The Lost Fisherman (Fisherman #2)(64)

And if I were being completely honest, I was angry that he got on his motorcycle that day. Angry that he lost his memory. Maybe that meant I wouldn’t have moved back to Colorado. That might have meant we wouldn’t have had the possibility of a second chance. But as I simmered like a pot of soup left on the stove too long, I started to think Michigan sounded pretty good.

“How’s your job, Reese?” Grandma took a breather from her winded explanation of ailments and their corresponding medications to finally show a little interest in her granddaughter.

“It’s the best job. I love the midwives I work with. I’m so excited to start my master’s program next year.”

“She does love it. We get to see her come home with no sleep after a long birth but boundless energy because she loves it so much.” Rory, for what felt like the first time in nearly two weeks, shared a genuine smile.

“That’s amazing, dear. We’re so proud of you. Is everything else good? Do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?”

I loved the way they accepted my mom for who she was. The way they loved Rose. If only my dad’s parents could have been so loving. Like God. I believed God loved everyone. It was just what felt right to me … when I started thinking for myself.

Thanks to Fisher.

“I have a boyfriend.”

Rory and Rose visibly stiffened.

“And where is he today?” Grandpa asked.

“Having Thanksgiving dinner with his family.”

And his fiancée.

“Will we get to meet him before we go home?” Grandma asked as she wiped her red painted lips with her napkin.

“I’m not sure.” I used my fork to fiddle with the remaining food on my plate.

“What does he do?” Grandma kept coming with the questions.

“He works in construction.”

“Oh,” she replied quickly. “Rory, doesn’t your old landlord do that too? What’s his name?”

Rory grabbed another dinner roll and took a generous bite while nodding. “Fisher,” she mumbled over the roll.

“Does your boyfriend happen to know Fisher?”

I grinned. “He does, actually. They’re really close.”

Rose cleared her throat and fisted her hand at her mouth to hide her unavoidable laughter. Rory didn’t find it quite as funny.

“That’s nice, dear. Is it serious? Will I be attending my granddaughter’s wedding soon?”

“It’s serious, but no wedding. I’d like to finish school first.”

Rory …

The epitome of a mother waiting for her daughter to get her heart broken. And she wasn’t wrong. There had already been a lot of heartbreak with what felt like unavoidably more to come.

“Well, I do hope we get to meet him.”

“Me too.”

“Speaking of Fisher …” Grandpa spoke up, and for a second I’d forgotten that Fisher’s name was just mentioned. I thought my grandpa magically knew or figured out my secret. “How’s he been since the accident?”

“Yes,” Grandma jumped in. “Has he remembered his fiancée?”

“He’s doing well.” Rory plastered on a believable smile. “Getting back a few missing memories, but not enough to remember being engaged to Angie. So that’s been a little rough. And I’m not sure if they’ll stay together, to be honest.”

“Why is that?” Grandma questioned.

“There might be someone else in the picture.”

“What?” Grandma’s hand pressed to her chest on a gasp.

“It’s complicated at the moment, but we highly suspect he has found someone else.”

“Well, someone needs to talk some sense into that young man. He can’t just abandon his fiancée. And what kind of woman would even dream of swooping in and stealing another woman’s man after a horrific accident?”

Rose eyed me like an older sister who just realized her younger sister was about to get in trouble.

“Well, Mom, in all fairness to Fisher and this other woman, if there is another woman, he doesn’t remember Angie. She’s basically been this stranger claiming to be his lifelong friend and the love of his life. We can’t totally blame him for not feeling what he doesn’t know he’s supposed to feel and therefore finding it easy to … get distracted by someone else.”

“I’ll give Fisher a pass, maybe.” Grandma frowned. “But not the slut moving in on him.”

Rory’s mom was outspoken like my dad’s mom, just in a different way. However, they probably would have both agreed that I was a slut.

Rory flinched and so did Rose. Me? Nope. I didn’t flinch. I could see it from both sides. And because I could see it from both sides, I thought we all needed a little coming to Jesus moment.

“It’s me,” I said.

“Sorry. What, dear?” Grandma said, smiling at me … the slut.

“I’m the slut.”

“Reese,” Rory whispered, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

“Excuse me?” Grandma squinted.

After taking a sip of my water, I calmly set it on the table and grinned. “Fisher is my boyfriend. And we fell in love over five years ago. And as wrong as that probably seems to everyone else, the only thing that was wrong was the timing. But we have an unexpected second chance. And we’ve fallen in love again. Well, I’ve never stopped loving him, but he … he’s fallen in love with me again. And he doesn’t remember what we were before now. And that’s heartbreaking and frustrating. But it’s also beautiful and maybe even perfect. And I realize this is a really hard pill for everyone else to swallow, but our love has nothing to do with Angie. I don’t think her ties to the man who doesn’t remember her makes what we have wrong. So let’s all take a timeout here and not call people sluts when we haven’t walked in their shoes. I realize it’s often the Christian way, but I think I can love God and love every single one of his children without judging anyone. And the last I checked, you’re also sitting at the same table as my lesbian mother and her partner, whom we love so very much. And it’s hard to imagine anything about their love is wrong. Wouldn’t we all agree?”