Big Man for Christmas - Penny Wylder Page 0,7
you need me to do?”
She nods to a couple of melons on the sideboard. “Cut those up for a start.”
“I can do that.”
We work in silence for a couple of minutes, but honestly, I know that it’s only a matter of time before the questions come. And then the lectures.
“So, this wasn’t exactly the plan, huh?” Jessica asks when I’m halfway through chopping up the cantaloupe.
“No,” I say. “It wasn’t.”
Mom clears her throat. “Not too late to change those plans.”
I sigh. “Yes, Mom, it is.”
“Okay,” Jessica says, sensing the tension rising. “Can you just start with telling me what the hell happened?”
“Sure,” I shrug. “I thought—expected—that Mom would have told you, but it turns out she hasn’t been forthcoming about what happened.”
I fill her in quickly about exactly what happened, and why Tyler isn’t with me. To her credit, Jessica actually looks shocked and expresses more normal emotions than my mother.
“So,” I finish, “Tyler will not be a part of my life going forward. And that is the end of the story.”
Jessica nods like she understands. “See, this is why we told you that it was a bad idea to move in with him before you guys got married. This is what happens. You know what they say: why buy the cow when he can get the milk for free? Tyler went looking for milk that wasn’t free.”
So much for Jessica being more understanding. She’s used that line before, and every time she does it makes me cringe a little inside. Like somehow I’m dirty for doing what most modern couples do now. Jessica doesn’t really have any room to talk—she wasn’t a saint when we were growing up. If anything, she did and got away with more shit than I did.
My mother sighs. “This will blow over, Carley. You just need to get past it and get married. Have a baby. Kids have a way of making boys into men. I’m sure Tyler will be exactly the same. I mean…look at Rhett!” She turns to Jessica. “Your sister will be the first to admit that her husband wasn’t marriage material until she made him into it. He settled down and now look at him. Model husband and father. But that never would have happened if Jessica hadn’t actually given him the chance to settle.”
I have to physically bite my tongue to keep myself from speaking. No need to bring up the fact that the only reason that Rhett and Jessica got married in the first place was the fact that she found she was pregnant. It was a classic shotgun wedding before she started showing. So yes, Rhett had settled. By force.
But I do admit that he is a good father. They have three boys now, and I love the way he is with them. He makes a good salary as the football coach at their local high school, and from my position on the outside of everything, they seem to have a happy life. And I am happy for Jessica in that.
However, the thought of intentionally trying to trap someone in a marriage by having a child or just marrying them to make them grow up doesn’t sit well with me. And the very thought of letting Tyler touch me again after what I know…it makes me nauseous.
“You’re right,” I say. “Rhett is an excellent father, and I’m happy for that. But if we found out right this moment that Rhett had been cheating on Jessica for their entire marriage and expected her to accept that and just be fine with it, would you feel the same way?”
There’s silence. Jessica’s eyes are troubled, and my mother glares at me. “That’s not the same thing, Carley. Jessica and Rhett are already married. You and Tyler or not.”
My mouth drops open. “So because we’re not married yet he’s allowed to do whatever he wants without consequences until the marriage vows are said?”
She won’t outright say yes. She can’t do that. But she shrugs. “That’s what vows are for. They’re not meant to be broken. If you don’t have those, then what do you have?”
I turn back to the fruit and start cutting it again. I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to let them try to convince me that Tyler’s infidelity is somehow my fault and not his for just being a shitty person. They get the message, and we all finish preparing breakfast in silence. When the boys, Rhett, and my dad all tumble inside ready to