Chapter 9
Meghan
“Never have I ever given a blowjob,” Braeden said in a strangely matter-of-fact tone. If Meghan didn’t know him, she might have thought he was trying to hide something. Instead, she was pretty sure he was just trying to get away with taking the game to the dirty side of things instead of keeping it clean like Savannah had told him to.
“Braeden…what did I say?” Savannah yelled from the kitchen.
“What kind of boring ass game is this if we can’t get real, Savannah? Come on. I don’t really care if you’ve never been on a helicopter or gotten a tattoo. I wanna really get to know my friends.”
“Come on, man. Can’t you just behave for once?” Declan asked from across the room.
Meghan wasn’t sure she’d heard him speak the entire time they’d been at Savannah and Gabriel’s house. Declan was always pretty quiet, but for some reason, he seemed even more morose than usual. There was something going on with him, but she had no idea what. Brooklyn had been quieter than usual too, which put all sorts of thoughts in Meghan’s head.
Although she’d talked to most of her friends over the last five weeks, Meghan still felt a bit out of the loop. While she was laying around at Oliver’s house, the world outside was going on without her. She was eager to get out and enjoy life, even to get back to work. Even though she was healing quickly she was still easily worn out; it didn’t take much to make her need a nap. Until she could get her stamina up and keep the fatigue away, she was destined to be stuck on the couch.
“You people are no fun.”
Braeden pouted a bit before getting up and leaving the room. He was probably off getting another beer, but the fact that he stalked out of the room like a petulant child made Meghan laugh. She knew a lot of Braeden’s childish behavior was an act. When she got sick and Oliver decided she had to move in so he could take care of her, Braeden was a big help. She spent a lot of time around him since he was Oliver’s best friend and she got to see a more sensitive side to him, which admittedly had surprised her.
Of course, he’d hate it if anyone realized there was another side to him. Braeden liked to be the player of the group. He liked everyone seeing him as the inappropriate goofball. If he didn’t take anything seriously, no one would have high expectations for him, he wouldn’t have to shoulder responsibility unless he wanted to.
Part of Meghan could understand his way of thinking. Being an adult sucked, if she could turn it off at times, she probably would. In fact, there was a time she’d tried to have as much fun and be as carefree as she could because she knew how uncertain life could be. It was fun for a while but had quickly turned tedious and boring. That lifestyle wasn’t what she wanted, no matter how much she’d tried to make herself believe it was.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Braeden’s right. We should liven this game up a bit,” Brooklyn said from her place across the room. “What can it hurt? We’re all adults and I’m fairly certain some of the answers won’t be much of a surprise.”
“Fine, if you guys want to play this Braeden’s way we can,” Savannah said as she rejoined them in the living room a fresh drink in hand. She set another drink on the coffee table in front of Brooklyn, then retook her seat next to Gabriel on the loveseat.
“Alright, that’s what I like to hear. Now, never have I ever given a blowjob.”
Braeden reentered the room a huge smile on his face as he said his never have I ever again. Sitting back down on the floor, he leaned back and watched, waiting to see who would drink. Meghan looked around the room and watched as every single woman in the room took a drink of their beverage, including herself. Although, her drink really didn’t count much since she was only drinking water. While she’d quit taking the pain meds on a daily basis, she still took one here and there when the twinges of pain got to be too much. Since she struggled as it was, she figured mixing painkillers and alcohol was definitely a bad idea.
“Nice,” Braeden said with a waggle of his eyebrows. Meghan laughed as a few of the pillows from the furniture smacked him in the head.
“You’re so gross,” Gabriel told his friend, then looked to see who was up next. “Declan, your turn, man.”
“Why are we playing this stupid game again?” Declan grumbled, not really expecting a response. “Fine. Never have I ever had sex.”
“Dude, come on. Can’t you be a little more original?” Braeden asked.
“The point of this game is to drink. Everyone in the room has to drink now. Mission accomplished.”
