Page 116 of Pink and Country

My relationship with his parents unraveled from that moment. They loathed me. They saw me as their rival. For a moment, they forgot we all played for the same team and wanted what was best for Travis.

My boyfriend pushed them away, and they never forgave any of us. They blamed all his choices on me.

The door opened, and I sucked in a breath. Mrs. Benson greeted me herself. Pretty unusual, if you asked me. Usually, Louise, the housekeeper, greeted all the guests. I swallowed the giant lump in my throat, clenching and unclenching my hands at my sides, and inhaled a shaky breath as I followed Travis’s mom inside.

I scanned the foyer of the mansion. The Bensons were wealthy. I kind of forgot about it.

Travis didn’t want the same lifestyle as his parents. He wanted to earn his own money—he had two jobs while studying engineering full time in college—and always refused to let his parents pay for anything. I never complained. I loved that about him. His independence. His strong will. We put the deposit on our house using a portion of his grandparents’ inheritance and most of the little life insurance money I inherited after Nana passed.

I lacked nothing growing up. Nana always made sure I had all basic needs covered. But we weren’t rich, and I learned early on to fend for myself.

Mrs. Benson erased the gap between us and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me against her soft chest.

She’d never been affectionate toward me before, rarely showing any emotions. She always kept everything locked in. This hug was a first.

Tears rolled down on my face, and sobs rocked my body.

“Shhh, dear. Let it all out. It’s okay. I’m here now. I’ll never push you away ever again.”

All my bottled-up emotions toward the Bensons and the tragedy that struck us years ago burst free.

Travis’s mom traced small, soothing circles with her hand on my back, and it helped to calm me down. At that moment, I missed having a mother in my life.

To regain some of my composure, I straightened my back and lifted my chin up.

“I’m sorry for breaking down, Mrs. Benson.” She used to hate any show of weakness.

“Don’t apologize, April. You can break down anytime you want around us. It’s okay. We know how much you must miss him. We do too. Every day.”

I blinked, stunned.

* * *

Mrs. Benson led me to the living room, where Mr. Benson offered me a glass of wine, and we all sat down. I scanned the room. Louise, the housekeeper, wasn’t around. I smoothed my dress with trembling hands, doing my best to avoid their stares. The wine flowed down my throat, dousing the blaze my mouth had turned into. Would the spiral of emotions inside me lash out and splash all around? It was a tough one to contain. Mr. Benson cleared his throat, and I relaxed a little when he spoke.

“April, we’re grateful you came here tonight. There’s so much we need to apologize for.” My blood warmed so much, I could feel it in my veins. My tongue ran along my lower lip. “We’re sorry, dear. We were wrong. You stayed by Travis’s side up right till the end, and for this, we’ll always be thankful. You were Travis’s angel, and when he chose to leave this world, we should’ve been there for you. You needed us, and we failed you. We needed you too, but our pride took over.” I wiped off the lone tear rolling down my cheek with the pad of my forefinger. There. The giant, steroids-induced, white elephant in the room deflated. I swallowed the hard-as-rock lump in my throat and slouched my shoulders forward. It took Mr. and Mrs. Benson three years to say those words to me. A large part of my heart simmered down. The voice in my head urging me to leave quietened. With the enormous pachyderm away, the air inside the room lightened.

We talked about Travis. A lot. I cried. They cried. I laughed at some memories, so did they. With care and gentleness, I removed the padlocked door to the memories I’d carefully stowed away after Travis’s death. Did the acidic taste in my mouth—the one that had been there for so long I thought I was born with it—dissolve?

“How is the foundation doing?” I asked when we moved to the dining room.

Mrs. Benson’s lips curled up, her face a poster of all the pride filling her. “Oh, dear, it’s doing great. Better than we ever expected.” She reached across the table and gave my hand a squeeze. Never ever before had I seen Mrs. Benson breaking etiquette. And tonight, up to now, she’d broken at least four of her own rules. “Have you known Mr. Hills for a long time, April?”

My face warmed up. I glanced down for a moment, trying to calm the wave of heat surging through me.

Mrs. Benson offered a shy smile my way and spoke before I could say anything. “You and Mr. Hills make a great couple, April. Travis would approve. I know the look of love when I see it. Carter Hills is madly in love with you, in case you don’t know it. He’s lucky he found you, April. You’re a rare gem.”

A soft laugh left my mouth as flutters danced under my skin. Never would I have imagined standing here, in my late boyfriend’s childhood home, discussing my new love life with his parents over a glass of wine and cheesecake.

Mr. Benson weighed in. “Mr. Hills has a good head on his shoulders, and he seemed to care a lot about you the other night. We want you to be happy. You deserve another chance at love.”

My heart tightened. My breathing hitched. With a few blinks, I prevented another flood down my face.

“In case we weren’t clear enough earlier, we’re sorry, April. We knew how stubborn and proud Travis was. We should’ve never blamed anything on you. We were upset. It doesn’t make it right, though. Life stole our only child, and you paid the price. We overreacted, letting our emotions take over our better judgment. You don’t have to see us again after tonight if you choose not to. But we’d like for you to call us from time to time. Keep us updated. We’re not your family anymore. We understand that. But we’d love to be your—friends? If that’s something you’re open to consider.” Mr. Benson’s words made my eyes watery again. He wasn’t a man of many words. The ones he spoke traveled straight to my heart and jolted it hard.

Tears welled in the corners of my eyes. I wiped them off with the tips of my fingers.

“I’d like that. When Travis died, I lost the only family I’d ever known.” Mr. and Mrs. Bensons got up and enveloped me in their arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about what Travis was up to. He asked me not to say anything. He feared you would interfere and stop him. I shouldn’t have kept it to myself.” I snorted. This guilt had weighed on me for so long.