phillip explains. “All the other available spaces required a commute.”
“That was generous of you.” Mom’s eyes bounce between me and Phillip.
“It was a stressor I could alleviate.” He kisses my temple.
My parents seem to ease up after that, which is a relief, and the rest of dinner is a little less tense. After we clear the table, Mom follows me to the cold cellar to retrieve dessert.
“Why didn’t you tell us about the studio?” Mom asks.
I shrug. “I didn’t want to stress you and Dad out. He’d just moved into the apartment, things were…unsteady. Then Phillip solved the problem, and I didn’t need to make it yours and Dad’s to worry about or handle.”