Declan grabbed his nearly empty beer bottle from the table and downed the remainder of the liquid inside. Without a word to anyone else, he left the room. Meghan watched as everyone else took a drink, no one really lingering on Declan or his abrupt exit except Brooklyn. It wasn’t a surprise that her friend was keeping an eye on Mr. Moody. There’d been so much going on between them since the wedding, although Meghan had no idea where things currently stood.
There was definitely more to their relationship than the bickering and poking at each other, although Meghan knew not many people were aware of what happened at Savannah and Gabriel’s wedding. If she and Oliver hadn’t been in the hallway when Brooklyn came out of the room crying, Meghan was fairly certain Declan and Brooklyn would have taken that interlude to their graves. Things between them had seemed more strained than usual the few times Meghan had been around them since the wedding. She still had no idea how Savannah had found out about what happened.
“Brook, it’s your turn,” Savannah prompted.
“Ummmm…never have I ever…ummm…looked at porn,” Brooklyn blurted out hastily.
Everyone laughed as the men in the room drank rather quickly. The women looked around at each other, not one of them taking a drink, although Meghan knew for a fact all three of them had looked at porn at least once.
“You girls are fucking liars. Come on. Be honest,” Braeden said.
Meghan shook her head, then picked up her water and took a healthy swallow.
“That’s my girl,” Oliver boasted, which made Meghan blush.
“Damn it,” Savannah mumbled before taking a drink herself. Brooklyn followed suit while the guys laughed.
“That’s very interesting, babe…very interesting,” Gabriel said as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. Meghan suddenly had a feeling that Friendsgiving wouldn’t be going on for much longer.
They had two more rounds of questions. Never have I ever dated more than one person at a time from Gabriel, which made everyone laugh since his wife had done exactly that before they’d started dating. When it was Meghan’s turn she went with a good standby, never have I ever sent someone a sext. Everyone in the room drank on that one, including Declan who had finally returned from the kitchen. He was still grumpy as hell, but the beer seemed to be helping him loosen up a bit.
“Alright, Oliver, your turn.”
Oliver’s eyes met hers, a smirk on his face. “Okay…never have I ever…had sex on my wedding night.”
Meghan shook her head yet took a sip of her water. She watched as Oliver, Savannah, and Gabriel all took a drink as well. Brooklyn just stared down at her glass, watching as the liquid swirled around inside. She knew her friend had been married before, but the relationship hadn’t ended well. The fact that she wasn’t drinking meant it also hadn’t started on a real high note. Of course, Meghan wanted to ask about it but didn’t want to embarrass her.
Before anyone else could question Brooklyn, her sister jumped in. “Never have I ever had sex in a public place.”
“Jeezus, Savannah. What happened to keeping things clean?” her husband asked.
“Eh…when in Rome and all that,” she said before tipping back her glass and taking a drink shocking almost everyone in the room. “The rest of you better drink up…otherwise, you’re all a bunch of liars. Can we change the game now? Maybe to something a little less skeevy?”
“Oooh how about Cards Against Humanity?” Braeden suggested. “I have mine in my trunk.”
“Ummmm…any other suggestions?”
“Fine, we could play adult Jenga. I also have that in my trunk.”
“Does anyone else have any other suggestions that does not lead to Braeden getting something out of his trunk?” Savannah asked.
“Man, you guys really are no fun. I don’t know why I even hang out with you.”
◆◆◆
Oliver
“Are you sure this isn’t going to be too much for you?” Oliver asked again.
He was pretty sure Meghan was getting ready to punch him because he wouldn’t stop asking her if she was going to be okay. Of course, most of the time he tried to word his question differently, but since they’d been in the car, he’d asked her twice if the day was going to be too much.
“Oliver, I’m fine. I can’t wait to meet your family. I promise I’ll let you know if I start to feel bad or rundown, okay.”
