Page 61 of Until Tomorrow Comes
“Everyone needs an emotional support buddy to help them deal with overbearing moms.” She smiles softly at me and the tension building in my gut eases a fraction.
“Oh! Kat it’s so good to see you again!” My mom states with an innocent smile, but I don’t miss the way her grip tightens on her mug. Her gaze settles on me before Kat can respond. “Are you avoiding me?”
She comes right out with her question, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Undoubtedly, she believes that with Kat here, she has the upper hand, thinking that I won’t push back.
“No Ma, I’ve just been busy.”
Her eyes dart to Kat so quickly that I almost miss it. However, her assumption isn’t that far off. But I saw her a couple weeks ago when I came over to mow her lawn yet she’s acting like she hasn’t seen me in months.
“Well good.” She sips her coffee, “Have you given any more thought to the wedding?”
My jaw clenches almost painfully as I stifle back my groan of annoyance.
Maybe I had been subconsciously avoiding her, since she can’t seem to understand why going to my brother’s wedding is literally the last thing I want to do. Before I get the chance to shut her down, she sighs and pushes on.
“Just hear me out, Jack. I know he hurt you, Todd knows he made a mistake too. But this is your baby brother’s wedding. You don’t have to stand up next to him, you don’t even have to go to the rehearsal dinner or any of the typical wedding stuff. Just be there for him,for me.I don’t want you to wake up a couple years from now and regret that you were not there to show your support.”
I can only gape at her in wonder. There’s no way she seriously sees it that way.
“Regret… not… showing my support?”
Does anyone actually support their sibling marrying their ex?
Subtly, Kat reaches over to place her hand on my knee. The reminder that she’s there is what makes me take a slow, deep breath.
“Mom, that—” I try to protest calmly, but she cuts me off.
“Listen, I know they hurt you, that nothing is how it should be, and that what I’m asking is a lot. But Jackson, youbothare my babies. Is it so wrong that I would like one day where things aren’t so… off the rails?”
When I look over at her, there is a lone tear rolling down her cheek. No matter my frustrations or hurt, the sight of my mother crying cracks my heart.
Kat tightens her grip on my knee, I cover it with my own, squeezing once. I can feel my resolve faltering, not wanting to be the reason my mom is hurting. As if she knows she’s gaining the upper hand, my mom continues on while I stare down at Kat’s hand in mine.
“Please, Jack. Everything’s covered, you just have to be there. For me. You can even bring Kat!” She begs.
Closing my eyes, I pinch the brim of my nose with a sigh.
“Mom, if I don’t even want to go to this wedding, what makes you think I would ask anyone, let alone Kat, to go with me?”
Kat squeezes my leg again, causing me to open my eyes and turn to her. She offers me a small smile and an almost subtle shrug of her shoulders.
My heart lurches to my throat while I stare back at her.
There is absolutely no way that this woman is wordlessly telling me she would attend the shit show wedding with me. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have spent so much time paying attention to her silent tells, I would shrug this off to me reading her wrong. Except if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that she is the kind of person whose silence says so much more than any of her words.
Setting aside the issues I have with my brother, being a guest at anormalwedding, where all you know is the person you came with, is awkward on its own. Inevitably, your date is going to be left alone making awkward small talk with people they don’t know.
Now add on the fact that the wedding is for my ex-wife and brother? Yeah definitely wouldn’t dream of asking Kat to go to that.
“Please.” My moms voice cracks, forcing me to drag my gaze away from Kat. Her eyes are lined with tears drawing my attention to the noticeable bags under her eyes.
A small voice tugs at the back of my mind, reminding me that giving into her now will only encourage her to steamroll me in the future. But the exhaustion and heartache that’s painted across her face, has me faltering.
My divorce and issues with my brother have taken their toll on more than just me. For the past year, I have let the pain fromthemhold me hostage. I’ve secluded myself from my family and shut the door on living my life.
Until now.
The past five and a half months have been full of unexpected laughter and happy moments that I never expected to have again.
