Page 31 of The Longshot

“Well…” She re-adjusts herself. “I didn’t want to bug you, but I just wanted to stop in because I was just on the phone with Mum and Dad.”

I gulp at the revelation.

“Really?” I messily brush my hair out of my face, sitting up a bit straighter. “What did you guys talk about?”

“Just small talk,” she explains. “But they did tell me that they were going to give you a call soon. They’re planning something for their anniversary. I’ll leave them to explain the details, but I just thought I'd give you a warning that a call is imminent.”

Relief washes over me at the forewarning, and as if they were listening in, my phone starts to ring from across the room. I stand up from my bed, racing towards it.

“I’ll be here if you need anything,” Ruby tells me, and the second she closes the door, I accept the call.

“Mum… Dad…” My voice is nervous, prompting me to awkwardly cough. “How are you?”

God, I'm terrible at playing it cool, and they haven’t even said anything yet.

“Chels?” It’s my dad who speaks up first. “Everything okay, love? You sound… flustered.”

I clear my throat, pulling myself together.

“Yeah, Dad.” I pace by my bed. “Just busy studying. I’ve got a big assignment I’m working on. Busy, busy, busy. You know me.”

Idiot.

My mum comes to the line. “That’s our girl.” It’s as if I can hear her smiling through the phone. “We won’t keep you long then. We just wanted to call you to let you know some big news!”

“Big news?” I suck in a breath. “What kind of big news?”

“Well…” she speaks up. “Your dad and I are getting married.”

I stop in front of my mirror—furrowing my brows as I ponder their words. Is this the sleep deprivation talking, or did they really just say that?

“Married?” I repeat, voice full of confusion. “Didn’t you and Dad do that like… twenty-five years ago?”

They both laugh.

“Yes, we did,” Dad clarifies. “What your mum meant to say is that we’re renewing our vows. We’re going to get re-married.”

I lean against my dresser. “Really?” I question. “When?”

“Next month,” Dad’s quick with an answer. “It’s going to be a big party. Everyone is going to be there, and we were hoping…” his voice lingers at the end. “That means you’ll be there too.”

My chest tightens. I haven’t seen my parents since the last “party” they held. One that ended in catastrophe. The word is enough to trigger my fight or flight.

“We both know you’re busy with school, sweetheart,” Mum jumps back in. “But it would mean a lot to us if you could come.”

I suppress the urge to release a long, drawn-out sigh, instead, inflating my voice with inquiry. “Where is it going to be?” I can’t help but wonder. “At a venue?”

“Nope,” Dad clarifies. “At the house. We’re getting a vendor to set up something nice in the garden. A tent, perhaps? We’re not sure exactly on all the details, but what we do know is that we’re going to go all out.”

When has a Windsor party not been “all out”?

My parents have always maximized the fact that our family home is situated on a few acres of land right along the water.

Mum and Dad used to say our home was the Hull version of Windsor Castle—I used to love living in that fairytale fantasy. Sure, we’re not royalty by any means, but that didn’t stop my parents from making my childhood feel like one. I never went without. They did everything for me.

“So, what do you say?” Dad’s voice breaks me free from that thought. “Will you be there, Chels?”

I toy with the options in my mind until, ultimately, I know what my answer needs to be.

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