I fix a strand of my hair and get the hell out of the bathroom, high-fiving myself for my great comeback.
The rest of the night goes off without a hitch. Several times I was pulled into conversation with people when I just wanted to be with Lex. I dragged him everywhere with me and thank God he didn’t want to leave my side, though he proved distracting when he’d whisper things in my ear.
“Can we go now?” he begged, tugging on my earlobe with his teeth.
“This is your sister’s wedding. Your only sister. Now suck it up like the hot piece of ass… sorry, gentleman that you are.”
“Suck what up?” His hands move slowly past my ribcage, brushing my breast slightly.
“You’re evil, you know that, right?”
“Oh, Mrs. Edwards… what will I do with you?” he teases with a devilish grin.
Mrs. Edwards. Mrs. Edwards—the name is like music to my ears.
“Did you want the X-rated answer or G-rated?”
He leans in, resting his hand on my shoulder. His breath, warm and soft, lingers against my skin “X… always X.”
Just as I’m about to whisper a string of dirty things I want to do with him, Emily and Andrew are standing beside us, interrupting the soon-to-be pornographic banter. Dr. Edwards clears his throat as Lex turns around abruptly.
“Oh, Charlie… I’m so sorry about everything.” Emily sniffles as the tears escape her perfectly made face. Dr. Edwards hands her another tissue, somewhat unimpressed with her emotional outbursts throughout the night. I let go of Lex, throwing my hands around Emily to embrace her. This isn’t just about us. There are other people entwined in our past, ones I thought wouldn’t be so happy with our reunion.
“I’m sorry as well for disrespecting you. You’ve only ever treated me like your daughter.”
We pull apart as she moves a lock of hair away from my face with a gentle smile. “You were in love, and nothing should ever stand in the way of that.”
“Maybe you should tell her the news, you know, cheer the old lady up,” Lex says with an amusing grin.
“News?” Emily’s eyes dart back and forth between Lex and me. “And for the record, I’m not that old, Alexander.”
“We kinda got married… well, eloped a month ago.”
Emily draws her hand to her chest, shocked.
Dr. Edwards seems rather complacent.
“Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” she chokes, again almost in tears.
“That’s not all… you’re going to be a grandmother.”
Her eyes become soft, filling with an inner glow while pulling both of us into an embrace.
“I’m really going to be a grandmother?”
“Yes, Mom… a little baby to spoil.”
I let go of her as she strokes my cheek. She looks at Lex, cupping his face even though he towers over her.
“My baby boy is going to be a daddy.” She starts crying again.
Dr. Edwards continues to stand here watching without saying a word. Of course, he knows of the baby, helping me get the DNA results and proving Lex is the father. It had taken a lot of strength to ask him, pushing aside the shame of being with two men. But nevertheless, in the end, it worked out, and I don’t regret reaching out to him.
Emily let go of Lex and performed her motherly duty, fixing his suit which crumpled slightly in their embrace.
“Son… I’m sorry,” Dr. Edwards utters, bowing his head.
“Sorry for what, Dad?”
“For not seeing how you felt about each other. For forcing you both apart.” His tone is soft and apologetic. Never have I seen him this vulnerable.
Emily places her arm around him, aware this is him letting go of his guilt. Sometimes these moments present themselves, and there’s this uncertainty of how one should behave. It’s awkward but letting go of this burden, these dark secrets, to these people, it is somewhat therapeutic.
“Dad…” Lex says, placing his hand on his shoulder. “I think I can safely say for both of us that we needed to do a lot of growing up. We can’t sit here and regret our past actions anymore. We have a baby to bring into this world, and it needs someone to call ‘Grandpa’ who has a gray hair here or there.”
In a sudden motion, Dr. Edwards pulls Lex into a tight hug. Lex lifts an eyebrow as his mouth slackens, and I gather his dad rarely shows affection toward him. Emily, of course, begins to cry. That was the onset to my own display of emotions—damn pregnancy hormones.