I swallow the lump in my throat, barely getting the words out, “It’s okay now. We found each other, and we’re happy.”
“You don’t know how happy that makes me,” she says, tears and mascara pouring down her cheeks. “And your mom…is she okay?”
I gently turn her around and point, “Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s right over there.”
My mom stands, tears streaming down her face. The sound that escapes Susan’s mouth is raw, almost primal. It’s a guttural sob that knocks the breath from her lungs.
I reach out to steady her as her knees nearly give out. She stumbles toward my mom, and they fall into each other’s arms, crying so hard I’m afraid they won’t recover.
We’ve become the spectacle of the airport. Around us, people are staring, some with tears in their eyes, a few with their cell phones out, recording the emotional reunion.
Eventually, we calm them down enough to head to baggage claim and pick up everyone’s luggage.
My mom drives Susan in her car, while Aiden and I take the rest of the group. It’s a short drive from the airport to my mom’s house, so there’s not much time for conversation.
James and Luke didn’t know Susan would stay there and that they’d be separated from her, but after witnessing their emotional reunion, they realize it’s exactly where she needs to be.
After Aiden drops his mom’s bags in the spare bedroom, we all settle into the living room.
My mom, ever the gracious host, starts fussing.
“Can I get anyone anything to drink? I can put together some snacks, too,” she offers.
Once everyone has given her their requests, Aiden and I help her gather everything, then we all return to the couch.
The air is thick and heavy. No one is sure where to begin.
There’s some polite small talk, just enough to fill the awkward silence, before James cuts through it all with a pointed question. “Okay, now that we’re all together, Mom, will you finally tell us how long this has been going on?”
She looks to my mom for reassurance, grasping her hand as if it were a lifeline. In the brief time between here and the airport, it’s obvious they’ve already connected and had a conversation.
My mom nods gently at her. “Sue, you need to be honest with them. They’re not little boys anymore, and they deserve to know the truth.”
Susan looks up, tears beginning to fall again from her already red, puffy eyes. She takes a few moments to center herself, then begins.
“The first time I suspected anything was a few weeks before the Taylors moved,” she says. “Your dad had been on the city council for a few years, and he wanted to expand his political career. He went to a conference in Albany, and when he came back, something was off.
“I found a receipt from a bar in the pocket of his suitcase when I was unpacking his things, which wasn’t like him. All of his clothes had already been laundered, which was odd.”
She pauses, taking a deep breath. “I’d confided in Ronda about it, and she encouraged me to confront him. I didn’t accuse him of anything; I just asked about those things, and he quickly cut meoff. He had reasonable excuses for everything, and I just accepted it, even though it didn’t feel right.”
James frowns. “So, what happened after that?”
Susan glances nervously at Aiden, then at me. “Not long after… was when everything happened between the two of you,” she says quietly, shame creeping into her voice.
The room falls dead silent; you could hear a pin drop.
She reaches out and takes Aiden’s hand.
“It was a shock to find the two of you together.” She swallows, glancing between us. “And when I told your father, his reaction was… extreme. It was beyond anything I could control.”
She shifts her gaze to her hands. “I knew he would be angry, but I didn’t know he’d go that far—“ she hesitates. “Not only to separate the two of you but also to cut off my friendship with Ronda entirely.
She looks up, her voice steady. “Looking back, I think he saw it as an opportunity to isolate me from the only ally I had.”
Tears well up in her eyes again as she meets Aiden’s gaze. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I’ve done a lot of my own studying and soul-searching. The two of you belong together.”
Aiden stands and pulls her into a warm hug, holding her tightly.
