Parvati nodded along, tears filling her eyes once more. We all circled her and hugged her tight. I don’t think any of us wanted to let her go, but we eventually did.
“What would I do without you guys?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be in this position for starters,” Dax said plainly. I nudged his side with my elbow, making him gasp in anger. “Damn!”
“Watch it!” I swore.
“Hey,” Daniel lulled, catching our full attention. His eyes trailed upward, and we all looked to see Allison nearing us. “We should give you two a minute.”
Parvati nodded, and we left her to talk to her mother. I wanted to linger around and listen, if nothing but to protect her from the judgemental words of an older woman, but my brothers insisted I give them privacy.
“Come on.” Dax patted me on the back. “We can go talk about what else this new life will bring.”
Daniel hit the button on the elevator. “And how we can spoil my baby.”
I stopped right in my tracks. “Your baby?”
“Oh yeah. I was with her first, so it only makes sense.”
Dax and I started to laugh. “That doesn’t mean you’re as potent as us.”
“Yeah, no way!”
The elevator doors closed as I watched Parvati and her mother talk. I wanted to be there at her side more than anything, but I took a breath and stayed where I stood. It was her fight now.
25
PARVATI
I thought about running and never looking back, leaving my mother in that parking garage to think about her feelings while I suppressed my own and faced the future.
It seemed like a great idea, but I knew I couldn’t really do that to her. Besides, I loved my mom for everything she did for me, even though as adults we didn’t always see eye to eye.
I shook my head at her as she neared me. “Mom, please.”
“No, you please. I need to say something. And I’m not here to criticize or judge.” It was like she could read my mind.
“Okay.”
She tucked back a curl of her short blonde hair and then drew in a breath. “I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for you. You know that, right?”
I gave her a nod.
“I want you to be happy. And I know that happiness can come in different forms, but you have to excuse me if I don’t seem excited about this.”
“You said no judging,” I mumbled as I crossed my arms tightly around my chest.
My mom let out a sigh, growling through it like she just knew nothing she could say would bridge the gap between us. In that moment, I realized something too. I was being hard on her, and it wasn’t a new thing. I hadn’t been the kindest about everything, and all she did really was fall in love with a guy.
“It isn’t every day that someone falls for multiple men.” She was speaking lightly, probably to keep from upsetting me. “Especially not men who are related to you by marriage. And then to have them reciprocate those feelings… Whew!”
“Mom,” I said with a laugh, going to her and holding her hands in mine. “I think I get what you’re saying.”
She giggled bashfully. “Oh, I hope so. I’m making a mess of this whole thing.”
“We already decided it was a mess anyway.”
Her eyes met mine with a softness I hadn’t seen since my father’s funeral. Sure, she’d had her moments, but this expression was one of endearment and a desire to connect with someone who truly understood her for her honest self. That had been amiss from my mother’s life as of late.
“Your baby is anything but.” My mom shook my hands as she smiled and laughed. She fought back tears, saying, “Nothing is more perfect than the surprise of life.”
The second I spotted her watery eyes, I started to cry. I flung my arms over her and just melted in. “I’m so sorry I’ve been so mean about everything. You didn’t deserve to have me throw a wrench in your honeymoon.”
“Oh, Parvati! You didn’t!” She hugged me tight, and we rocked there together as a cooling breeze swept through the parking garage. “I know it hasn’t been easy.”
I stepped back after one more tight squeeze. “But I’m not a little girl. It isn’t like you went through a bad divorce and I was caught in the middle.”
“But that doesn’t mean you don’t miss him.”
Miss him? Just the thought of my dad brought fresh tears to my eyes. I wiped and rubbed, but all it did was make my face hurt. “But I shouldn’t be this upset.”
“Why not?” She reached up and caught a tear as it slid down my cheek. “He was your daddy. Of course you’d miss him. And of course you’d be bothered about the man who stepped into his place. Not that he’d ever try to fill those shoes.”