Page 28 of Shameless
And I would send her new things so that she could have a little bit of Charlotte’s style as that had been her favorite character when we were kids.
“If you ever want to, just say the word,” I said.
She locked arms with me and asked, “What’s it like living like the women on Sex and the City?”
For a second, she seemed to be reading my mind, but I knew she would never leave the life she clearly loved here. I inched closer to Michael to give him my hand as I said, “Not as glamorous as it seemed on TV though my friends have become my second family.”
She shrugged and walked out of the shade with me into the full-blown hot sun. “Or your first as I wasn’t that good. I’m still jealous of all your potential.” Ava was still the good daughter and wife and mother, while I wasn’t ever going to be her.
I turned and smiled at her. “There is nothing to be jealous of as you choose your life, but I should go help Michael.”
We hugged, and I promised myself I would send more gifts for her and not just the nephews. I walked to the blazing hot grill and handed Michael a water.
“Everything okay with you and your sister?” he asked.
I motioned for Billy to take over and tugged Michael away. “I’d forgotten she wasn’t always horrible. She wasn’t as critical as mom. She was more just oblivious to me.”
He gulped the water then said, “I promise my sister will not turn out to be our friend in the end.”
I held Michael’s arm and said, “I don’t expect her to.”
He smiled at me. “Good, but we do good work together.”
I raised my eyebrow and whispered, “And create cute babies together?”
His eyes widened. “Babies?”
Fuck. I tensed and looked down. “Just one. I was clearly not speaking right.”
He shrugged, the glimmer in his eyes making me feel lighter. “Who knows? Maybe it’s twins.”
I took a deep breath. “We should go to the next appointment together in a month. I’d been told normally the ob-gyn doesn’t see you till you’re eight weeks.”
“I knew it. You’re pregnant!”
I pivoted and saw my mother’s huge smile. I winced because she was worse than that blogger. She would tell everyone she’d ever met.
As she hugged us both, I said, “Mom, I didn’t see you there.”
She let us go and wiped tears from her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me that on the phone, sweetie?”
She’d never called me that in my life. I swiped my face too and said, “I can’t pretend everything is good in our life. I came home because I wished you loved me.”
She told my father, who then joined us. Then she said, “Now, that’s just the baby talking. I’m sure you’re fine as you always are.”
My father began, “And your boyfriend?—”
“Fiancé, honey,” my mother corrected him. “She’s trapped him?—”
“Mother, enough.”
My father nodded. “He’s doing right by her. And her fiancé can cook a great burger, better than Billy’s.”
Michael tensed. “Not bad for a spoiled English brat, then?”
At least my father was being nice. I stepped closer to Michael as we walked away from my mother’s toxicity. I wasn’t going to get my resolution, but Michael was more important.
“No one said that about you,” I said.
