Page 75 of Masquerade Mistake

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you,” my mom says, leaning over to me. I drag my eyes away from the daiquiri, and wrinkle my nose at her. “You know those fruity drinks were never my thing,” she points out.

“No, but it still seems strange to be at a brew pub when you’re coming up on a year.”

“Girl, these are my people,” she says, her hands gesturing around her at the tables surrounding us. “Well, maybe not that guy,” she says, nodding at someone stumbling for the bathroom.

“I’ll take care of that,” Ethan says, standing up and following the guy, his phone to his ear. I know for a fact he’s calling a cab, a responsibility he takes seriously as a bar owner. I also know the bar pays the bill for the ride.

“You were that man,” I say, and she nods in agreement.

“And thank God for my stubborn daughter, or I wouldn’t be here today.” She reaches over and takes my hand.

When I forced my mom to live at the rehab center, I thought for sure it was the last time I’d ever see her. I also didn’t believe it would work. But the day they released her, she called me. Not for a favor. Not to move in with me. Not for anything other than to tell me how sorry she was. She was six weeks clean at this point, and we both knew she had a long road ahead of her. Which is why she now lives in a sober house with a bunch of really great people. She ended up selling the house she’d lived in since childhood, saying goodbye to the past as she welcomed a new kind of future. With the proceeds from the sale, she paid me back the money I spent on her rehab, set some aside for Finn’s college, and now lives on the rest as she focuses her energy on volunteering at a program for troubled youth. I asked her about it once, and she explained that when she helps kids, especially those struggling with problems at home, she feels like she’s making amends to me.

According to my mom, her job will never be done.

“Well, I’ll be. Is that Maren?” Mom cranes her neck and peers at my raven-haired friend behind an electric guitar, making a statement on the small Hillside stage. She then starts telling Stacy about the karaoke station Maren and I had set up in our living room, and for a moment, I think of my childhood as something that was normal and good. This time, though, it’s not with the same feelings of wistfulness. We did have some good times, just like we had some bad times. But right now? I’m just glad to have my mom back in my life—in all of our lives—as we move further and further from the past.

“That girl’s got chops, doesn’t she?” my mom asks, turning to me.

“She sure does, Mom.”

I glance back at the stage, looking at Maren instead. She looks amazing, wearing a slender black dress that slits from her ankle to mid-thigh, revealing stocky boots with a four-inch stiletto heel. Her black hair is in waves around her face, and her lips are a pouty brick red. She catches my eye, then blows me a kiss.

The song ends, and Maren takes the microphone out of the stand and walks to the front of the stage.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight,” she says, then waits out the applause, plus a few screams from the galley of girls. “Tonight is a very special night. It’s my nephew Finn’s seven-and-a-half birthday, which doesn’t come around every day.”

I laugh as she points toward our table, and the crowd politely claps. What they don’t know is that, in our family, we have a lot of birthdays to make up for, which is why we’ve started celebrating the half birthdays too. To commemorate the occasion, a half a birthday cake sits in the center of the table. Paired with Finn’s milkshake, I’m pretty sure my son will be bouncing off the walls when we try to put him to bed. I think I’ll let Ethan know it’s his turn to wrestle with the seven-and-a-half-year-old.

Speaking of Ethan, he still hasn’t returned from helping that stumbling guy get home. I search the faces around me, looking for him just as Maren leads us all in a "Happy Half-Birthday” song. When it’s over, Maren quiets down the cheering, then gets a serious look on her face.

“Before we start the next song, I want to tell you about someone special to me.” Her eyes are still on me. I settle back in my chair, my head tilting to the side as I wonder what my friend is up to now.

“I’ve known Claire since I was seven years old, the same age as Finn.”

My cheeks redden as I feel a million eyes on me. I have no idea what she’s doing, but I hate the attention.

“Claire has been like a sister to me, even in times I didn’t deserve it. She’s shared her kid with me so I don’t have to have any.” There were a few chuckles from the crowd. “And Finn is the best nephew any auntie could ask for. This is why I’m thrilled the two of them have a man in their life who supports their dreams, believes in equal partnership, and who loves both of them unconditionally.”

“God, Maren, are you going to write my wedding vows too?”

I whip around, and there’s Ethan holding a microphone, his eyes shining as he looks straight at me.

“What is going on?” I mouth to him. He just grins, then looks sideways at Finn, who gives him a nod. Suddenly, Ethan is on one knee and my hand is in his. He turns off the microphone, then looks back at me. Meanwhile, I am fighting the tears and losing miserably.

“This is just for us,” he says, setting the microphone on the ground. He takes both of my hands in his. I can feel the crowd around us leaning in, but I’m too consumed by what’s happening to care. “I think the first time I realized I was in love with you was when I heard you talk about that book you love, Frankenstein.” He grins as I laugh through my tears. “It wasn’t the book,” he continues, “it was the way you talked about it. I had never known someone with so much passion. You made me want to know everything you loved, and to love all of them too. Every day I’ve known you, you make me feel more alive. You never do anything halfway. Not even half birthdays.” He grins, nodding at the half birthday cake. “You give everything your all, especially with the way you care for people. All of us who are lucky to call you family know that you love us with your whole heart.”

Ethan glances at both our moms standing on the other side of the table, and I can’t help but look too. Stacy’s smiling wide, her hands clasped at her chest. But my mom is a mess of emotions. Her eyes are filled with tears, and her fingers are touching the smile on her lips. It occurs to me how lucky I feel that she gets to be here for this, that both of us get to share this new beginning.

“Claire, you are everything to me. You have my full heart, and have had it since the first day I laid eyes on you. And if you’ll have me, I’d like to make you the owner of my heart forever.” At this, he nods to Finn, who pulls a box from his jacket pocket and places it in Ethan’s hand.

“You stinker,” I laugh, swiping at the mascara under my eyes. “You knew the whole time, didn’t you?”

Finn shrugs, but his face is beaming.

“Claire Gertrude Myers…”

“That’s not my middle name!” I laugh, then shoot a glare towards Maren.

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