Page 33 of Innocent Union
CHAPTER 8
Mia
When I walk through my front door, my mom is waiting, ready to interrogate me about what happened.
“How was it? Is she nice? Is she really sick?”
“Mom,” I say, holding up my hands. “Slow down. Killian’s mom is nice, and yes, she’s actually sick.” I brush past my mom and head for the living room. “You should have seen her. She looked so brittle and thin. It was … I wasn’t expecting that.”
Mom lets out a breath. “Ok. So, I know Killian wasn’t completely lying about that. He does have a valid excuse for not being there for you. Maybe I was being a little harsh.”
I raise an eyebrow. “A little harsh? Mom, you’ve had it out for Killian since you met him. You were being harsh.”
“I just want to make sure my little girl is safe.” She sits beside me, running a hand over my hair. “Is that so wrong?”
“No. It’s not. It’s just … can you trust me to make my own decisions?”
“Of course!”
“Really?” I ask, dubious.
Mom sighs. “It’s hard, ok? You’re my baby. You’ll always be my baby.”
“I thought the twins are your babies now.”
She cups my cheek. “You’ll always be my baby. It’s not a competition between you and Lucia and Luca. Know that. You have to know that.”
“I know.” I lean into her, letting her wrap her arms around me. “Erin, that’s her name, was very sweet. She seems to have a positive outlook on life despite being sick. There’s just … one thing.”
“What?” Mom is stroking my hair.
“Erin asked if we could film the wedding so she could see it.”
“I don’t see why that would be a problem. We can do that.”
I sigh, shifting away from her. “There’s more.”
“What?” she asks again in a wary voice.
“Killian suggested we have the wedding at the hospital instead of the venue I picked.” Mom tenses before I’m even finished speaking. “I don’t?—”
“No,” she says, cutting me off. “No way. You deserve to have a wedding where you want. None of this hospital nonsense.”
“Killian really wants his mom to see us married, and I … can’t blame him for that.”
“No. No.” She pulls away from, standing up to pace around the room. “Just no.”
“I mean … I don’t really want the wedding at the hospital, but I also don’t want to make Erin feel excluded. Killian makes a good point.”
“No.”
“Mom, he does.”
“Why do you want to have the wedding at your venue? Tell me?”
“Because,” I say, “I want to feel … special. I sometimes feel … inadequate when it comes to my siblings, and I want a bigwedding. I don’t want my wedding held at the hospital. But I don’t think Killian will understand. His mom is dying of cancer. Of course, he wants to have the wedding there so she can see. This will be her only chance. I mean … I can offer to have two weddings?”
“No,” Mom says instantly. “You get the wedding you want. We can record it so Erin can see. But my daughter is not having her wedding in a hospital. Just no. You tell Killian that.”
