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Lillian nudges me, and my eyebrows shoot up when I see Mom and Uncle Ben walking toward our table. It’s a surprise, but it’s good to see him. She nudges me again, and when I look at her, she motions her head toward them, her eyes telling me I told you so. I take a closer look and see what she’s trying to tell me. There’s definitely more there. It’s in the way his hand rests on the small of her back as if it belongs there. It’s in the way Mom’s body is angled toward him and how close they’re walking.
“So…” I say once the greetings are over and they’ve settled across from us.
Mom shifts in her seat, fiddling with the strap of her bag that’s nestled on her lap and doing a good job of avoiding our eyes. Lillian shoots me a look.
“So, what are you doing here, Uncle Ben?” she asks, getting straight to the point.
“Not that we’re not happy to see you.” I shoot Lillian a flat look. “Is everyone okay?”
“Everyone’s good,” he says with a soft smile. I have enormous respect for him. After his divorce, he devoted his time and energy to his children, not once trying to cause a rift between them and their mother. She did that all by herself.
“We have something we want to talk to you about,” he says, taking Mom’s hand. She blanches, but he gives it a squeeze while giving her a reassuring smile.
“When are you getting married?” Lillian asks with a smirk.
“Lill!”
“What? We don’t want our mother to live in sin, do we? What will the people say?” She fans her face, looking completely scandalized. She’s so enjoying herself.
“Oh my lord,” Mom mutters, dropping her head in her free hand.
“Of course I’m going to marry her. I love her and would never do anything to hurt her.” uncle Ben says, looking slightly red and mortally offended at Lillian’s words.
“We know,” I placate him while shooting Lill a glare.
She shrugs it off and grabs Mom’s hand across the table. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now it’s out in the open.”
“You’re not upset?” Mom asks hesitantly, looking from Lillian to me.
“No. We kind of knew you had feelings for each other.”
“We’re only upset that you waited this long,” Lillian murmurs, looking around for the waitress.
She hurries over, and I waste no time placing my order. My dress is tighter in places I do not want it to be, so I need to stop with the stress-eating and get back on track. I order a smoked chicken salad with spinach, apple, walnuts, and bacon. The waitress, whose name tag reads Jenny, taps her pen against her order pad while waiting for everyone else to decide. I look around, and it’s not busy, so there’s no reason for her impatience.
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” I ask, looking pointedly at the pen clutched in her hand.
The tapping immediately stops, and she flushes red. “Sorry. It’s a nervous tick. It’s only my second day here, so…” I can see the wheels spinning in her head, probably wondering if this will affect her tip.
“It’s okay. If you forget anything, just ask again.” She deflates at my reassuring smile, nodding her thanks.
Once we’ve placed our orders—going slow to give her enough time to get it all down—I turn back to Mom and Uncle Ben.
“Have you decided where you’re going to live?”
“Don’t say Atlanta because I won’t allow it.” I’m totally behind Lillian on that one.
Mom gives her the stink eye, more comfortable now that she knows she has our blessing. “Ben will be moving here. It makes more sense.”
His children, Cory, Nate, and Maya, are all married with families of their own, and the only one living in Atlanta is Nate.
“We wanted to speak to you first before we told them, so we’d appreciate it if you could keep it to yourselves till then.”
I don’t even try to hide my silly grin. It’s already gone from “I” to “we,” and I love it. Mom deserves all the happiness in the world. We nod our assent, and now that the cat’s out of the bag, I have to bite back all the questions that are buzzing below the surface. I’ll wait till Mom’s alone before cornering her.
Our food arrives, and we tuck in, talking about all the logistics involved in the move. When we’re done, a much more relaxed Jenny clears our table, asking if we’re going to order dessert.
“Wait,” Lillian says, pinching me under the table while shooting Mom and Uncle Ben a confused look. “So once you’re married, will our cousins become our siblings? How will that work?”
Jenny jerks, a fork sliding off the plate she is holding and clattering to the ground.
I cough to hide my laugh at the look of utter mortification on Mom’s face while Jenny gapes at her.