Sighing Oliver peeked over at Meghan in the passenger seat of his SUV. She looked great, well rested and healed, but he knew it wouldn’t take much for her to get worn out. While he was excited to introduce her to his family, the social interaction would be tiring enough. Not to mention his niece and nephews, who were an absolute handful on a good day.
Meghan hated when he tried to take care of her or question how she felt. She’d been through all of this before and knew her body and her limits better than anyone. But he couldn’t help worrying. Whether or not she wanted to know it, he was in love with her and with that came the constant worry that he was going to lose her.
Monday night when they’d had dinner and played games with their friends, Meghan had overdone it. She was exhausted and in pain, but when Oliver tried to lecture her about taking care of herself, she’d yelled at him. The fight was minor in the grand scheme of things, but it still wasn’t what either of them wanted to spend their energy on. They’d both apologized, but neither could promise it wouldn’t happen again. He didn’t want to handle her with kid gloves, but he also didn’t want her to push herself too far or make things worse.
“I didn’t tell them that we got married. I also didn’t tell them about the cancer. I wasn’t sure how you’d want to handle either of those things. I did tell them though that you’ve been a bit rundown lately so it isn’t a surprise if you get tired or anything while we’re here.”
“You could’ve told them about the cancer. It is what it is.”
“I know, but I also know you wouldn’t want to meet them for the first time with them knowing. You didn’t tell any of your friends until you had no choice because it came back. I knew you wouldn’t want your diagnosis hanging over their impression of you, so I made it a non-issue for now. When you’re ready you can tell them.”
“Thank you,” Meghan said as she gently squeezed his hand.
The rest of the drive to his parent’s house in Maple Valley was quiet and uneventful. He was nervous to introduce Meghan to his family. Not because he wasn’t sure if they would like her, in fact, he knew they would love her, but because he was afraid it was too big of a step for her. The plan for a divorce was still in place, just prolonged because of her diagnosis. He hadn’t brought their situation up to her since the day they went to the resort, but he was fairly certain she hadn’t changed her mind, if she’d even had a moment to think about their future, given everything she was going through.
The end of their three months was rapidly approaching. Just the thought of it made Oliver sick to his stomach. The last thing he wanted to do was give her up, but he wasn’t sure he’d get a choice in the matter. Every day, he crossed his fingers that he didn’t do something to send her packing.
Introducing her to his family, was a gamble, but one he was willing to take. With any luck, it would give him an advantage; one he wouldn’t hesitate to exploit when the time came. He just had to keep hoping she would change her mind and decide to stay married when their deadline came up.
As soon as he parked, he took a deep breath and let it out, hoping the day would go well. He got out and went around to the back so he could grab the bags of stuff his mom wanted him to bring. When he closed the back hatch, he noticed Meghan was still sitting in the passenger seat. Normally, she would have jumped out and helped with the groceries just to prove she could. The fact she hadn’t, worried Oliver.
When he got to the side of the car, he noticed she was staring straight ahead, her seat belt was off, her hand on the door, but she was still sitting there. He tapped on the window, bringing her attention to him. She turned to him and gave him a halfhearted smile. Setting the groceries down, he pulled open the door so he could ask her for the millionth time if she was okay.
“I hate to ask you this for fear you might try to rip my balls off, but are you sure you’re feeling okay? We can turn around and go home if you’re not.”
“I’m nervous. I didn’t realize I was until you parked the car. Then the paralysis came over me and I just couldn’t make myself get out. What if your family doesn’t like me? What if your mom wants more grandkids and hates me because I can’t give them to her?” Meghan said, her eyes looking everywhere but at him. “And before you say anything, I know it’s not logical and there are still a lot of things up in the air with us, but I can’t help it. I’m terrified that this isn’t going to go well and then what? To hell with the cancer, how do we move forward if your family hates me?”
“Hey…look at me,” Oliver urged, as he helped her rotate in her seat. “They’re going to love you. I have no doubt of that. On the off chance I’m wrong, well that’s their problem. I love you, that’s what matters. I’ll take on anything that stands in our way, including my family. Now get your ass out of the car, it’s cold out here and I can feel my mom and sister-in-law watching us from the window.”
