Always Never Yours(91)

“School year or calendar year?” Randall asks, raising his eyebrow. Next to me, I hear Owen stifle a laugh. I jab an elbow into his ribs.

“He’s handsome, this one,” Rose whispers to me like she’s finally finished her appraisal of him. “He’s got nice eyes.”

“Two sets of parents are way better than one,” I grumble, reddening.

Dad leans in. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

“Dad!”

I feel Mom squeeze my hand under the table. “Let’s let Owen be,” she says reprovingly to my dad. “I’ll bet Megan’s given him enough trouble.” She winks at me, and mercifully the discussion moves on to the new baby and Rose’s birthing classes.

Two crepes later without further interrogation of Owen, we’re in the middle of ordering dessert when my phone vibrates in my back pocket. I surreptitiously check it under the table, and my heart stops.

The email is from Professor Salsbury at SOTI. I open it with a shaking hand.

Dear Megan,

I’m terribly sorry I had to run after the play before we could chat, but I felt I couldn’t let a performance as fine as yours go without prompt recognition. You played an outstanding Juliet.

I’ve been speaking to your teacher, Ms. Jody Hewitt, and she couldn’t have had higher praise for your directing achievements. I think you’ll be a wonderful addition to our directing program.

I look forward to seeing you on campus in the fall!

Michael Salsbury

I glance to the side, wondering if Owen’s reading over my shoulder. But he’s talking to my dad about Snakes on a Plane. I bring my phone up to the table, and I’m about to tell everyone the news until I notice Randall. Wiping sweat from his brow, he raises his knife to his wine glass and taps it once.

“If I could steal the spotlight for just a couple minutes,” he begins, everyone’s eyes on him. “I would like to say something to Catherine in front of all of you.”

I’d almost forgotten. I hold my breath, knowing what’s about to happen.

“This has been the greatest year of my life,” he continues. “You, Catherine, are the most kind, caring, intelligent, creative, beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

I glance at Mom. Her eyes glitter with tears.

“You’ve given me innumerable gifts over the past year,” Randall says, “including tonight, here with your family. I didn’t have much of my own growing up. Since we met next to the Greek vases in the Blanton Museum—I had no idea what I was looking at, and you showed me everything—there’s nothing I’ve wanted more than to be with you. But the more time I’ve spent with this family, the more I’ve realized it would be an equally great joy to be a part of it, too.” He shifts his eyes to me. “I know you were joking, Megan, when you said ‘two sets of parents,’ but the truth is, I feel like we have become a family. And there’s nothing I’d like more than to make that permanent.”

He takes my mom’s hand before he continues. “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to meet someone like you,” he tells her, “let alone spend a year with her. If I could just have a little more luck—”

He kneels and pulls out a small black box. Mom gasps.

“Catherine, I love you more than anything. Will you marry me?” Randall asks.

Mom manages a yes through her torrential tears. The restaurant applauds while Randall slides the ring onto her finger and sweeps her into an embrace.

Owen puts his hand on my leg, and I feel him lean into me. He’s looking at me questioningly, wondering how I’m handling this.

I watch my mom for my answer. She’s staring into Randall’s eyes, and I don’t know why I ever doubted her feelings, because her gaze holds as much love as I’ve ever seen when she looked at Dad. I never expected Randall to earn it, but I felt tears in my own eyes when he knelt down with the ring. Randall isn’t just an awkward accountant who’s in a bowling league—he might be the love of my mom’s life. My dad’s words from this morning ring in my head. While Mom may never entirely move on from her past marriage, she has fallen in love. She’s happy.

There’s nothing holding my family together, not now, because there’s nothing left broken. It doesn’t matter where they’ll be next year and where I’ll be. They’re my family. Complicated, messy, and mine.

I turn back to Owen. Placing my hand on top of his, I give him my answer in a smile.

I wouldn’t change a thing.





TWENTY-EIGHT




ROMEO: Did my heart love till now?

I.v.59


THEY NAMED THE BABY JULIET.

I tried to dissuade them, but Rose insisted it’s because of Juliet’s wit and strong will, not the lovelorn-teenage-lunatic thing. She fell in love with the name after the performance, and I had no choice but to take that as a compliment.

“I don’t think the name suits her, honestly,” I say to Owen, who’s hiking a couple of steps in front of me. I’m not a natural-born hiker, but today’s the first day of spring, and I’ve been planning this since December. “She does nothing but sleep. Erin prepared me for the worst, but Juliet’s, like, the most even-tempered baby I’ve ever heard of. I don’t think she’s really a Juliet.”