Page 97 of Protect My Heart
‘What’d she say?’ my dad says really loud to my mom.
‘Nothing, dear. Just give us a minute. Mia, can I talk to you?’
I look over at her. ‘Mom, there’s nothing to talk about. I just need to finish what I was saying.’
She gets up and takes my arm. ‘This won’t take long.’
We walk down the stone path to an area with a small fountain and another bench.
‘Mom, I just have to say this.’
‘Honey, I already know.’
‘You do?’
‘Of course. I’m not senile. I know what’s going on here. You think your father and I will be upset that the only reason you got engaged was because of the baby.’
‘Mom, that’s not—’
‘But you couldn’t be more wrong. Your father and I are proud of your decision. I know it’s not easy to commit to someone for the sake of your child, but the best things in life aren’t easy. They take work. They take time. And I know with some time and effort, you and Jason will grow to love eachother.’ She smiles. ‘I think part of you already loves him. And I can he tell loves you.’
‘Mom, no. Jason doesn’t—’
‘He does.’ She takes both my hands in hers. ‘In his own way, he does. You just have to open your heart to see it.’
What is she talking about? Jason doesn’t love me. He likes me. And he’s attracted to me. But he doesn’t love me.
‘I know you have doubts,’ my mom says. ‘But just give it some time. And remember, you’re doing this for the baby.’ She hugs me. ‘Your father and I couldn’t be more proud of you, honey.’
This isn’t how this was supposed to go. But after that speech she gave me, I feel like I have to stay engaged to Jason. And it’s not just because of the baby, but because of what she said about the best things in life not being easy. Am I giving up on Jason too soon? Should I commit to a summer with him and see if we could make this work?
We head back to the bench where my dad is sitting.
‘Wait,’ I whisper, stopping my mom before we get there.
Jason’s on the bench next to my dad. He’s leaned over, his forearms resting on his knees, the ring still in his hand.
My dad’s talking to him. ‘Hang in there, kid. She’ll come around. Women are always changing their mind. And just when you think you know what they want, they change their damn mind again. It’s frustrating as hell, but what are you going to do? You can’t change them.’
‘I wouldn’t want to change Mia,’ Jason says. ‘I like everything about her, but you’re right, I don’t always know what she wants.’
‘But you love her, right?’
Jason glances at my dad. ‘I do.’
My heart nearly stops. Jason loves me? Is he just saying that to please my dad or does he really mean it? He can’t mean it. We’ve barely spent any time together.
‘I knew I loved her mother the moment I laid eyes on her,’ my dad says.
‘Really?’ Jason says.
‘When you know, you know. You don’t need years to figure it out. In fact, the night I met her, I walked right up to her and told her I’m going to marry her someday.’
Jason laughs. ‘And what did she say?’
‘She told me I’m crazy and to go away. But I didn’t listen. I knew she was the one. I just needed some time to convince her of that.’
‘You never told me that story,’ I whisper to my mom. ‘Is that really what happened?’