Meghan smiled, a real one this time, as she let him help her out of the car. He brushed a quick kiss on her forehead before picking up the bags he’d abandoned. Meghan tried to grab one of the bags, but he shook her off. Instead, he transferred the bag to the other side, so he could take her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers. In that moment, walking hand in hand, it felt like they could face anything together and overcome it. The powerful feeling was intoxicating, Oliver just hoped it would last.
The front door flew open before they’d made it halfway up the driveway. His mother filed out, followed by his niece and nephews.
“Oh honey, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you,” his mom said as she approached them. “You must be Meghan. It’s so nice to meet you, dear.”
“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Brooks.”
“Oh, please call me Mary. Mrs. Brooks makes me feel so old.”
“Uncle Ollie, Uncle Ollie,” three voices yelled in unison as they barreled into him, their small arms wrapping around his legs.
“Hey, munchkins, what’s the word?” Oliver asked as he handed the grocery bags to his mom then bent down to give each of the kids a hug.
When he stood back up, he had his four-year-old niece in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. His seven-year-old twin nephews Lucas and Ryan stood on either side of him looking up at him. He loved the moments he got to spend with the kids, which had been few and far between in the last few months between work, school and their never-ending list of activities. Family gatherings were where he got to see them the most, which was one of the reasons he loved the holidays.
Oliver quickly introduced the kids to Meghan as they walked into the house. Then introduced her to his older brother James and his wife Jessica. When Jessica tried to take Sophia from him, the little girl clung to him even harder and shook her head. Apparently, she needed some Uncle Ollie time. He didn’t mind and by the look on Meghan’s face, she didn’t seem to mind either.
Part of him had wondered if it would be difficult for her to be around kids now that she truly couldn’t have kids of her own. He had been too big of a chicken to ask her outright, instead continually hinting over the last few days that the kids were going to be there and that they really liked to spend time with him. He didn’t want things to be awkward or upsetting for Meghan, but he also didn’t want to miss out on time with his family, of which he now considered her a part of.
Walking into the kitchen with his mom and Meghan he smiled when he could see his dad outside on the deck.
“What’s dad doing out there?” he asked his mom.
“Your father has decided that this year he wants to try deep-frying a turkey. He borrowed the neighbors deep-fryer for the experiment. Don’t worry, I’ve got a turkey in the oven and 911 on speed dial just in case.”
“Well, at least deep-fried turkey’s delicious, if it doesn’t end in disaster. So much better than last year’s turducken experiment. Or the tofurkey mishap from the year before.”
“What’s tofuckey?” Sophia asked innocently.
Oliver bit his tongue trying hard not to laugh at the fact that his niece sometimes struggled with her r’s. He looked over at his mom, who was also holding in her laughter. Meghan had turned around completely, the shaking of her back the only sign she was struggling too.
“Tell me, Uncle Ollie. What’s tofuckey?”
“Oh goodness,” his mother mumbled before breaking out into hysterics. Meghan following her seconds later.
“You should both be ashamed of yourselves,” Oliver said before looking at Sophia. “Go ask your mommy and daddy what that is honey. I’m sure they’ll be happy to tell you.”
Oliver quickly put her down and watched as she went running from the room yelling at her mother.
“Mommy, what’s tofuckey?”
“Oh Oliver, you’re terrible.”
Even barely able to speak, his mother was able to chastise him a little. He didn’t care, it was hilarious and now that his niece was out of the room, he could let go of the laughter he’d been holding in. By the time his dad came inside, his sides hurt and he could barely breathe. It was never a dull moment with his family.
“What the heck’s so funny in here? I could hear you guys laughing outside.”
“Hey dad,” Oliver said as he gave his dad a hug. “Maybe you should go see if Sophia knows what tofurkey is. She’s been asking about it.”
