And I could get on with my life.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Jessica
When I’d called Mary to invite her to my wedding, I’d given her the down and dirty version of what happened with Kevin and our parents, and then, of course, how I became engaged to Alan instead.
Then a week ago, I called her in tears and asked if I could come to Savannah. The only thing I told her was the marriage wasn’t going to work out, and I needed a place to start over.
Of course, she welcomed me and Ruthie with open arms.
While it’d been so good to see Mary—I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed my sister—it only took a week for me to admit Savannah wasn’t for me.
After a day of fighting traffic and looking for parking while job hunting, I came back to Mary’s convinced I was a small-town girl. That’s where I was comfortable, and where I wanted to raise Ruthie.
I broke the news to my sister, who was understanding.
“I get it—it’s an adjustment, for sure. I think it was easier for me because I went away to college, so I was already used to life in the city.”
“I’m glad I came, though. It’s been so great to hang out with you. I’m sorry things didn’t work out with José.”
“Eh, easy come, easy go.”
I wish I felt like that. I’d cried the whole drive to Savannah. While I refused to live in the house Alan was paying for, I had kept the minivan, calling it hazard pay. But even away from the house we’d briefly shared and in a new place, I still cried every night as I lay in bed, worrying about his safety and cringing about what a fool I’d been.
And mourning my little fantasy of what my future was going to be like with him.
But that’s all it’d been—a fantasy. He’d been the prince, and while I’d thought I was the princess, I’d really been the jester. And to make matters worse, I was the only one who hadn’t realized it.
My sister laid down next to Ruthie on the blanket my daughter was doing tummy time on.
“You’re still staying for a while, aren’t you? I need to spend more time getting to know my niece! And catching up with my sister.”
I quietly asked, “Do you want to know how Mama and Papa are doing?”
I hated my parents had agreed with the church to excommunicate my sister, but I still held out hope they’d see the errors of their way someday and try to reconcile with Mary. And we could be a family again.
They were the only family Ruthie was going to have.
“I know how they’re doing,” she said as she wiggled the toys in front of Ruthie.
“You do?”
“I still talk to Mama regularly. She never cut me out of her life. And she knew you didn’t either.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“I think she worried about Papa finding out, so it was just easier that way.”
“Why didn’tyoutell me?”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t my story to tell. I will tell you this, though. You enduring the ‘ick’ of almost marrying Kevin Roberts might bring about some good. Mama says it helped Papa look at the church differently, and they’ve been talking about finding a new one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s a relief. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when I get divorced.”
