Page 80 of Whatever It Takes

Ann Marie grabbed a towel from under the sink and wiped her hands. “You don’t need to make up excuses. We all know you just want to park your butt in front of the TV and watch football.”

Thomas walked over and kissed his wife on the lips. I always envied their relationship. Where my parents were always bickering about everything and anything, these two were always stealing touches and glances whenever they could, even after thirty-five years of marriage.

Once the men were in the living room talking about sports and Nora and the girls were setting the table, Ann Marie and I were left all alone.

“Did Brody and Gretchen have a nice getaway?” I asked, attempting to make small talk. They decided to postpone their honeymoon until next year and just went away for a long weekend away after the wedding.

She shook her head. “Like that boy would tell me anything. I just found out today that they have been living together for the past three months. Here I thought they were going to wait until after the wedding. I don’t know why he lied to me.”

Oh, I knew why,I thought as I looked around noticing the familiar red and gold Tuscan-style themed kitchen with the big framed picture of Jesus and The Last Supper on one wall and a crucifix on the other. Ann Marie was a strict catholic girl with old-fashioned values. It was one of the reasons why she didn’t approve of me. She made it very clear that she didn’t like the idea of Quinn and I living in sin before we were married.

“I’m sure they probably didn’t want to upset you.”

She pointed her long, white painted acrylic fingernails at me. They looked like they needed a trim. “Honesty is always the best policy.”

“I agree. At least that’s what I always tell Emery.”

“How are you girls holding up?” she asked, tightening the strings along the back of her apron.

I sighed while trying to work the lumps out of the gravy. “It’s been a rough week for both of us.”

I didn’t expect to see the sympathy in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, dear.” There was something different about Ann Marie. She seemed softer. More down-to-earth. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but this whole exchange felt different than what I was used to.

“I want to apologize to you,” she said, causing me to stop whisking the gravy.

“What for?” I asked with my hands frozen on the whisk.

“For how I treated you in the past.”

I swallowed thickly, overcome with emotion. “Ann Marie, you don’t owe me an apology.”

Actually, I was being polite, because she totally did. She treated me like the anti-Christ.

She stopped what she was doing and walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of red wine. By the looks of the bottle it was homemade, something her family was known for. “Yes, I do.” She gestured to the kitchen table. “Please?”

Nerves danced in my stomach as I sat down on the wooden chair at the familiar oak table. Ann Marie poured two generous glasses and took a hefty gulp from hers. I just stared at mine and wondered if she would notice if I didn’t take a sip.

She set her glass down and leaned across the table. “Regardless of what you think, I’ve always cared about you, Charlotte. I know I didn’t always act that way, but I did. I just didn’t like how serious you and Quinn were. You both were so young and moving too fast.” Her confession surprised me, and there was so much I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut and let her continue.

“I used to tell all my friends that I wished you two met later in life, because you’re only young once. I got married at nineteen and had Brody at age twenty. I wanted my kids to know that there was a whole world out there to explore, and that they had the rest of their lives to settle down.”

My knees shook under the table. “Ann Marie, as a mother now, I can appreciate that. I know that you only wanted what was best for your son.”

She pressed her lips together and took another generous sip of her wine. “That boy went through hell when you broke up. He may have been on the other side of the country, but I know my son. Just like I know that you are it for him.”

Tears fell from the corner of my eyes. I always wanted Ann Marie to like me, but I never wanted to force it. Knowing that we finally had her acceptance meant more to me than anything.

Gretchen walked into the kitchen and cleared her throat. “I hope I’m not interrupting; just thought I would make myself useful.”

The three of us spent the next half hour cutting up vegetables, while Nora and the two girls shuttled the food from the kitchen to the dining room. Emery and Taitlyn seemed to be getting along really well. They kept whispering in each other’s ear and snickering over God knows what, and it was adorable. It was nice to see her smiling after the lousy week she just had.

I stared across the table, holding onto my untouched glass of wine as everyone polished off their plates. Quinn and the guys were arguing over trading picks in their fantasy football league while Gretchen passed around wedding pictures that she had just gotten back from her photographer. I sat up taller and played with the napkin in my lap while Nora and Ann Marie chimed in with stories of their own weddings.

I had no fond memories to share of my own marriage, and not just because it would be awkward and inappropriate. No, there were no happy stories to be told, because I married the wrong man for the wrong reasons.

The only man I ever wanted to marry was sitting next to me. And now after everything, I wasn’t sure if we would ever get our happily ever after.

Quinn met my eyes, his brows dipped as if he could read my mind. He placed his hand on my leg in calming support. I glanced around the table and wondered how I could excuse myself without being incredibly obvious.

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