My lips quiver, and I can feel tears filling my eyes. I know that if I open them, no one will be next to me, because that’s my mom’s voice.
“Are you happy, my little songbird?” she asks.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I like you with Griffin. Your dad struggled with it at first, but he’s good to you.”
A tear slips down my face. I’m pretty sure this is my broken heart giving me what I want the most, but the wind strokes across my face like it’s trying to wipe away the errant tear.
“I miss you,” I say while my imagination is still giving her to me.
“I know my baby, but it’s not forever. I’m always with you anyway, you just can’t see me.”
My breathing turns ragged as I try to fight the tears threatening to fall.
“Open your eyes, baby girl. Let go of the past, but keep the memories in your heart. Look all around you, the future is unfolding now. It keeps coming, no matter how you try to fight it. So stop trying.”
The sun peeks through the clouds, and I see Dolores’ grandson, Ben, his wife, and their daughter. For a moment, I feel like I’m looking at a memory.
Second chances are all around. Life is happening all around. Hell, life is growing inside of me.
I might never figure out why Liam’s relapse made me spiral. It’s likely that even he doesn’t understand why he treated me the way he did. I thought that I needed all the answers lined up in order to be happy, but I don’t. I also don’t need all the answers to let go.
“I love you, Mom,” I whisper.
I know she’s not going to answer back, but I feel her with me.
“Why are you sitting there all by yourself?” Bess says as she flops down next to me. She holds out a beer, but I wave it off.
“It’s a party, Wrenegade. You know what to do at a party, right?”
I roll my head over to look at her. “I’m not really big on partying at the moment.”
“Is this because of Liam? It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to drink, but he isn’t even here, so I don’t think it would be a problem,” she explains.
“It’s not Liam,” I say. I don’t want to make a big fuss about my pregnancy in front of other people, especially at someone else’s party. You can’t hide secrets from Bess, though.
Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open to a big O. “You tramp, you’re preggo again?”
I shush her. “Damn, Bess, tell the whole party why don’t you?”
She shrugs. We don’t really have big secrets from each other. Well, we don’t now that Charlie and Hattie spilled how they got together.
“Griffin, you stud!” Bess shouts across the party.
“Are we telling people?” he asks. Griffin is bouncing on the balls of his feet like a little kid.
“Telling people what?” Charlie asks as he gravitates towards us.
Scott and Harlow slip in the back gate just as all the attention is fixating on me instead of the hosts of the party.
Dolores, her grandson Ben, and his wife Heather come over. “Did I hear some tea being spilled?” Dolores asks.
“Granny D, that’s…actually it’s close enough,” Bess critiques.
“Do you mind if Wren tells us some news at your party?” Dolores asks Ben and Heather.
Heather waves the question away. “Please, this is a little barbecue, not a wedding or something. I’d love to hear some news. Plus, you already gave us a year of oil changes, and Charlie came by this morning and showed us how to change all the filters in the house. The way you all take care of Grandma Dolores, we already consider you family.”