His dad looked at him like he was a weirdo, but then got a huge smile on his face before he left for the living room. Oliver figured he was probably excited at least someone in the house wanted to talk about the worst food ever created. It didn’t matter to his dad that the interested person was a four-year-old who was too young to remember throwing said food product across the room when her grandpa tried to feed it to her when she was two.
“Man, it is so wrong to laugh at kids who can’t say words correctly, but I really can’t help it. Its hilarious hearing swear words come out of their little mouths,” Meghan said as she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater, her body still shaking with laughter.
“Dang it, Oliver,” his sister-in-law said as she entered the kitchen, her face red.
For a moment he thought she was really angry with him, but then she started to laugh uncontrollably, and he knew she was only mad at him because she’d had to hide her laughter from her daughter. Jessica’s laughter lead to another round of giggles from the rest of them. This was how it was whenever Oliver’s family got together. There was plenty of love and laughter and good-natured teasing. He always left his parents’ house feeling lighter and more carefree than when he’d arrived.
Oliver hoped that Meghan felt that way by the time they left. If anyone needed to feel a weight lifted off their shoulders, it was her. She was carrying around way more than anyone should. Oliver knew she didn’t confide in him as much as he’d like her to. There was a lot going on in her head, not to mention she hated not being able to do anything physical. She was dying to go back to work, which he thought was weird since most people would have loved to have time off, especially during the holidays.
He knew all he could do was be there for her, whether she needed him to be or not. Whether she wanted to confide in him or not, he was there to listen to whatever she had to say, even if it didn’t make any sense to him. He couldn’t imagine being in her position, dealing with everything that she was going through. It was hard enough dealing with it from his side of things, he didn’t know if he was strong enough to be the one fighting the battle like she was.
The woman he loved was the strongest person he’d ever known. He just hoped that someday, she would realize she didn’t have to carry all of her burdens on her own.
◆◆◆
Meghan
“Are you Uncle Ollie’s girlfriend?” a tiny voice asked from beside her breaking her out of her concentration.
For the last half hour, Meghan had been hanging out in the living room coloring with Oliver’s niece and nephews. The rest of the adults were in the kitchen getting things ready for dinner. She’d offered to help, but Oliver thought it best that she not push herself too much and she’d reluctantly agreed. The kids had been little chatterboxes the entire time, usually talking to each other, but occasionally asking her questions. They now knew her favorite color, favorite boy band, favorite Disney movie and what she wanted to be when she grew up.
Leave it to Sophia, though, to ask the hard-hitting questions. She was wise beyond her four years, even if she did still struggle with her r’s on occasion. Meghan looked down at Sophia, who was still filling her entire page with a brilliant red, completely oblivious to the turmoil her question caused. Meghan didn’t want to lie to the kids, but she also didn’t want to label anything, even though the label was already there. If she said they were just friends, it would make things easier when the inevitable happened.
Maybe I shouldn’t have come, she thought.
Her first instinct when Oliver asked her to join him at his parents’ house was to say no. Meeting the parents of the guy you’re dating is overwhelming enough. Meeting them when you’re in the middle of one of the scariest times of your life is even worse. With her future so uncertain, she wasn’t sure if she should bring more people into her circle. Now that she was there meeting his family, hanging out with the kids, she was glad that she’d made the decision to go with him.
There was something so calming, so centering, about being part of a family, which is exactly how she felt. If even for just one day, she was a part of the Brooks family and that feeling meant the world to her. Even if it came with hard-hitting questions from too wise four-year-olds.
“Yes, I’m your uncle’s girlfriend,” Meghan answered honestly, even if the title wasn’t quite accurate.
“I’m glad. You’re pwetty,” Sophie said, this time as she spoke, she stopped coloring and looked up at Meghan. “Are you going to mawwy him?”
Once again, Meghan wasn’t sure exactly how to answer the question. Oliver hadn’t told his family that they were married. Although he said it was for her comfort, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was also to save himself from the questions that might come up if their marriage didn’t last. What his family didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him.
