I needed another drink, but more than that, I needed to check on Bridget and get the hell away from my parents for a few minutes.
Bridget was layering the ingredients of her fruit and chocolate trifle when I noticed her shoulders were shaking.
Rushing toward her, I asked, “My God, are you crying?”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “How come you never told me how your parents feel? I thought they were coming to meet me, not to warn you against me!”
“You heard them from all the way in here?”
“I’d gone back to get my phone to double-check the recipe. I was listening behind the wall. I heard everything.”
That gutted me.
I pulled her into my chest. “I’m so sorry you had to hear that rubbish. It doesn’t matter how they feel, especially now. I love you so much, Bridget, more than anything in this world. I haven’t wanted to burden you with their foolishness, because it doesn’t bloody matter.”
She stepped back to look me in the eyes. “It matters to me. I want them to like me, to understand how much I love you. They’ve judged me before I’ve even had a chance to prove any of that to them.”
“Don’t you dare go getting upset right now. I’m going to fix this. They can’t come into our house and disrespect you like this, even if they think you can’t hear them.” I knew what I had to do. “You trust me?”
“Why? What are you going to do, Simon?”
“We’re gonna face this right now. I’m going to make them understand once and for all. Take my hand. We’re going to put an end to any doubts that they have.”
She did as I said as we walked back together to the dining room.
My parents both turned in their seats to face us. My heart was pounding as I prepared to lay it all out on the line.
“Mum and Dad, with all due respect, I need you to understand something very clearly. Bridget is here right now because we don’t have any secrets in this house. She’s aware of your apprehension about us. If you love me, if you’ve ever loved me, you will stop questioning my life choices. You think you know what’s going on, think you know Bridget, but you don’t really know anything. I clearly haven’t explained things thoroughly enough to you. The fact that you have this fear that she’s going to trap me is ironic and terribly painful. Want to know why? I have spent the past several months doing everything in my power to knock her up. You have no idea how badly I want—as you call it—to be trapped. You also have no idea what it’s like having to watch the person you love more than anyone in this world go through something as painful as infertility, injecting herself day in and day out with potentially harmful drugs. Why? For me. All for me. Because she knows I want a baby, not with just anyone, but only with her. And that was the only way to get it. She’s gone through hell for me.”
“My God,” my mother muttered.
I went on, my blood pressure rising by the second.
“And that boy isn’t someone else’s. Brendan is my son. The things you see as complications are blessings to me. You want to know how serious I am? What you interrupted tonight? Bridget and I had a date to go into the city. I was going to ask her to marry me tonight. I’d been waiting for just the right moment to do it.”
I hadn’t exactly intended to let that cat out of the bag. It just came out in my anger.
Bridget looked at me in shock.
I mouthed, “I love you.”
My father finished off the last of his drink as my mother continued to stare at me in silence.
It was time to unleash the big one.
“But see, Mother, even the fact that my big plans were ruined can’t dampen my spirits—nothing can. Because earlier this week, I got the most amazing news that I’ve ever received in my life. Bridget is pregnant…not just with one baby…with two. We’re having twins. So, that woman you’ve been disrespecting in her own house is carrying your grandchildren inside of her. And there’s nothing you can say or do that is going to change the fact that I am on cloud nine.”
Mum let out a long breath, closing her eyes then opening them with a look of empathy. “I had no idea.”
“No, I didn’t tell you any of this because things have been hard enough without your opinions on top of it all.”
Bridget spoke for the first time. “Can I say something?”
“Of course,” I said.
She spoke to my mother directly. “I can understand why you’ve had doubts about me. You don’t know me. You only know that I’ve kept him from you and that I’ve been married before and that I have a child. I used to think I wasn’t good enough for your son, either, to be honest. I tried not to fall in love with him, thinking that he would be better off without me. But whether we make sense or not, we love each other. You can’t choose love. It chooses you. And I don’t want him to have to choose between us and you. No one should have to make that kind of choice. And even if you continue to hate me, I still would never keep him or your grandchildren from you. Because I love him too much to do that.”
“We don’t hate you.” My mother sighed before rubbing her temples.
I put my arm around Bridget and addressed them. “I think we’ve had enough stress for one night. I love you both very much, Mum and Dad, but I think you need to stay in a hotel tonight.”
“No,” Bridget insisted.
Surprised, I turned to her. “No?”
“No. They’re staying in your old room. They’re your parents. They’re not going to a hotel. I insist.” She let go of me and looked over at them. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m feeling very tired and now you know why. I think I’m going to turn in early. The trifle I made is ready, Simon. I want you to serve it to your parents. You never get to see them. Enjoy the dessert and this time together.”
Then, she simply walked away.
I went after her, but Bridget assured me that she was okay. She refused to let me join her in the bedroom and continued to insist that I spend the rest of the night with my mum and dad.
They were getting to see firsthand exactly why I was in love with this woman.