She taps my glass with her own. “Great. Then don’t let anything else get you down, and if it does, then know it’s most likely fixable.”
It is.
* * *
My mother busiesherself in the kitchen of my childhood home while I sit across from my father in the living room. “I’ll be quick. As long as you don’t disrespect Ford in front of Connor, you can continue to see Connor. But if you can’t support my relationship with Ford, then I think it’s best we don’t communicate for a while.”
My father brings one knee over the other. “He’s now come between us.”
“You haven’t given me much choice. Clearly, you can’t see how happy he makes me.”
“You’ve been miserable for years because of him,” he points out.
I shake my head once. “I’ve been miserable because I thought we weren’t possible. We are, and I’m not going to keep repeating how the last years have played out. I get my chance at absolute happiness, and I’m not letting it go.”
“It may seem that way—”
“Stop.” I hold my hand up. “You either support us or not. I won’t go in circles. I’m not a girl confused and trying to figure out how to care for a baby. I’m a woman now who will stand up for anything that gets in the way of what will make my life good.”
My father leans back and scratches his chin. “He phoned me, you know.”
“Ford?”
“Made it clear that I should accept you two. No matter what I think, either way he intends to make you his bride one day and will enjoy flaunting that.”
I attempt to smother a smile because that sounds like him. “As much as I love him for doing that, I’m here to tell you that you should accept everything becauseI madethe decision that it’s what I want.”
He seems to be slightly calmer.
“It’s kind of a pain in the ass having two men in my life so hot-headed,” I add. If there was ever a chance for lightheartedness in this moment, then it’s now.
“Ford and I are not the same,” he interjects.
Okay, that was a failed attempt to find middle ground.
“We were all fine until Ford and I changed our status. All I’m asking is we get back on the same damn train.” I’m now agitated that we’re going in a circle.
“You seem miserable,” he notes.
“There is plenty that has gone wrong this summer, but Ford Spears is not the reason. The best moments lately have been because of him.”
“It’s not just this summer.”
I swallow, well aware that I’m not going to drag this afternoon on. “What if I told you I heard what you were saying? But I’ve made peace with how everything played out. I have a future ahead of me, and that’s what I will focus on.”
“Brielle.” His tone is still too stern for me.
I stand up. “Reach out when you’re ready, because I am,” I add right before I storm out, frustrated yet knowing that I won’t let this situation alter my life.
By the time I’m in the car, I managed to get several grumbles out. Now sitting in the car, I reflect on the last few minutes, and surprisingly, I feel… free.
I’m grateful to my parents for their help, but I’m not indebted. I can make my own decisions, like any woman who knows exactly what they want.
Which is why I grab my phone and call Ford.
He answers on the second ring. I don’t even let him say anything.
“You know I researched it and apparently raccoonsarean omen.”
