Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
My mother remained speechless. I was both relieved and perplexed by that.
I thought Abby had finished, but then she spoke again.
“Your son is an amazing man. He’s been through something no one should ever have to experience, let alone at his age. He’s suffered much of the time in silence these past several years, something you probably didn’t realize since he doesn’t open up to you. Because you never took his marriage seriously to begin with.” She looked my way and smiled slightly. “And as for his treatment of me? He’s been protective, respectful, and has given me everything I could want during this process. I will never forget this experience. It is the most meaningful thing I’ve done with my life. And in the end, I’m going to go back to the States knowing I made a huge difference in several people’s lives. And if I died, I would know I’d left my mark on this world.”
“…back to the States…” That was all I heard.
She went on. “Don’t waste your time picking apart this situation for all of the reasons you think it’s wrong. Spend it giving your son the love he deserves, the love he needs that’s been so desperately missing from his life since his wife’s death.” Abby shrugged. “You’re going to be grandparents whether you like it or not. You already are. Congratulations to you both.”
My stomach churned. Had Abby already made a firm decision that there was zero hope for us? I guess I’d given her no clear reason to assume otherwise. Was this what had been different over these past several weeks? I thought I might burst with the need to be alone with her, to tell her I never wanted her to leave. Ever. I couldn’t have cared less about my mother’s opinions right now. I wanted to kiss Abby for that speech.
To my shock, Abby stood from the table and walked out of the room.
I rushed after her. “What’s going on?”
“I really need to take a drive—alone.”
“But you just got here. I don’t want to be apart from you.”
“I know.” She rubbed my arm. “Spend time with your parents. Talk it out with them. And I’ll be back later.”
“I don’t understand. Where are you going?”
“Felicity’s. I want to meet the baby.”
I reached for my keys. “Let me drive you, then.”
“No. You can’t leave your parents. And I want to drive myself, okay?”
I scratched my head. “Will you…text me when you get there?”
“It’s not that far, Sig. But of course, I can.”
I had to ask. “Are things okay with us, Abby?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about me right now. Finish the conversation with your parents. Answer their questions. Make things right with your mom.”
That was the last thing she said before she walked out the door.
I stood by the entryway for a minute, analyzing her bizarre exit. Or maybe it wasn’t so bizarre. As I returned to the table, I knew I needed to make something immediately clear. “I won’t accept any badmouthing of her,” I announced. “Do you understand? Abby has been nothing short of an angel through all of this. She deserves your utmost respect, even if you don’t realize it yet.”
“Where did she go?” my father asked.
“She needed a break. Can you blame her?”
My mother clutched her necklace. “Are we that bad?”
“Do you want the honest answer?”
“Sigmund…” She frowned. “It’s time to let me talk.”
“Alright, Mother.” I returned to my seat.
“While this is not a situation I would’ve chosen for you, I heard every word she said. Alright? As much as I might have been against this had I known about it earlier, there’s no choice but to embrace it now.”
“Are you saying you’re gonna spare me any more of your opinions on the matter?”
“I’m saying…I love you. That’s it, really. All we can do as your parents is give you our opinions. You’re clearly an adult and make your own decisions, regardless of what we think. Ultimately, we just want you to be happy.”
“Very well, then.” I nodded. “Let’s end on that note and not say another word about it.”
“I do have one more question,” she said.
“What?”
“You are aware that your surrogate is in love with you?”
Lavinia snorted.
Mum tilted her head. “Exactly how long have you been involved with her and what will this mean for your supposed business arrangement?”
“Too much information for one day, Mother. I can’t begin to answer that question right now. But when I have everything figured out, eventually I’ll let you know.”
My mother grimaced. “Eventually.”
“That sounds fair to me,” my father said. “Let’s leave the poor chap alone, Rosemary. We came for lunch. Let’s proceed with that plan.”
Lavinia interrupted, “I think we should all toast to your grandchild.”
“That would be…lovely,” my mother said.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I could certainly use a drink.” My father laughed.