CHAPTER23
Annabella
I had given my father a couple of days to think about the effect of his words and actions; it was a grace period to change his mind. But I hadn’t heard a word from him.
I wasn’t upset about being unemployed. I could change that quick enough. But for Dad to close the door on me like that hurt more than I thought it would. I knew the risk when I had decided to confront him about Colton. I hadn’t dared to believe he could completely accept our relationship, but this was just…craziness.
My cell phone rang. I grabbed it off my coffee table, hoping to see my father’s number. It wasn’t, but almost as good.
“Good morning, Mom. Is everything okay?”I know how stressed out I’ve been. It can’t be any better for them.
“Hi, Annabella. Yes, everything is okay. I’m just calling to check on you. How are you doing?” she asked.
Horribly.
“Can I be honest?”
“Annabella, you’ve never lied to me before, so don’t start now,” she said.
“I’m miserable. I am caught between the two most important men in my life and I haven’t spoken to either of them. I don’t know what to do,” I said, sinking back into the couch.
“I thought you were with Colton,” she said.
“We haven’t spoken since Dad kicked him out and told him to stay away from me. His best friend Jack and his twin sister Rhonda told me that Colton said he wants to be with me, but that he doesn’t want to come between me and my family.”I’ve already done that myself.
“Sounds like he loves you very much,” she said softly.
“What good does it do us to love each other and not be together?” I asked.
“Annabella, you came home, stood up to your father, and fought for the right to be with the man you love. Tell me, what’s stopping you from going to him now?”
“I’m…I’m afraid he will say no,” I admitted.
“Why on earth would he do that?” she asked.
“What you and Dad don’t know is that family also means everything to him. He just lost his adoptive mother about a month ago. He’s going through so much right now, caring for his father, mourning the loss of his mother, and… finding out that his biological family is utterly hated by my dad and many other people. I think he might need time,” I said.
“No. To me it sounds like he needsyou.Do you know what I expect?”
“For me to stop crying over something I can’t control?” I replied.
“You are one of the strongest people I know. Get off your couch, put on something pretty, and go get your man. Life is too damn short not to fight for what you want,” she instructed. “If family is so important to him, and he loves you, then you’re his family, too. Don’t forget that.”
“Mom, you always said a woman shouldn’t have to chase a man.”
“That’s because the men you were dating weren’t the right ones. Colton is. If you don’t go find him, I will,” she warned.
“Mom, Dad would flip out if he even knew you were encouraging me to be with Colton. You’re not going to fly out to South Dakota just to talk to him,” I reminded her.
“Your father is angry now, but he’ll get over it. Trust me, there’s no way he’d miss his daughter’s wedding,” she said.
“Who said I’m getting married?”Colton and I haven’t even spoken in a week.
“A mother knows these things. When you have children, you will, too,” she said.
I had to get off this call before she started on names for grandchildren that didn’t exist yet. I loved her, but she could be relentless sometimes.
Maybe I need to be more like her.