Page 73 of The Rest is History

“I don’t think I’ll ever let it go. Not after what he did to us.”

My mother covers my hand with hers.

“It gets worse, Mom.”

“Oh, honey. What happened?”

“They had a baby. A little girl. Her name was Abigail—”

“Was?” My mother is shaking her head, her eyes filled with pity.

“Reece said she lived for fifteen minutes.”

She shakes her head. “That is a God-awful terrible thing.”

“And he got divorced recently.”

“Oh, life is so unfair, sometimes, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. But—”

My mother gives me a curious look. How do I do this?

“Mom, there’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s – it’s not easy, but I think you’ll be able to handle it.”

“Oh, God, Asher, what is it? You’re scaring me, honey.”

I push aside the pecan pie. “When Reece called me back in March, he asked if we could see each other.”

My mother raises an eyebrow. “I hope you told Sawyer about it.”

“I did. Sawyer said I should meet him. That it would be a way to bring some closure to the past.”

“That’s my Sawyer,” she says fondly.

“There’s more, Mom. Much more.”

“Go on, sweetie.”

“Reece moved to Iowa three months ago.”

She gasps and places her hand on her heart. “Why didn’t you mention it before?”

“I wasn't sure what was going to come of it. It was supposed to be a short visit. But he’s been cut off from his father. He thought he’d like it here in Iowa, so he got himself a job at the woodlot with Sawyer and he lives in town now.”

“How—?”

“Something happened, Mom. Sawyer . . . he’s developed feelings for Reece.”

My mother sets down her cup. “Sawyer would never hurt you,” she says, but I can see the beginnings of disappointment in her eyes.

“He hasn’t,” I say carefully

“Then what, honey?”

“Sawyer and I want to—” I don’t know how to carry on. “We’ve invited Reece into our marriage. It’s a mutual decision. We both want it, and Reece wants it too.”

Her eyes widen, followed by a deep frown. Shock becomes confusion and then, back to shock. Gradually, she processes everything. “I don’t know what to say,” she says after a long time.

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