Page 23 of Crushing On Dad's Best Friend
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Katherine
“Well, that’s everything,”Anna says, closing the trunk of her car and brushing her hands on her jeans. “You ready, or are you going to just stand there allday?”
“I guess I’m ready,” I say, pushing my sunglasses up my nose. “I don’t really have much choice, doI?”
“Just get in the freaking car,” Anna says, clicking the button on herkeyfob.
I’m wearing my dark sunglasses. I got precisely zero sleep, and my lungs are raw. My eyes are puffy and my dad still hasn’t really looked at me. He and Mom are still behind us, back at the house, making sure that everyone is accounted for and has a ride to the train or back into thecity.
Anna insisted that I ride with her. Anthony is driving back with Mom and Dad, go figure. Two years ago, they barely looked at him, just like they’re barely looking at me now. They thought he wasn’t right for Anna. He had too much of a dirty mouth, he had too many tattoos, and he didn’t go to college. He fought hard to win them over, just by being incredibly kind and good toAnna.
To me, too. He came to my high school graduation even though my parents didn’t want him to. He didn’t do it in a disruptive, disrespectful way, though. He stood at the back of the auditorium and only congratulated me by text. I knew he was back there, though. He didn’t know that I saw him, but Idid.
I went back and forth in my head all night about Liam. I’m not confident that I’m making the right choice by leaving. I think I might really be falling for him. That’s why it’s so hard to walk away. But it’s also why I feel like Ihaveto walk away. Everything he said last night, everything he made me feel this weekend — he was right when he said it’s not the kind of thing that just happens every day. This weekend with Liam was absolute, pure heaven. Bliss. Until real life stormedin.
Anna and I get into her car and she pulls out of the driveway as I roll down my window. We drive for a few minutes before I can muster the courage to sayanything.
“I’m sorry I ruined your wedding,” I finally say, pulling my sunglassesoff.
“Mmhm,” she says, smirking. We ride for another few minutes as I try to think up better words to convey how sorry Iam.
“I’mreallysorry.”
“Katherine, listen. Shit. Okay, I have to tell you something, but you have to swear you won’t tellanyone.”
“What?”
“Anthony and I have been married for six months,” she spits out, “and youcannottell anyone. Mom would have a freaking conniption if anyone foundout.”
“Wait,what?”
“Yeah. We didn’t want to wait. We didn’t want a whole big thing. How do you think I was able to maneuver getting this small wedding? It was a compromise between me and Mom. If Anthony and I could go elope, I’d have a medium-fancy wedding. You know what they say aboutcompromise.”
“Yeah,” I say, “it means everyone comes awayunhappy.”
“No,” she says softly, “it means everyone comes awayhappy.”
“Two sides of the same coin,right?”
There’s a brief silence between us. I can’t actually say I’m surprised about her and Anthony. They’ve always done things at their own speed. I’m more shocked that my mom didn’t accidentally blurt out the truth after one too many glasses ofchampagne.
“Are you happy?” Anna asks. “I mean, is this really what you want, to go home, back to your perfect, stupidlife?”
“Hey, my life isn’t stupid! I just…I don’t know. Dad and Liam work together. What am I going to do, show up to the office Christmas party, and then what? Would Dad introduce me as his daughter or would Liam introduce me as hisgirlfriend?”
“Why not both?” sheshrugs.
“Anna,” I whisper. “I’mscared.”
“Ofwhat?”
“Of things being too hard. Of how much I want him. Of losing him once he sees that I’m not enough for him. Of things happening too fast. Of judgment from Mom and Dad. Of judgment from everyone. I’m afraid of everything, Anna. I’m afraid of all of it. Literallyallof it isterrifying.”
Anna shakes her head and turns onto a side-street, shaking her head as she pulls over and shifts intopark.
“Katherine, do you ever hear love stories about people who took the easy way? No. You hear about the love stories that were hard-won. Easy is just that — easy. Do you want easy and boring? You decided you wanted love and adventure and the hard road the moment Liam brought you in from the rain on Friday. I saw it on your face. Onbothof your faces. And now that you know this crazy kind of love is out there, do you really want to go back to ‘easy’ and risk regretting your decision for the rest of your life? You shouldn’t fear things being too hard. You should fear things being toosimple. There isn’t a whole lot of passion in ‘easy.’ Do you want easy or do you want passion? Do you want obedience or do you want fulfillment? Some people are fine with things being easy. You are not one of those people. I’m not saying it won’t be hard. I’m saying it willdefinitelybe hard. But you might just find out that you and Liam were meant to betogether.”
