Egotistically Yours by Hayley Faiman
Chapter Twenty-Two
LAURENT
Meetthe parents is something that I can say with all confidence I’ve never done before. A woman’s parents meeting my father and his wife, who is younger than I am and their two babies, definitely not something I ever thought I would be doing, but here we are.
At first, we thought the restaurant at the hotel would be a good idea for both of the families to meet but thinking about Holden and two infants cooped up while we talk, it made me feel anxious, so I know that Tenny and Bethie would feel the same.
So, instead of that, we decided to just do it here at my place in the city, outside on the back patio overlooking downtown Dallas. Bethie is a mess, trying to clean everything that’s already perfectly clean to prepare.
I think she’s more nervous about my father coming over than anyone else, even though he’s been here a million times, or maybe it’s because her parents are meeting mine for the first time.
No matter what it is, I want to tell her that nobody coming over will care if there is a fingerprint on the microwave or not, but I don’t want to get in her way.
The doorbell rings and I grab Tucker from his bouncer and head over to answer it. I’m not surprised to see that it’s Lidia and Rob, Bethie’s parents.
Lidia doesn’t even say hello to me. She just reaches for Tucker and takes him from my hands. Although I’ve met her once, and it wasn’t the best first impression, but I’m glad to see that maybe she hasn’t quite held it against me.
Rob smiles, lifting his hand, he claps it down on my shoulder and squeezes. “Just come to terms that she’s going to hog that baby the moment she arrives until the moment she leaves,” he says, shaking his head.
I give him a smile and shrug my shoulder as his hand falls away. “I’m perfectly okay with that.”
We make our way into the condo and Lidia is telling Bethie that everything is fine and to sit down and rest. I smile, watching them.
I don’t know what a real mother-daughter relationship looks like, other than Tenny and her mom. But I know that what Lucinda and my mother had was nothing like this. I like what I see and I am glad that Bethie has a good relationship with her parents.
Rob is standing by the door to the patio and I make my way over to him. I need to go outside and fire up the grill anyway.
“Headed outside, want to join?” I ask.
He looks over to me, then jerks his chin. I slip out of the house and to the patio. He follows behind me quietly, closing the door when he does. It doesn’t take me long to start the grill and I watch it warm up for a moment before turning to him.
“Got something on your mind?” I ask him, noticing that he’s not as lively and positive as he was yesterday when they were over.
I’ve been careful not to be too in his or Lidia’s faces. This is their time with Bethie and Tucker and while I’ve enjoyed spending time with them, I’ve also made sure to continue to go to work during the day to give them their own time together too.
“Got something eating at me, son,” he mutters.
I turn to look at him, but he doesn’t face me, instead I’m staring at his profile as he looks ahead at the cityscape.
“Bethanie says you don’t want to get married. Now I’m a traditional guy, so to me, this situation should lead to marriage, but I also know that this is not the seventies anymore, either.”
I laugh, it is certainly not the seventies anymore, but I don’t say anything. Instead, I wait for him to speak. I knew this question would be coming and I’m honestly okay with that. My own father has spoken to me on the topic as well, more than once over the past few weeks.
My mind won’t change though, no matter what anyone says, no matter what they try to talk me into or rationalize.
“If you’re living together, if she changes her last name to yours, if you’re having children together. Why not just do the thing?” he asks. “This may be the modern world, but this is still Texas. People are going to judge you for this, especially if you move to some little town in the suburbs.”
I press my lips together, shifting my gaze from his profile to look out at the city. “It’s not because I am looking for anything else. It’s not that I’m waiting for another opportunity. I’m committed to my family, deeply,” I explain. “It’s my past, it’s my mother and I know it sounds like a piss-poor excuse, but it’s the one that I have.”
There is a long moment of silence and I’m afraid I’ve pissed him off. That’s the last thing that I want to do, I like Rob. But then he speaks and I realize he was just thinking about what I was saying.
“I don’t know much about traumas. My parents were married to one another and nobody else. Same with Lidia and naturally Bethanie. I won’t try to counsel you anymore on the subject, just think about it, for the kids.”
This man, he’s a good man and I know that my dad is going to enjoy him and getting to know him. Reaching out, I wrap my hand around his shoulder and give him a gentle shake, the way he did me when he came into the condo.
“I will continue to think about it, for Tucker, and the future ones.”
“All I can ask, Laurent.”
“You boys want me to season this big hunk of meat?” a voice calls out from behind us. We both turn around and Lidia is standing in the doorway, no Tucker in her arms and I know that he must be eating, because that’s the only time Lidia will release him.
“I got it, Lidia, go ahead and relax, can I get you some sweet tea?” I ask, heading in her direction.
“Bethie make it? My Bethie makes the best sweet tea in the entire state of Texas,” she boasts proudly.
Smiling, I nod my head. “She did make it, fresh just for you.”
Lidia’s eyes brighten and she nods her head. “Then I would love to have some.”
The rest of the dinner goes off without a hitch. My father and Tennessee shock the shit out of Rob and Lidia when they first meet them. However, as Tennessee and Landry do, by the end of the evening, everyone has forgotten to be surprised by their age difference and we all have become friends.