“Maybe someday and thank you, you’re really pretty yourself, Sophia.”
For a minute, Meghan felt like she was handling the questions and the situation like a champ. She’d never been completely comfortable around kids, but she felt like maybe that was changing. At least she did until one of the twins started talking.
“Girls are gross, they’ve got cooties and smell funny. I don’t know why anyone would want to hang out with a girl.”
“I don’t have cooties,” Sophia yelled at her brother.
“Yeah you do. You’ve got more cooties than anyone,” the other twin said, helping his brother rile up their sister. “You’re so gross, Sophia. Nobody wants to be around you.”
“That’s not true,” Sophia yelled again, only this time her bottom lip quivered as she tried not to cry. She turned to look up at Meghan, tears forming in her eyes.
“I don’t want to have cooties,” she said earnestly as she started to cry. She crawled into Meghan’s lap, laying her head against Meghan’s chest as she sobbed.
Across from her the boys laughed and pointed at their sister, which only made her cry harder. Meghan wrapped her arms around the little girl to try to calm her down. She had no idea how to get the boys to stop or how to comfort Sophia. She was in way over her head but fought the urge to call Oliver into the living room.
“Boys, leave your sister alone, please,” she said calmly, hoping it would do the trick. When the little brats mocked her, she started to fight a new urge, which was to throw a crayon or two at each of their heads. Mother of the year material, she was not, but she wasn’t going to let the little hellions continue to harass her or their sister.
“Alright, I’m going to count to three, if you don’t apologize to your sister and me by then, I’m going to call in your Uncle Ollie and I’m going to tell him about this. The hockey game he promised to take you to will go away. The movie he said he was going to take you to, he won’t. Then when he tells your mom and dad what happened, I’m going to guess you’ll be in pretty big trouble for picking on us,” Meghan said in the sternest voice she could muster. “Now you have a choice, apologize and this stays between the four of us, or don’t apologize and everyone finds out you were being big jerks to two girls.”
Meghan looked down at Sophia who was looking up at her with dry eyes and a smile. At least she made one fan out of the situation. She was pretty sure the boys weren’t going to like her much after this, but she really didn’t care. Bullies sucked, and she was pretty sure it was worse if you had to live with them.
“One…two…”
“We’re sorry,” both boys said as quickly as they could.
“Is that it?” Meghan asked hoping that they’d have more to say.
“You don’t have cooties Sophia and you aren’t gross. We’re sorry we picked on you,” the twin she was fairly certain was Ryan said.
“Yeah, we didn’t mean anything by it. And we’re sorry we weren’t very nice to you Miss Meghan,” the other twin, possibly Lucas, said solemnly.
“Thank you, guys. We forgive you, don’t we Sophia?”
The little girl in her lap nodded but didn’t say anything.
“We also promise that this incident is between us, but you have to be nicer to your sister. The three of you have to stick together, you have to stick up for each other and have each other’s backs. Your sister is going to need her big brothers to protect her, not pick on her.”
“We’ll be nicer, we promise,” maybe Ryan said while his brother nodded.
“Great. Now, how about we finish coloring before dinner’s ready, so we can show everyone our pretty artwork,” Meghan suggested.
All three kids went back to finishing their pages, although Sophia refused to leave her lap. Instead, Meghan reached over and grabbed Sophia’s coloring book and placed it over her own so the little girl could finish. With the kids occupied, Meghan finally took a moment to celebrate her victory, even if it was just in her head. For a moment, she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to handle the situation, but everything worked out just fine. No blood was shed, there were minimal tears and no parents had to be involved.
Someone cleared their throat to the left of her. When she looked over, she found Oliver leaning against the doorframe that led to the kitchen. It was a damn good thing she was sitting down or the huge smile on his face would have had her weak in the knees. Although he’d put up a good front over the last few weeks, Meghan hadn’t seen a smile that big on his face since their trip to the Puyallup Fair.
