Colleen
I wiped at the tears streaming down my cheeks, my shoulders visibly relaxing.
“What did it say?” Paul asked, eyeing me.
“She bought me a car,” I whispered, my heart feeling fuller than I ever thought possible. I wanted to stop time and remember this exact feeling. I wanted to drink in this moment to remind myself that good things did happen. “And she’s paying my medical bills, and she paid off my mortgage and the loan on the restaurant.”
“Who?”
“Tyler’s mom,” I choked out through my tears.
“Oh, Kenzie…” He wrapped his arms around me, planting a soft kiss on my temple. “I’m so happy for you. It’s about time something went right. You deserve this. Now you can finally take a break from working so hard and take care of yourself for once.”
Shaking my head, still in shock, I replied listlessly, “Earlier today, I was happy to find out she covered my medical bills, but this… I don’t even know what to think.”
He placed his hands on my arms and looked deep into my eyes. “I’ll tell you exactly what you should think. You should think that you worked your ass off and you deserve this. You should think that someone upstairs finally listened to your prayers, sweetie. That’s all. Now, go up and get some much-needed rest. I love you, but you look like hell.” He winked.
Concern washing over my face, I protested. “I need to get changed and go to the restaurant.”
“I’m sure they can handle it,” he said, his voice soothing. “And if I know Jenna, she’ll make you leave the second she sees you anyway. So go. I don’t want to see you back down here until tomorrow, got it? And I’m leaving strict orders with the night shift to drag you back to your condo if they see you.”
I opened my mouth at his mention of the night shift, tempted to ask him if he knew who Wyatt was really working for. I feared the answer may just upset me, so I suppressed my desire and playfully punched Paul in the arm. “Okay, Dad,” I said, heading to the elevator. “Can I have friends over, though?”
He smiled, the joy reaching his eyes. “Sure. But no R-rated movies.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll just watch some porn.”
“Kenzie!” he exclaimed in exasperation, his face turning red. “I have daughters the same age as you. I don’t want to think about–”
“Don’t worry, Paul. Women don’t like to watch porn. We prefer to read it.” I winked and entered the elevator, the sound of his chuckles echoing as the doors closed.
Walking through my condo, everything seemed so different. I no longer glowered at the stack of bills piled high on my kitchen table. I no longer looked at everything I owned as if it had a price tag.
Just as I was about to collapse on my couch and take a minute to fully absorb everything, there was a frantic knocking on my door.
“Mack! It’s me! Open up!” Jenna’s excited voice sounded. “I know you’re in there! Paul said you just got in!”
Grinning, I dragged myself into the foyer and pulled open the door, Jenna nearly tackling me to the ground.
“Is it true?” she exclaimed. “I mean, it’s not a joke, is it?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, already knowing all too well to what she was referring.
“This!” She thrust a letter drawn on official bank letterhead towards me, confirming the note they had issued in exchange for the loan was clear and paid in full. “I mean, that was over a quarter of a million dollars, Mack!”
“I know. She paid it off!” I replied, still in disbelief about the fortunate turn of events.
“Who?”
“Tyler’s mom.”
“I can’t believe this!” she said, pulling me towards the couch and sitting down. “This calls for a celebration. I texted Brayden. He’ll be coming over as soon as he gets off work. We’ll order a ridiculous amount of pizza and you can drink all the cranberry juice you want! Or Shirley Temples! The sky’s the limit!”
I laughed in response. “Let’s not get too crazy.”
“Oh, we are!” She jumped up from the couch and ran into the kitchen, grabbing a few water bottles out of the refrigerator. “Isn’t it nice not to have the stress of money problems anymore?” She returned, handing me one of the bottles.
“It is, but I have to find a way to thank her.” I glanced at Jenna. “I think I’m going to fly to Boston tomorrow so I can do that in person.”
Jenna’s eyes widened and she grabbed my hand. “Are you sure? I mean, do you think you’ll be okay? I can talk to the girls at the restaurant to see if they’ll be okay and I can come with you.”
“No, Jenna,” I replied, meeting her sincere blue eyes. I would have been fooling myself if I said I didn’t like the idea of her being at my side to help me through what I knew would be a difficult time. “I appreciate the offer, but I need to stop breaking down whenever I’m reminded of him. I had a life before him, and I’ll have a life after him. It’ll take time to not find pieces of him throughout my life. Hell, I still see him in practically everyone I pass on the street. But I know it’ll get easier. I’ll probably stop seeing his eyes everywhere, I’ll no longer hear his voice in my sleep, and I’ll forget what he looks like.”
“Is that what you want, Mack?” Jenna asked, giving me a concerned look.
I shrugged. “It may not matter if it’s what I want or not. My memories of him will fade and will be replaced with other memories. Maybe happier ones.”
“For your sake, I hope there’s nothing but happier times ahead, Mack,” Jenna commented, leaning back on the couch and flicking on the television. “Life always has a strange way of working out, doesn’t it?”
Mackenzie
IN AWE, I GAZED out the window as the cab drove down a long driveway and up to a three-story colonial in Wellesley, just outside of Boston. The estate was beautiful, the grass a shade of green unlike anything I had ever seen. The driveway was cobblestone and led to a small circle with a breathtaking fountain in front of the house.
Getting out of the cab, I looked up at the brick building, the opulence in front of me making me feel out of place. Nausea settled in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t tell whether it was from the pregnancy or having to be in a house where I would inevitably be faced with reminders of Tyler. I knew I needed to do this, but I couldn’t ignore the small voice saying I would regret my decision.
Hesitantly climbing the few steps to the front door, my breath caught when it swung wide open, Colleen’s warm smile greeting me before I even had a chance to knock.
“Mackenzie, dear…” She held her arms out to me as if I were her own child.
Dropping my bags, I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tight. “Thank you so much,” I sobbed into her chest. “You have no idea what it means to me.”
“Oh, hush, darling,” she replied, rubbing my back. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m the one who should be thanking you for giving me another grandbaby.”
“It’s a boy,” I said through my tears.
Pulling back, she held me at arm’s length, gazing at me with the same warmth and devotion my mother used to when she was alive. “A boy!” she exclaimed, hugging me once again. “I’m so happy for you, and I’m even more thrilled that you’re here, Mackenzie. Truthfully.”
I met her eyes, amazed at her sincerity. For a family who seemed to make a living off deception and lies, she appeared to be so genuine. Apart from getting knocked up, I didn’t know what I had done to deserve to have her in my life, but I was glad I did.
“Come on. Let’s get you some food. I’m sure you must be tired from traveling all day.”
Nodding, I turned to grab the handle on my suitcase and she quickly tore it out of my hand. “Don’t even think about it. I’ve got this. Go on in, dear.”