Page 52 of It Should Have Been Me

“I promise I’ll tell him as soon as he gets here, butIwant to be the one to tell him, so please don’t mention it at all.”

They exchange looks, then their wary eyes return to me. “How is that even possible?” Isa asks. “You wereengaged. How could you not tell him something like that?”

“It’s not like I intentionally kept it from him. He said he didn’t want to know about any of my ex-boyfriends.”

“Okay,” Keith says after some time. “We won’t say anything, but this is not something he should walk into blind. I really think you need to tell him about Scott before he gets here. Your whole family knows that you and Scott dated. It will be so much worse for him if he finds out from someone else.”

I nod because I can feel the weight of the situation getting heavier and heavier. The situation was already messy, but I’ve gone and made it a million times worse. “I’ll tell him.”

Isa absentmindedly strokes my hand as if she can sense the trepidation building inside. “Mom!” she yells unexpectedly, and I jolt with surprise. “Where are you? The food’s getting cold.”

We hear grumbles before my mother’s heavy footsteps come trudging down the stairs. She’s still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sits down beside Keith. He puts his arm around her and draws her close for a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I was enjoying my nap,” she complains.

“You can eat and go straight back to bed,” he says, handing her a plate with two slices. “I’ll do the dishes.”

She smiles and leans in for another kiss. “Thank you.”

I love watching them together. They’re so good for each other. My mother smiles as she bites into her pizza. Her eyes lift every few seconds, flicking between Isa and I before she looks away. She seems sad.

“What’s the matter, Ma?” I ask.

“Nothing,” she replies softly. “It’s just...It’s been so long since I had both my girls under the same roof. In two weeks, Isa will be married, and you’ll leave again. Both my babies are out of the house. It seems like just yesterday when I was changing diapers and now you’re both all grown up, making your own way through life...I know I have to get used to this empty house, but it hasn’t been easy, and eventually, both of you will be too busy to even visit me?”

“Ah, mom,” Isa cuts in when tears start rolling down my mother’s face. “Dylan and I will visit every second Saturday, just like we do now. I promise that won’t change after we get married.”

I can’t make the same promise, so I remain quiet.

“Sorry, I’m just emotional.” My mother wipes the tears off her cheeks.

Keith pulls her close again. “Well, you still have me, and I’m pretty amazing.”

Isa sucks in a breath. “Dad, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but everything you bring to the table is overshadowed by your unbearably bad jokes.”

“Isabella,” mom reprimands sternly. “You know Keith tries his best. It’s not his fault. It’s a curse that was placed on him many moons ago. We tried to lift it. We sought counseling to put him back in touch with his old sense of humor. We went to comedy clubs for inspiration. We...prayed. Dammit, did we pray. And still nothing. The second he saidI doand became a father; the wretched curse of dad jokes fell upon him, and I don’t think it can be reversed.”

Keith rolls his eyes, sitting there with the most unimpressed expression on his face while my mother hits him with a few more verbal jabs. That look is pure gold, and Isa and I burst with laughter.

“Uh...that was...uncalled for, hitting a little below the belt there, hon.”

That look on his face has morphed into something more comical, and we are wheezing now.

“Alright.” He’s trying not to laugh too because he doesn’t want to give my mother the satisfaction. “I see how it is in this house. Guess who’s not getting pancakes...for amonth.” He stands up and collects the dirty plates.

We erupt with protests.

“Ah, don’t be like that, Keith. You make thebestpancakes.”

“It’s a bit extreme, dad. We’re just kidding. Where’s your sense of humor?”

“I’m cursed, remember? I don’t have one.”

My mother is still in fits of giggles, and I swear I’ve never seen her so happy. “Maybe the only way to reverse the curse is to divorce me so that you’re not a stepdad anymore.”

He finally smiles, then leans down to kiss her. “Well, that’s never going to happen.” He walks a few steps around the table and bends down to throw an arm around me and Isa. “And even if your mother decides to divorce my ass and leave me for someone funnier, I’m your dad for life now.” He plucks a kiss on my head, then Isa’s. “So, all of you are stuck with me and my bad dad jokes.”

He gives us a quick hug and when he pulls away; I feel like it wasn’t enough. He straightens and takes the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

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