She wished she could read his mind. She had a feeling he witnessed most of her interaction with the kids. Was he feeling relieved like she was that kids weren’t in their future? Or was watching her with his niece and nephews making him change his mind about wanting kids of his own? Meghan desperately wanted to know the answer, but she was never going to ask. She didn’t want to know they weren’t on the same page. It would just be one more nail in the coffin of their relationship. A relationship she was becoming more and more attached to, which had never been part of her plan.
Shaking her head, she brought her attention back to the kids. She knew it wasn’t the right time to think about her feelings or her future. She needed to be in the here and now, enjoying Oliver and his family and how comfortable they made her. Tomorrow she could worry about the rest of it, but for now, she would be thankful for everything she had, including the man who loved her.
◆◆◆
“Dinner was delicious, Mary. Thank you for having me over. I really appreciate it.”
Meghan watched as Oliver’s mom rinsed off one of the dessert plates and handed it to her. As soon as everyone had finished Mary’s delicious home-made pumpkin pie, Meghan had volunteered to help with clean-up. Despite Oliver’s concerns, his mother was happy to get to spend time with Meghan, so she sent him off to play with the kids and watch football with his dad and brother. At first, Meghan had been nervous, unsure of what to say to Oliver’s mom. She wanted desperately for the older woman to like her, so telling her the truth about everything that was going on, seemed like a horrible idea. Instead of speaking up, she let Mary dominate the conversation as much as she could, while also letting her know how grateful she was that she’d been invited into their home.
“Well we couldn’t very well have you spending the holiday alone now, could we? Plus, I was dying to get to know the woman that has stolen my son’s heart. Oliver has been talking about you non-stop for months, which is really unusual for him. He’s never really talked about any of the women he’s dated, let alone brought any of them home to meet us. This was a really special occasion for us and not because it’s Thanksgiving,” Mary told her as she handed her another plate to put in the dishwasher.
Meghan wasn’t sure how she felt about being the first and only woman Oliver had brought around his parents. Part of her wasn’t surprised since he’d been a consummate player before her, but she’d been sure there’d been at least one or two women over the years that he’d developed feelings for. The other part of her was giddy knowing he was serious enough about her to introduce her to his mom. She tried desperately to tamp down that giddiness though. It wasn’t fair for her to be so excited about something that made their relationship even more meaningful to either of them. Not when their future was still so uncertain.
“This is the first Thanksgiving in years that I’ve done something other than pick up fast food and watch football by myself.”
“Oliver told us your parents are no longer with us. I’m so sorry for your loss,” Mary said as she stopped washing the dishes and turned to look at Meghan. She had a sympathetic smile on her face that made Meghan love her even more. Oliver’s mom had been so sweet and welcoming since the moment she walked into the house. Mary seemed interested in getting to know Meghan, to learn more about the woman her son loved.
“Thank you. They’ve both been gone so long; I almost don’t remember what it was like to celebrate holidays with a family member.”
“Well, you’re always welcome to join us. It’s nice having another woman around. Now why don’t you sit down, I’ll finish putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Oliver said you’ve been feeling a bit rundown lately and I don’t want you getting sick on my watch.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Mary the truth. She’d given Meghan an opening and Meghan knew she should take it, but it felt so good to just be the son’s girlfriend and not the son’s girlfriend with cancer. The minute she opened her mouth and the words came out, things would change and she wasn’t ready for that just yet. She wanted to enjoy the carefree feeling that surrounded her a little bit longer before she went and ruined it with her truth.
“Thank you,” Meghan said as she took a seat at the island. “I think I’ve just been stressed out and it’s wreaking havoc on my body.”
The minute the words came out, Meghan felt horrible. She hated lying, even when there was a good reason. Before she could take the words back and tell Mary the truth, Mary started asking her questions about the trip to the fancy resort Oliver had taken her on weeks earlier.
“I bet that trip to the lodge at Snoqualmie was just what you needed then, huh? Relaxation at it’s finest. Oliver said he was planning to go all out. What kind of spa treatments did you get? The boys sent us there for our 40th wedding anniversary last year and it was pure bliss.”
