“Not that he could,” I muttered before I had a chance to filter my thoughts. My mom started to laugh as I quickly tried to back out of my words.
“Oh, sheesh. Now who’s being judgemental!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She sighed through a smile, still holding tight to that tender expression from earlier. “There really is something about these Rolsoms, isn’t there.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I glanced over my shoulder after sniffling back the last of my sad tears only to see the elevator closed and dark. I had half-hoped to find the guys standing there for my cue to come running over for another group embrace.
“Danforth really brightened my life when I first met him. You know I’d never be with a man just because he was wealthy, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“He made me happy. He took away the pain.”
I thought about it for a moment. I hadn’t really seen things from my mom’s perspective. I had lost my dad, and in that loss, I was broken. My mom, though, had lost the love of her life. “I am sorry. I never thought about how difficult it all was for you.”
“It can be hard to deal with grief. Even harder when you don’t yet understand what it means to feel the love of a person who you think will always be around.”
I quickly pulled my mom close for another hug. “I hadn’t thought about that either,” I whispered. “I can’t imagine how my life would change if something happened to one of the guys.”
After a breath, my mom stepped back and looked me right in the eye. “You feel that strongly about them?” All I could do was nod. “Well, I can’t really argue with that. Who could?”
“I know it’s all crazy, and now with a baby involved I really want to make the right choices. But how do I know what’s best?”
My mom gently squeezed my upper arms with a smile. “You simply follow your heart. We all make mistakes, but if you just try to do better each day, then you can’t go wrong. And you shouldn’t worry about this. You know what you’re doing. And besides, you have the best family in the world.”
26
PARVATI
I sat in the passenger seat of Daniel’s car as he drove me around town. The twins were going to meet us for dinner at a place Daniel kept saying was a surprise.
“I can’t get it out of you?” I laughed.
“Not a chance.” He turned down a side street after the light changed, sending a grin my way. “It’s a—”
“Surprise. I know.” I folded my hands in my lap. “She’s sure growing fast. I hope there isn’t two in here.”
“She?”
“That’s what you say after I just hinted at twins.”
He shrugged. “I’ve dealt with twins my whole life. No problem there. But a girl… a daughter?”
I reached over and rubbed his arm. “Are you nervous about having a baby?”
“No. I’m nervous about a girl.” He glanced at me sideways. “I’ll need a shotgun.”
His sense of humor was insane.
“Daniel!” He sent me a half-smile as he kept driving through town.
“What do you think Allison will think about it?”
“About a granddaughter?” He nodded along. “Well, I think she’ll spoil the baby no matter what.” I let the stillness of the car wash over me for a pause. “I really am happy she’s accepted us for who we are.”
“She just needed to hear that little heartbeat in there,” he said as his eyes found my belly. “You can say what you want, but when a woman connects with her child’s new baby, there’s nothing that can’t happen.”
I was grateful for him saying those nice things. I squeezed his hand and let out a soft sigh. He then motioned for me to look up at the road while he turned. The little street came into view, and I nearly choked on my breath. Little shops and fairy lights spanned the length of the road. Each store front looked like something from a nineties romantic comedy. It was quaint, lovely, cozy. Earthy tones lined the entrances with bricks and stucco, and potted plants were placed every few feet along the walkways. “Wow, look at this place.”
“I knew you’d love it here.”
“What kind of food do they serve?” I said as I leaned forward to get a better look. I wasn’t even sure which place we were going to yet. There was a coffee shop with fresh pastries I could smell coming in through the vents. I closed my eyes and hummed at the smells. Butter, sugar, chocolate. “Okay, I need some of that.”
He teased with a laugh. “Not the place.”
I kept looking. There was a trinket shop, a little bookstore, and a handmade clothing shop among the eateries. Daniel slowed down alongside a pub, and I was immediately hit with the scent of fresh cut fries and barbecue burgers. “Here?”