Chapter 16—Joshua

Ever since we had our talk, and decided to give our relationship another try, Alessandra and I had been getting along well, even better than the first time.

Aside from meeting up frequently, whenever it was convenient for the both of us, we got to have several dates with our son. She even brought him over to my home where they both slept over for an evening. It had been pretty eventful. Danny wasn’t too happy about being removed from his usual habitat and kept us up in the middle of the night.

Far from finding it annoying, though, I was up early the next morning to go to work, feeling sleep deprived, but grinning the entire time. My secretary and other people stopping by my office gave me strange looks, because of the broad smile and eye bags combo.

Everything was going well. Alessandra even finally took me home to her house, where I met her parents again. They didn’t hide their displeasure about our separation, but Alessandra must have talked to them because they were both accepting of me.

There was only one thing that kept it all from being perfect.

“I think I should take you to meet my mom.”

Alessandra looked up, eyes wide. “Huh?”

We were out on another date, this time to the park, and Danny was with us. It was early morning on a Saturday, and we were seated at an outdoor café just at the edge of the park that had opened up a couple of years ago. I was holding onto Danny while watching Alessandra eat and having a cup of coffee, with Danny’s stroller standing beside our table.

“I want to take you to meet my mom,” I reworded my statement because she was staring at me, dumbfounded. “I think it’s about time she meets you again.”

Alessandra sat back in her chair, her eyes intent on mine. Her expression was unsettled.

“Um, do you think that’s the best idea?” she asked, unsure.

I nodded firmly. “Definitely. I haven’t talked to her since we argued. She’s had more than enough time to think things through. And this is important if we’re going to move forward because it’s something that bothered you before.”

“What if your mom and I just can't get along, though?”

“I’m not asking you to get along with her. You can't force some things. But I intend to marry you, and I would love for her to be at the wedding, instead of refusing to attend because she still doesn’t support us.”

Her mouth dropped open, and she gaped at me. Then, she laughed.

“When did I say I would marry you? I don’t remember you even asking.”

She was teasing, but there was an undeniably happy look on her face.

I arched an eyebrow. “The only part of it that’s still a surprise is the when. I always intended to marry you, Alessandra. I’m sure I told you already.”

Her cheeks blushed a lovely pink. “That was back when we were both in high school; you could have changed your mind in that time.”

I let Alessandra finish eating. She didn’t give a confirmation, but I knew she was okay with it. I paid the bill, then handed Danny back to his mother so she could feed him, with a blanket covering them both. While they were busy, I put in a call to my mom to let her know I wanted to meet her for lunch, and I’d be bringing a guest.

Then, the three of us went to have fun. Before we knew it, it was time. We made our way to my car, and I drove us to my house. The whole drive, Alessandra was stiff in her seat, though she would occasionally fidget; she would clasp and unclasp her hands, tap her fingers on her thighs, or start restlessly moving her legs around before she realized she was doing it, then stopped.

I knew it had to be difficult, but we were already on the way, and she wasn’t saying anything more about it. With some light traffic on the way, we made it in a little over half an hour.

“This is my first time being here,” Alessandra murmured as I stopped the car in front of the gates, waiting as they slowly pulled open. “It’s way bigger than Wendy’s place.”

I glanced at her. “It’s your fault, Mom probably had a hand in it, right?”

She pursed her lips. “Well, she was disapproving of me from the moment she met me. She just tolerated me while we were in high school, and after we graduated, she wouldn’t even do that. I knew the atmosphere would be awkward.”

We rode up the driveway, leaving the gates to close behind us. I got out of the car first and moved to remove Danny from his baby seat in the back. Then, holding Alessandra’s hand, we walked into the house.

I had been home recently, and it was where I grew up, so none of it seemed interesting to me. Alessandra, however, kept looking around.

“Wow,” she murmured. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be.”

I chuckled. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

She stuck out her tongue at me.

I led us to the parlor where mom loved to spend most of her time, and we found her there. It was a reasonably large room, with a dining table for six set near the extensive collection of windows. On the inside of the room to one corner was a fireplace, surrounded by a couch, a love seat and some single seats. There was a larger, more formal dining room, but when it was just us close family, we usually dined in here.

Mom was seated on the couch, and when she noticed us come in, she stood up to receive us.

“Joshua… Alessandra. Please, come in, both of you.”

I could sense Alessandra’s hesitance. She had stopped, and when I walked forward, I had to tug on her hand a little before she would follow me.

“Hey, Mom,” I said, subdued. “Sorry for intruding.”

Her eyes landed on Alessandra, before quickly fleeting off. Her expression was composed, but I thought I saw the emotion in her eyes for a second that I had never seen my mother display before.

“You could never intrude, Joshua, you know this will always be your home. Lunch will be served not too long from now, so would you like to move over to the table now, or wait?”

I glanced at Alessandra, who just shrugged.

“Let’s sit here first. We can relocate after they’re done the serving,” I decided.

They both nodded. Mom sat back down, and I pulled Alessandra over to the love seat with me.

Mom’s eyes fell to the bundle I held protectively around my chest. I saw her tremble a little as she took in a deep breath.

“Is…”

Her voice was quiet, and it trembled even on that one word. I knew what she wanted to ask though, and I repositioned Danny so that she could see him better.

“It’s your grandson. Would you like to hold him?”

She hesitated, before tentatively holding out her arms.

“Can I?”

When she asked, she was looking at Alessandra instead of me. I glanced at her as well. Her expression was carefully blank, but she readily nodded her acceptance. I got up and moved over to Mom, and she took Danny into her arms. She looked at him in awe, and I found myself smiling.

“He looked a lot like you when you were a baby,” she said, a tiny smile curving her lips. “The same large deep blue eyes, pale blond hair. It reminds me so much of your father.”

That last bit was whispered. I could feel Alessandra tense beside me, and I squeezed the hand I held in mine. When Mom looked up, her eyes were misty. When she smiled, her lips trembled.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Sorry about a lot of things. I’m sorry that your father will never get to meet your son, and I’m sorry for the problems I helped cause between you two. I shouldn’t have done any of what I did in the past, and Alessandra… I know I was horrible to you, but I honestly thought I was doing the best I possibly could for my son, especially once I was left alone.”

I hadn't seen my mom this way, ever. Even during the funeral, she had kept calm and relaxed. That wasn’t to say that she hadn't been affected by any of it, but Mom wasn’t the kind of person to quickly show her emotions around others.

We could both tell she was sincere. I glanced at Alessandra, and her own eyes were looking a little misty as well.

“I can't say I understand,” Alessandra said. “Or that I can forgive you for everything immediately.”

Mom nodded in understanding.

“But,” she continued. “If you don’t mind, I would like to go one step at a time.”