Page 111 of Liberating Bells
“How do I know if I’m doing it right?”
“You don’t. You just do the best you can,” she says tenderly, patting me on the shoulder. “You will be a great husband and an amazing father when the time comes, I have no doubt in my mind. And you’ll have Izabel to help you as well. She’ll keep you in line.”
I seal up the cheese and give her a sly smile. “Yeah, I know she will.”
Once the lasagna is back in the oven, I reach for another carrot stick. I trust that my mom is right, but regardless, I put on a brave face for everyone else to see the majority of the time. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I had some worries about my future knocking at my doorstep.
Instead of lingering in this uncomfortable topic, I switch to a different one. “Have you gotten the results back from your test this week?”
Mom is still going through chemo treatments. The last time they did a check-up, they found that the cancer had shrunk a little bit. They adjusted her regimen, and now we’re waiting to hear the results from that alteration. We’re hoping it’s good news again.
She smiles softly, but shakes her head. “No, they called and said they’re still waiting on some labs to come back. It usually takes a few days.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Great, actually,” Mom says. “I have lots to keep me preoccupied. Thalia is always a handful, and you have so many exciting milestones coming up. I don’t have time to sit around and worry.”
I watch her as I chew on my veggies. This woman is amazing. Even now, she’s making a nice dinner for a bunch of people despite probably being exhausted from treatment. My mom always puts others first. It’s a rule she’s lived by her whole life.
If I can be even a fraction of the parent that she was to me, I’d consider myself a successful father.
We chat while the lasagna finishes cooking, then I help her set everything up on the table. Right before we’re about to sit down and eat, Thalia comes bounding through the door and throws herself at me, giving me a big hug before wrapping herarms around Izabel too. She whispers a quiet hello and settles in the seat next to Bells.
Mom sets the basket of garlic bread down and then sits. She gives the table a once-over before she says a quick grace and allows us all to dig in. We pass around our plates to Derek, who serves up the lasagna. Then we go for the garlic bread, veggies, and salad that my mom did up as well.
Thalia is chattering about the movie that she got to see today. We all listen aptly to her retelling of the entire plot. I watch my little sister in amusement as I devour my mom’s cooking.
The table is alight with jokes and laughter. Izabel’s parents are sitting across from us, my mom and Derek at either end. Izabel’s sister Sage and her husband Teddy weren’t able to make it in for this little get-together, but we’ll see them in a few months.
“So, do you all have a date picked out yet?” Derek asks us.
I turn to Bells. We've been engaged for almost two weeks, but we’ve spent a lot of time since then dreaming and talking. She meets my gaze, and then nods toward my stepfather. “We’re thinking probably sometime in October.”
“It will be small,” I add in, knowing they’re going to comment on how we’re going to pull a wedding together in only eight months. “Probably just close friends and family.” She peers at me from underneath her eyelashes, and my heart swells with love and happiness.
After we’re finished eating, my mom and Izabel’s mom stand to get everything cleaned up. Derek catches my eye and motions his head toward the garage. I nod silently and then get up to head that way. Vince trails behind us, curious about what kind of secret club we have going on.
Derek steps into the garage and hits the light illuminating his tool bench and work area. Vince gives a low whistle as heobserves everything. “This is great work. I didn’t know you were into carpentry, Derek?”
My stepfather gives a noncommittal shrug and digs into the garage refrigerator, pulling out three beers. “I do it more as a hobby.” He offers a beer to Vince, who gratefully takes it and then to me. I shake my head and raise my hand up in no thanks. Derek frowns. “Right, sorry.”
Vince raises an eyebrow at me. “Not one for beer? Are you more of a whiskey guy?”
Definitely more of a whiskey guy.
“I don’t drink anything right now,” I tell him. “Was hitting it a little too hard and had to get back on track.” I leave it at that. I don’t need to admit to my future father-in-law that I was bordering on alcoholism. Not a good look.
Vince just nods and offers his beer to me in a miniature toast. “Good man.”
The three of us chat for a little while longer as we finish our beers. We don’t want to be out here for too long and cause the women to come searching. The evening comes to a close a while later, and Izabel and I give the round of hugs and then head home.
As we’re lying in bed that night, she releases a satisfied sigh against my chest. “That wasn’t so bad.”
I run my fingers over her bare shoulder. “Not bad at all.”
“I love our family,” she murmurs.
I get caught up on her statement,our family, and my thoughts go back to my conversation with my mom. I press my lips to Izabel’s forehead and take in a deep breath, the smell of her shampoo hitting my nose. The scent assures me that this isn’t a dream, but the actual reality. I pull her closer to me and close my eyes, settling into warmth. Even though it seems too good to be true, I’m not going to waste it.
