Page 39 of Forced to Share
Mrs. Bennett covered her mouth as her eyes watered. The moment was sappy as hell, but I was there for it. It was beyond sweet.
“Austin—”
“Jeremy, I want you to come as soon as possible. I’ve already talked to my parents about it if we need to help pay your way out there, we can do that.”
Now it was my turn for my eyes to water. I’d never dreamed of something like this happening. I wanted to be with the love of my life. To be with Austin and not have to worry about time and distance, but I didn’t want to have to owe anyone by the end of it. I’d spent the last three years establishing my independence…
And that’s when it hit me. This was the Bennett family’s way of showing me that they accepted me. That I was a part of them at this point. They knew that I wasn’t going anywhere, that I belonged with Austin. They were willing to do anything to make that happen.
In that moment, my heart cracked wide open, and the tears freely fell. I wrapped my arms around Austin, burying my face in his chest as I tried to hide my sobs. My whole life, all I’d wanted to be was accepted. I’d finally found that with this family. It wasn’t a mistake that I’d found both Austin and Leah.
Once the emotions of the evening wound down, we went back to talking, less about the big move and more about other things going on in our lives. Leah had just taken on a new position at work. She hadn’t even told me yet, explaining that she’d wanted to surprise everyone on the trip. Much like we had with the engagement. The wedding that wasn’t happening.
More cocktails were made, by the time we were an hour out to midnight everyone had a nice buzz going on. I’d had about three of the Tiramisu White Russians, and Austin had switched to beer after the first one.
Mrs. Bennett tapped me on the shoulder and had me follow her to the kitchen. I wasn’t exactly steady on my feet, but I went with her because I was happy to be included in anything.
It was a lot less quiet in the kitchen, I had a strange zing of happiness slip through me when she squeezed my arm and moved to open some of the cupboards. She wasalready treating me like one of her children. It was all that I could have ever asked for.
“Now, Jeremy. Can you help me grab the champagne flute from the top shelf, please?”
I came up behind her pulling down the glasses, delicately setting them on the counter. Her smile remained warm as she slipped past me and pulled two chilled bottles from the fridge as well as a bucket. She filled the container with ice and set it all next to the flutes on the counter.
“I hope that this all hasn’t been too much for you.”
My face heated, I hated that I was still embarrassed by all of this. “This has been amazing. Everything could have gone so much worse, but I’m so thankful for how accepting you and your husband are of your children and their partners.”
At first, she didn’t say anything back. Mrs. Bennett arranged the bottles in the ice so that they were mostly covered before she finally looked up at me with a soft and genuine smile.
“I know I said it the other day, but no one should ever have to feel like the love from their parents is conditional. While what happened and is happening between you and my children is unconventional, I only want them to be happy.”
I nodded because I hadn’t done anything to deserve this woman’s trust. I’d hidden things from both Leah and Austin, but here she was, giving me the same unconditional love that she showed them. That was when it hit me. I was accepted. It didn’t matter that I’d screwed up because that was how unconditional love was supposed to work. This family took me in and gave me what I didn’t know I could have.
It is everything I could have ever dreamed of.
My eyes watered with the realization, maybe because of how much alcohol I’d had that evening, but when Mrs. Bennett wrapped me in a hug, I lost it. The waterworks started, I sobbed into her shoulder, finally letting go of years of frustration and fear. I was finally in a place where I was safe and free to be myself. This family would do anything to make sure I stayed that way.
It took several minutes to calm myself wiping the moisture from my eyes. They were probably still red, but I felt ten times lighter than before I’d come into the kitchen with her.
“Now, grab the bucket and bottles; I’ll worry about carrying these glasses. It’s almost midnight, and I think you deserve to celebrate properly.”
Chapter 27
Austin
There was something different about Jeremy when he came back into the room with my mom. They’d been gone for a while, but they were bringing a lot back with them. Jeremy’s eyes were puffy, like he’d been upset or crying, I instantly went on high alert.
Mom must have noticed me go rigid. She quickly set the glasses on the table before sitting next to me on the couch placing a hand on my knee.
“Relax, I just had a nice talk with him. I think he had a positive realization. Nothing to get upset over.”
As much as I wanted to just take her word for it—it was my mother, and she’d never lied about things like that before—there was a different level of protectiveness therewhen it was in regard to Jeremy. Maybe it was because I now knew what he’d been through and just wanted to keep him away from all the ugly in the world. He deserved light and love.
When I looked over at Jeremy again as he was fussing with the bucket and champagne, he gave me a watery smile thats when I knew I could relax. He’d let me know if something was wrong, or at least I had to trust that he would. This was how we grew as a couple.
He sat next to me after he was done, and I leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Is everything okay?”
That smile was back, but even brighter this time. “More than okay. Thank you for checking on me.”