“Pure bliss is a pretty great description of how I felt after being at the lodge. He got me a facial, a full body massage and something called a foot revitalizer. I almost had to have Oliver carry me back to our room, my legs were practically Jell-O by the time I was finished.”
“That’s exactly how I felt when I was done. Oh, and the food was excellent wasn’t it? We did the Chef’s Studio experience and ate at the more casual dining place there. The dining room was a bit too high end for our tastes.”
Meghan laughed remembering a conversation she had with Oliver about the very same thing. They’d taken a look at the menus and realized pretty quickly that not only was the main dining area really expensive, it was really too fancy for them. Meghan worked in an upscale restaurant and had no idea what many of the items on the menu were, let alone how to even say them. There was no way she could go to an establishment where she’d struggle to order food because she couldn’t pronounce the names.
“Oliver and I thought the same thing. We ended up sharing a pizza and seafood chowder. It was really good. We’ll probably go back sometime just for the restaurant. Maybe you and Henry could join us?” Meghan suggested knowing full well that a double date with Oliver’s parents likely wasn’t going to happen.
“That would be so lovely, Meghan, thank you,” Mary said as she closed the dishwasher and turned to Meghan; a full blown smile much like her son’s lit up her face. “I’m really glad to have gotten to meet you. My son has been a completely different person since you two started dating. He’s happier than he’s ever been and we can actually see a future where he settles down. I’ve worried about him a lot over the years. He’s been so focused on work and on playing the field, I thought he might overlook how wonderful a life filled with love could be. James and Jessica have been together since their freshman year of college and his younger brother Mason has been in a relationship for seven years now. I don’t worry about them as much as I’ve worried about Oliver because they have the love of a fine woman to help guide them. Now that I know Oliver has you in his life, I won’t have to worry about him as much. Thank you for loving my boy.”
Meghan bit back the urge to immediately deny her feelings for Oliver. She couldn’t have his mother thanking her for loving her son. She couldn’t have the fact that she loved Oliver out in the universe like that. Whether or not her feelings ran that deeply didn’t matter. There were still too many things up in the air, still so much she had to go through before she could even think about how she felt about the man who had changed her life in a matter of months.
“Oliver is a great man, Mary. You and Henry did a wonderful job raising him. I don’t think you have to worry about him too much, even if I was out of the picture. Oliver is strong and loving and giving. Someday he’ll make some lucky woman a great husband. Whether that woman is me or someone else, he will find someone to stand by his side like your other sons. I have no doubt of that.”
Before Mary had a chance to respond, Oliver walked into the kitchen. Once again, he had a huge smile on his face as he made his way to her side. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her temple, a move that never failed to make the butterflies in her stomach flutter uncontrollably. It was such an ordinary gesture, but it made her feel so special she couldn’t catch her breath.
“Babe, I’m getting tired, do you mind if we head home soon?” Oliver asked although Meghan knew full well that he wasn’t the least bit tired. He was worried about her and knew that the day would leave her feeling exhausted. For the moment, she was still feeling pretty good, but she knew the bone-weary tiredness of being upright and around other people for hours on end would hit her soon. Meghan smiled up at Oliver, letting him know she knew exactly what he was up to before she responded.
“I’m ready to go whenever you are.”
Within seconds, Oliver was guiding her through the house, so they could say goodbye to his family and head home. Every single one of them wrapped her up in a hug that made her want to cry. When all three of the kids wrapped their arms around her neck as she bent down to say goodbye, she almost broke down. Biting the inside of her lip, she hugged the kids back, then stood to put on the coat Oliver held for her.
No matter what happened between her and Oliver in the future, she would never forget the day he and his family had given her. One day where she felt normal, where she felt safe and adored, where she could almost forget about the cancer and the crap that came with it. She would cherish this day for the rest of her life, she just hoped someday she could express to Oliver what the day with his family meant to her.