Page 38 of The Complication with the Best Man

“Say something,” I croak past the lump in my throat.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Her voice is a near whisper.

“I was scared.”

She takes my hand and squeezes it. “But we could have been there to support you. Why did you feel like youcouldn’tcome to us?”

“Because I didn’t want to disappoint you.” I crumple into tears again, and this time, it’s my mom’s arms that wrap around me.

Whereas my dad’s hugs have always given me a feeling of safety, my mom has always given me strength. I try to soak in some of that strength now. I gather myself and draw back.

My mom wipes the tears from my cheeks. “Sweetheart, we could never be disappointed in you.”

A sarcastic laugh barks out of me. “Yeah, right.”

My mom frowns, glances at my dad and back at me, waiting for me to explain more.

“You guys are always disappointed in me whenever I mess up. Whether I brought home a crappy grade from school, or you didn’t approve of my taking a year off after high school to figure out what I wanted to do before going to college, or how much I date. Sometimes it feels like all I do is disappoint you.”

My mom shares a look with my dad, and it’s him who speaks next. “Harp, there’s no doubt you kept us on our toes when you were growing up, and yeah, there were times that you made us angry, but it never meant we were disappointed in who you are as a person.”

My mom squeezes my hand, so I turn my attention back toward her. “We love the funny, spirited, and caring woman you’ve grown into.”

“Really?” The weight I’ve been carrying around falls off me and melts into the floor.

“Of course. It’s upsetting to think that you didn’t already know that.” She brings me in for another hug. I glance at my dad while I embrace my mom and realize he looks a little misty-eyed. “I’m just upset that you didn’t feel like you could come to us with this.” My mom pulls away and palms my cheek. “I would have liked to be there for you.”

I give her a watery smile. “Sometimes I just don’t feel good enough. Easton is, like, this amazing professional baseball player, and you two have your whole love story that everyone in town obsesses over. It’s easy to feel like I’m not living up to everyone’s expectations for me.”

Mom shakes her head. “Love story?” She fights her smile, looking at Dad. “We had a one-night stand in the back of your dad’s Jeep. I could have very well become pregnant that night.” She pats my cheek and lets her hand drop. “Your story is your own, Harper.”

“The only person whose opinion of your life you should worry about is your own,” my dad adds. “From our perspective, if you’re happy, we’re happy.”

I exhale a relieved breath. “Really?”

“Yes,” my mom says, wrapping one arm around my shoulders. “And believe me, your brother is just as wild as you. We’ve probably fawned over his accolades in baseball too much, but he’s far from perfect. No one is. No one should be. I’m sorry we’ve made you think we weren’t proud of you.”

I nod and rest my head on her shoulder. “He’s out there making a big splash.”

Dad laughs and comes to sit on the other side of me. “And so are you. You started your own wedding planning business and are making a name for yourself. Just because more people out in the world know your brother’s name doesn’t make what he does any more successful than what you’re doing. Everyone in this world has their own paths and their own dreams. East’s dream was to play professionally, and we supported him. He made it, but had he not, that love we have for him wouldn’t have waned. He wouldn’t have disappointed us.”

“And you aren’t disappointing us. I love the fact you never take my suggestions. It shows I raised an independent woman who thinks for herself and has self-confidence in her decisions. As much as I’ve praised my parenting for that, I see now where I might have some work to do in other areas.”

“That’s the thing you’ll find out when it comes to being a parent. You second-guess everything you do, and hindsight really kicks you in the balls when you mess up.” Dad places his hand on my knee.

“Your dad is right—well, except for the whole kick you in the balls thing. You’re always worried you’re making the wrong decision. Sometimes they turn out great, and other times you wish you had a do-over, but good thing kids are resilient.” Mom smiles at me as if she’s joking. “Now…” My mom’s gaze drifts to my stomach. “Can we talk about…”

I cringe. This is so uncomfortable talking about my one-night stand with my parents. “Yeah.”

“How are you handling the news?” she asks.

I blink a few times. It’s not the reaction I expected. I thought she’d grill me for all the details of how and when and why and dig in on how I plan to do this alone. “Well, better now. At first, I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t feel real. But I’ve gotten used to the idea now.”

“So, you’re keeping the baby?” She holds my gaze.

I nod. “Yeah, I am.”

Her stoic face morphs into a huge grin, and she places a hand over her heart. “Oh, that makes me happy.”

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