Her face falls. Much like the rest of my family, she never understood our divorce. Probably because we never explained it.
“It’s lovely to have you in our home,” she tells Seth, shooting me a strange look that I can’t interpret. “Liam’s family will be here soon. Why don’t you take a seat at the table and we can catch up once dinner is ready?”
“Too late.” My brother’s voice sounds from behind Seth. “We’re already here.”
Seth and I pivot. Liam stands in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, his arms folded over his chest, eyes narrow and shifting between us. My brother used to have a similar build to Seth, although he never matched my ex for height, but these days he’s slimmed down. Being a father of three means he doesn’t have as much time to hit the gym and maintain the muscle mass he used to carry. His wife, Marisol, doesn’t seem to think any less of him for it. Every time he carries one of their children on his shoulders, she practically has hearts in her eyes.
“Hey, man.” Seth nods to him, but otherwise doesn’t make a move, obviously waiting to see how Liam will react to his presence.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” A smile breaks over Liam’s face and he steps forward and slaps Seth on the shoulder, then holds out a fist for him to bump. “Long time, no see, Bill. Missed your ugly face.”
I roll my eyes. There he goes. My corny brother. When Seth and I married, he took to calling him “Bill”—short for brother-in-law. While Seth always pretended to hate the moniker, I know he secretly enjoyed it because it made him feel like part of the family.
“Are you guys seeing each other again?” Liam barrels on, not waiting for a reply. “About damn time.”
“We’re not together,” I say. “We’ll explain everything once we’re all seated. Where are the kids?”
Liam winks. “Left them at home with a babysitter. When you asked for a family dinner, we figured something interesting must be going on. Didn’t want them here in case they stunted the conversation.”
Shit. He must read the thought on my face, because he smirks. So much for the kids providing a buffer to smooth things over.
“Out of my kitchen.” Mom ushers us to the door. “Tell your father we’ll be ready to eat in a few minutes.”
“Will do, Mrs. Walsh.” Seth tilts his head deferentially. For a surly guy, he’s always treated my parents with the utmost respect. Probably because no one ever did the same for his mother, and he hated them for it.
“Ash,” Marisol exclaims as we enter the dining room. She throws her arms around me and squeezes. I relax into the embrace. Marisol gives the best hugs. She’s built like an hourglass and radiates genuine warmth. She whispers in my ear, “Thanks for the night off. Joseph was starting to drive me crazy. He’s teething.”
“No problem.” I hug her back, ignoring the twinge in my heart that says I’d happily swap places with her if it meant I got to have a baby.
She draws back, and her gaze skims down me, then one dark brow cocks up. She knows that while I always make an effort with my appearance for work, I rarely do with family. “What’s the occasion?”
“I’ll let you know soon.” I kiss her cheek. Of all my family, I expect Marisol to be the only one who’s remotely on board with my plan.
“Color me intrigued.”
We sit, and Liam asks Seth how things are going at the gym. They launch into one of the sports-rich conversations that dominated family events during our marriage, only pausing when Mom delivers dinner to the table. She’s cooked a vegetable stew that smells amazing, and has a loaf of homemade bread to accompany it. I breathe in the yeasty scent—one of my favorite things ever.
“So.” Mom sets her hands on the edge of the table and meets my eyes. “Not that I don’t love seeing you, but are you ready to explain why we’re all here?”
Reaching for my drink, I gather my thoughts. I sip, then prepare myself for the inevitable reaction. “I’ve decided that I want children and I’m not waiting around for a new man to come along and give them to me. I’m going to have IVF. Seth has agreed to be the father.”
“What the fuck?” Liam explodes to his feet. “You want to be a single mom?” He swings to glare at Seth. “And you’re helping her? What the hell, man. I’d have thought that you—out of everyone—wouldn’t willingly help someone become a single mom.”
“Liam Walsh, sit down and stop acting like a child,” Mom snaps, her eyes glinting fire. I’m not fooled though, her anger is directed at me just as much as Liam. She turns. “Ashlin, why would you want to force this? You’re only thirty. You have plenty of time to meet another man and do things naturally.” She glances between Seth and I. “Honestly, I always thought you’d reconcile. Have you considered that? And have you stopped to think about what effect it could have on a child to be raised without two loving parents?”
Her words cut, and I shrink into my chair. “Plenty of people do it these days, and I know I could be everything the baby would need. Besides, I wouldn’t be doing it alone.” The last sentence is almost a whisper, and I instinctively seek Seth out as though I expect him to protect me. Realizing what I’m doing, I straighten my back and speak more assertively. “Seth will be the baby’s father, and have partial custody. Our son or daughter will have two loving parents.” I take a deep breath to ease the tightness in my chest. “Perhaps it’s not how you would do it, but I’ve made up my mind.”
“Good for you,” Marisol declares, earning my eternal gratitude. My sister-in-law is one of my favorite people, and I’ve always secretly wondered whether she guessed the reason behind the breakdown of my relationship with Seth. She’s remarkably astute.
“Mari.” Liam looks horrified.
She raises an eyebrow. “Don’t be old-fashioned. God forbid something terrible were to happen to you, do you think I’d be incapable of raising happy and healthy children on my own?”
He pales. “That’s different. They’d have had a father, and know that they started out life as—”
“Part of a normal, nuclear family?” Marisol finishes, her eyes glinting dangerously. “But is that what we really are? There are people who’d say that we’re not a natural family because the color of our skin is different.”
Liam scoffs. “Those people are racists. It’s a completely different situation.”
