“Mom, how are things with you and Dad?”
“Like I said, we’re in a good place. I’m seeing someone once a week, a therapist.”
I lifted my brows in surprise. “Really? That’s good.”
She nodded. “It is. I realized when I heard you and Saryn were together that I was being selfish. All those years I was so angry at your father for cheating on me. The affair didn’t last long, maybe a month or two, but the pain was so real. Maybe it was all the other affairs, as well, that hit me all at once. When Roger took me aside Christmas Eve and asked me if I knew about Tim and Liliana, something inside of me cracked open. I was finally able to talk to you boys about it, and that was such a relief. I took my hurt and anger out on the two of you, and I will never be able to make up for that.”
I took her into my arms and rested my chin on top of her head. “Mom, the past is in the past. You’re here now, and that is all that matters.”
She hugged me tightly before stepping out of my arms.
“So, the baby is a secret for now?”
“Yes.”
There was a hint of a smirk at the corners of her mouth. “You do realize that Evie knows.”
I jerked my head back in surprise. “How?”
With a wave of her hand, my mother laughed. “Truitt, please. A mother knows these things. It only took one look at that girl tonight to see. She practically lit up the entire room with that glow on her cheeks.”
“She is glowing, isn’t she?” I said with a smile so big my cheeks hurt.
My mother nodded. “Yes, she is. Now, we better get back in there.”
As we walked back into the house, Saryn came down the long hall from the direction of the master bedroom. I could tell instantly she had gotten sick. Apparently, so could my mother. She jumped into action and wet a paper towel for her.
“Sweetheart, put this behind your neck. It used to ease the nausea for me when I was pregnant with the boys.”
A look of shock passed over Saryn’s face. “You told her?”
Laughing, I answered, “No. She seems to have some weird sense for this kind of thing.”
Saryn looked at my mother who promptly hugged her and whispered, “I won’t tell a soul.”
When they parted and Saryn looked at me, she sighed. “My mother knows, as well. She whispered it in my ear when my parents first walked in. She said I was glowing and told me to tell her later how far along I was.”
Mom let out a howl of laughter.
I rolled my eyes and brushed a piece of hair from Saryn’s cheek. “Do you want to lie down?”
“No. We have way too much to do.” Looking at my mother, Saryn grinned. “Is everything okay?”
Taking Saryn’s arm in hers, my mother replied, “Everything is more than okay. I’m going to have the daughter I’ve always wanted and another grandbaby.”
It wasn’t lost on me that she said another. Saryn must have noticed, too, because she wiped away a tear that had slipped free.
“Thank you, Janet.”
My mother gave Saryn a wink. “Come on, let’s get back in there. We have a lot of things to plan and only a little time to do it.”
When Saryn glanced back to me she mouthed, I love you.
“Love you, too,” I said as I followed them back into the main living room.
The rest of the evening was spent eating pizza Ryan and Roger had brought over and talking about throwing the best quickie wedding the town of Boerne had ever seen.
Saryn
LUCY STOOD BEFORE me with her hand over her mouth.
“OH. My. Gawd. How does this dress fit you perfectly?”
“I don’t know, but it’s like it was made for me,” I replied back.
The girl who worked at the dress shop beamed at me. “When I took your measurements I almost died. This dress has been sitting here for three months simply waiting for the right bride.”
I smiled and wiped away the tears streaming down my face. Apparently with this baby I was not only going to be sick, I was going to cry all the time. I cried at everything, it seemed like.
Of course, the last two weeks had been a flurry of plans and dress shopping. This was my third time. The first two were with my mother and Janet. My mother had something to say about each dress I put on, while Janet told me I looked beautiful even in the ones that looked like potato sacks on me. I made the decision that Lucy and I were going to Austin, and I was hellbent on finding a dress. If I didn’t find one today, then I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Especially since the wedding was in one week.