Page 50 of Living for Truth
Chapter 23
Morgan
Aly still wants to see Whitney the day before Mother’s Day. Worried she’ll forget, I text Whitney every single day between Sunday and Saturday to remind her that she has plans with our daughter.
If she finds it annoying, she should count herself lucky because I could be so much worse.
It’s Wednesday, and Aly and I are shopping after school for a gift for Whitney when Hannah texts me.
Hannah:Sorry to bother you while you’re working, but would it be possible to move in this weekend? I’m trying to book a moving truck.
I’m not letting her pay for a damn moving truck when my dad has a truck and trailer I can use.
Morgan:You can absolutely move in this weekend. But you’re not renting a moving truck. I have access to a truck and trailer, so I’ll help.
Hannah:You’ve already done so much, I can’t ask you to do that.
Morgan:Good thing you’re not asking. I’m offering! ;)
Hannah:Fine… *eyeroll emoji* But I’m buying you lunch. I don’t have much to move anyway, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
Hannah:How is Aly doing?
Fuck, I love h—that she’s thinking about Aly.
Who am I kidding? I love Hannah. I’m not too proud to admit it. Last weekend with her and Aly cemented my feelings and made me want many more weekends with bothof them.
Aly hasn’t stopped talking about it, asking when Hannah is coming over again and if we can go visit her at the library.
I haven’t introduced Aly to a lot of partners, just one and that relationship ended well over three years ago. Sam was a great guy but didn’t love that I put Aly first. He wanted to be my top priority, and I couldn’t give him that. Things ended as soon as he made his feelings known. The fact Aly is excited about Hannah makes me even more excited about Hannah.
The only bump in the road is our fake dating situation. Because hanging out with my kid and her meeting my sister doesn’t feel remotely fake. It feelsveryreal, and I want to make itofficiallyreal.
Morgan:She’s doing okay. She still wants to go to lunch with Whitney, so we’re shopping for a gift now.
Hannah:I hope Whitney doesn’t disappoint her. Again. I’ll let you get back to Aly, tell her I said hi! And I’ll see you Saturday? Just let me know when you can come over, and I’ll have my stuff ready.
Morgan:Sounds good, Butterfly. See you Saturday.
Aly is looking at a bunch of necklaces right now, trying to pick something to give to Whitney. Whitney is very particular about everything she owns, but I’mhopingshe appreciates whatever Aly picks.
“Hannah says hi. Find anything you like?”
“Tell her hi back. No, I don’t think Mom would like any of these… What about candles?” Aly walks out of the jewelry section of Target and towards the candles.
“Candles could work. What if we got her one of those fancy water bottles too?” I follow along, carrying the empty basket.
“I don’t know, maybe. I don’t know what she likes or her favorite color. I feel like a bad daughter not knowing that stuff.” Aly’s shoulders slump, and I tamp down the urge to call this whole thing off.
I stop in front of her so I can look her in the eyes. “You arenota bad daughter. It is not your fault she hasn’t taken the time to let you get to know her or to get to know you. She will love whatever you get her. So get her something that means something to you.”
“Thanks, Dad. I think… I think I want to just give her a candle and a bouquet of flowers with a card. Will you help me with that?”
“Of course, Bub. When we were dating, her favorite scent was cinnamon so maybe we can find a cinnamon candle.”
“Okay.”
By Saturday morning, Aly’s so anxious she barely eats her breakfast. She paces her room over and over trying to figure out what she should wear. Bean won’t leave her side, following her small path and meowing at her like he’s trying to give her a pep talk. She’s changed her outfit three times and is still worried that Whitney won’t approve of it. She finally settled on a pink sundress with a white t-shirt underneath it and brown strappy sandals and asked me to help her braid her hair into two French braids. She’s sitting on the couch now with the bouquet in her hand, waiting for Whitney to come pick her up.