I look around my patio table, surrounded by family, real family and I can’t help but smile. When Tennessee and my dad started their Sunday night dinners, I went very reluctantly, and only because I respect my father and it was his one request of me.
Now, seeing this, feeling the joy around me, I know why he wants to have them. This is about more than sharing a meal with the people you love, this is about sharing life with them. This is about sharing Tucker with them, and Bethie too.
This moment, if I could freeze-frame it, if I could pause life, this is where I would do that, because this moment is absolute perfection.
This is the moment before shit hits the fucking fan.
BETHANIE
My mother watchesme the whole evening. I can feel her eyes on me as the evening goes on. She has Tucker most of the time, but I don’t mind it at all, it’s nice to be able to converse with adults and not have to worry about anything else, because not only do I trust my mom completely, I can see Tucker at the same time.
When Tennessee and Landry head out for the evening, my dad and Laurent head outside for a final cocktail and that’s when I look directly into my mom’s eyes.
“Okay, tell me whatever is on your mind,” I demand.
Her eyes widen and she sits back in her chair, patting a sleeping Tucker on his diapered bottom. She doesn’t say anything right away, her eyes searching mine first before she clears her throat. I wait, watching her and wondering when she’s going to give me her opinion, because I can tell she’s got one right now and she’s trying to find the words.
“Your father is worried,” she begins. “I am too. This man, he doesn’t want marriage, but he wants a family. If he goes on to younger pastures in the future, what happens to you?”
My gaze searches hers and I try not to get angry at her question. She is asking out of love and worry, not judgment and cruelness. Inhaling a deep breath, I clear my throat.
“There would be nothing stopping him from doing the same thing if we were married, Mom,” I state. “My protection will be the same. No matter what.”
She arches a brow, but it’s obvious that she doesn’t believe me. I understand where she’s coming from.
Traditionally speaking, we’re doing everything wrong, except it doesn’t feel that way anymore. It did for a little while, when we were still figuring our shit out, but now that we’re settled, now that we’re living with one another—now that he’s confessed his love for me, I feel at peace.
I’m okay with this the way that it is. I can compromise and this doesn’t feel like a sacrifice too big that I can’t concede. My mom watches me for a long moment. She doesn’t argue with me or try to make me feel any way, but I know that she doesn’t agree.
It’s okay, she doesn’t have to agree with anything. This is my life, not hers. She doesn’t say anything else and I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t want to say anything else or if it’s because my dad and Laurent walk back inside.
“Okay Lidia, time to put him down, we’re going back to the hotel,” my dad announces.
She frowns, then reluctantly stands and walks over to me, slipping Tucker in my arms. My mom leans over and gives me a small hug.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she murmurs.
Tomorrow is going to be a full day. We’re going to go shopping for the rest of the decorations to finish up Tucker’s nursery. I can’t wait. I am so excited to see it completed. Smiling, I thank them for coming over, then I watch as Laurent walks them to the door.
My dad shakes his hand and my mom gives him a hug.
I watch and tears fill my eyes, because I honestly never imagined in my wildest dreams that this would ever be happening.
Laurent Astor is hugging my mother.
He’s shaking my father’s hand.
He’s mine.
When my parents are gone, Laurent closes and locks the door, then he turns to face me, a smile playing on his lips. He makes his way toward me in silence, then reaches for Tucker and practically snatches him out of my arms.
“Your mom is a serious baby hog,” he mutters, touching his lips to the top of his little, soft head.
Laughing, I lean my head against his shoulder, tucking my feet beneath me on the sofa. “She is,” I admit.
He hums but doesn’t speak right away. “Your dad talked to me about marriage,” he mutters.
“Divide and conquer,” I whisper.
“What?”
Smiling, I look up at him. “My mom talked to me about marriage too. They want us to be married and I don’t blame them, they don’t really understand where we’re coming from.”
Laurent doesn’t say anything, instead he watches me for a long moment, his gaze searching mine. When he finally says something, it’s not quite what I expect to hear, but I don’t get upset, even if his words do sting a little.
“It’s not where we’re coming from, Bethie. It’s where I am coming from. None of this has anything to do with you, and everything to do with me. Sure, it affects your life, but in reality, it’s me that’s made this decision and you’re willing to compromise who you are because I’ve demanded it.”
I’m quiet for a moment, wondering if he’s going to say anything else, he doesn’t, instead he just stares straight ahead as if he is thinking about something, but he’s not going to share it with me, that much is obvious.
“That’s not quite fair,” I exhale. “If it was something that I vehemently disagreed with, then that would be one thing. I accept that this is something you need, or rather don’t need, and I’m okay with that. I say we, because in reality, we’ve made the decision together, even if this is your deal breaker, I am okay with it and I’ve agreed to it all, so in the end, it’s my decision too.”
His lips curve up into a small smile and he nods his head once, but he doesn’t really argue with me, or say anything else, not that we get the chance. Tucker starts to wake up and I glance behind me at the clock on the oven and realize it’s time for his before-bed feeding.
Laurent hands him to me, then we go about shutting the condo down for the night. We don’t talk about marriage or anything else, instead, we silently move as if we’re one unit.
We are completely and totally in sync and I know without a doubt that a ring, a party, a piece of paper isn’t going to make anything better or different, we are exactly where and who we need to be for one another.
