Aunt Yvonne, on the other hand, already looked like she had a stick somewhere way too far up her ass. She sneered at me from behind thin glasses, like she was primed and ready, scrutinizing for flaws.
Merrilyn smiled. “Perry and Rock have been dating now for, what… a few months?”
“Right,” Perry said with a nod. “A few months.”
We’d purposely decided to keep it vague instead of putting an exact number on how long we’d been “dating.” Now, though, as Yvonne inspected us, I wished we had decided an exact day.
Yvonne’s face was unsmiling, looking at everything with the same disinterested gaze. She landed on me.
“Rock. What a peculiar name! Not Rocky?”
“Nope. Just Rock,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you, Yvonne.”
“Perry’s been alone for so long,” Yvonne said, shaking her head. “I just couldn’t believe it. He is on the tail end of his thirties, and yet ever a boyfriend, never a husband. I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong, I—”
“Oh, there’s definitely nothing wrong with Perry,” I interjected. I’d been watching as Perry got more and more uncomfortable with every word Yvonne said, and finally, I’d had enough.
“No?” she asked.
“He’s the best person I’ve ever been with, actually,” I said.
Her gaze was sharp as a tack, like Perry and I were some mystery she was trying to figure out. There was no way she could know that we were fake boyfriends, but it didn’t make it feel any better to be scrutinized.
Perry gulped down some of his mimosa.
Yvonne took a deep breath, finally turning her focus away from me and Perry. “Well,” she said, her tone clipped. “I suppose that softens the blow of the divorce, Merrilyn.”
All three of us froze in place. Perry looked like he was about to choke on his sip of mimosa.
Merrilyn cleared her throat. “What?” she said feebly.
“Please, Mer,” Yvonne told Perry’s mom. “Even if I hadn’t found out, it’s written all over their faces. Cam and Rachel are over. Face reality.”
Merrilyn gasped. Perry was staring straight ahead, clearly hurt.
I put my arm around Perry’s shoulders, bringing him close to me. “Yvonne, I think Merrilyn and Perry would appreciate it if we didn’t talk about that.”
Yvonne shrugged. “Suit yourself. But there’s no reason to sweep it under the rug.”
“It’s not the right time, Yvonne,” I said. “Keep it to yourself.”
I had just met the woman, but I wasn’t going to mince words. I could already see the wisp of tears forming in Merrilyn’s eyes, and judging by how quickly Perry had downed the rest of his drink, he wasn’t feeling so great either.
Yvonne just shrugged one shoulder, like words meant nothing to her. “I’m just being honest.”
“But cut it out, while we’re at this reunion,” I said. “Respect the family’s wishes. They don’t want it talked about.”
Perry cleared his throat. “He’s right. Please, Yvonne.”
She shook her head slowly. “I won’t say anything. But I don’t know why you’re choosing to avoid it.”
“Because that’s what Cam and Rachel want,” I said. “Period.”
“I’m going to go… mingle,” Merrilyn said, standing up a little straighter. She adjusted her shawl, wearing it like a soft piece of armor. “Yvonne, I think Brent had something he wanted to tell you. Maybe you should speak with him.”
“I hope it’s about where best to dispose of that wretched electric guitar,” Yvonne said, but she finally nodded at us and walked off.
“Mimosas,” Perry said as soon as Yvonne had left. “More mimosas.”
“Yes, please,” Merrilyn agreed, her face weary. Perry headed off to go grab us all more drinks, and I was left alone with his mother for a moment. I watched as Yvonne walked off, and ignored every instinct inside me that wanted to run after her and chew her out.
Instead I stayed by Merrilyn’s side.
“I’m so sorry that Yvonne found out about the divorce,” I offered. “I know they were trying to keep it secret.”
Merrilyn let out a long breath. “It is what it is,” she said, but her fingers still fiddled nervously with the corner of her shawl. “I’m being a big baby about it. I know I am. People get divorced all of the time.”
“But you never thought it would happen to your son,” I said softly.
“Never,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “They’ve been together forever.”
“Since high school, right?”
She nodded once. “I don’t want them to have the same struggles I had. Being separated, raising kids, like I had to be when I was raising Perry and Cam.”
“You know the kids are going to be just fine, right?” I said. “I can tell already. They’re resilient as hell. Chloe and Cooper are strong. Dayna is whip smart. And I promise, Cam and Rachel won’t be enemies. They’re going to make amazing co-parents, separated or not.”
“Right,” she said, like she was trying to convince herself, too.
“Doesn’t sound like you had much of a co-parent with Perry’s father.”