“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand. “This is my date, Tiffany.”
Tiffany smiled kindly and nodded her head at Rosalie who crinkled her forehead, confused. She looked up at Jordan and back at Tiffany, not understanding at all why his ex-wife was standing in front of her. Tiffany took in a deep breath and winked at Jordan, walking forward and taking Rosalie’s hands in hers.
“I know it’s strange,” she whispered. “But don’t feel uncomfortable. Jordan and I were never meant to be together. And yes, I’m dating his brother. Just let it all out. You’ll feel better about the situation once you accept it.”
I watched as Tiffany tried to console Jordan’s date and thought about how adorable it was. It was just another example of how amazing of a woman she really was, always looking out for other people’s feelings. She sat down next to Rosalie and poured her a shot of whiskey, handing it to her and watching as she took it back. When Rosalie had swallowed, she looked at Tiffany and burst out in laughter. I had to admit, if I were here, I’d probably have reacted the same exact way. Jordan rolled his eyes and shook his head, walking over to the mantle and looking at the pictures of us as kids that lined the shelves. I turned toward the dining area as my mother cleared her throat. It really was impressive, the amazing amount of food she had spent all day cooking.
I sat down next to Tiffany, and we stared across the table at Jordan and Rosalie. There was a slightly awkward moment, but just like Tiffany always did, she poured some wine and broke into the conversation, trying to make Rosalie feel comfortable. If anyone knew how nerve-racking it could be there for the first time, it was Tiffany. She hadn’t come from an affluent background so just sitting at the huge mahogany table in the grand dining room of my parent's mansion could be extremely overwhelming, not to mention that the situation wasn’t quite normal these days. My mother smiled and winked at me as she passed the potatoes, knowing I was happy for the first time in a very long time.
I gazed over at Tiffany as she laughed loudly and talked about life with the other people at the table. Her fair skin and rosy cheeks sparkled in the dim lights of the chandelier, and I couldn’t help but notice just how amazing she looked. She turned and caught me staring at her as I sat back from the table to listen to everyone. She winked at me and squeezed my hand before turning back to Jordan and Rosalie who were telling the story of how they met. We hadn’t realized that the night in the bar when he’d left with her wasn’t the first time they had met. Either way, I didn’t care, I was mesmerized by the beautiful woman sitting next to me, laughing loudly as Rosalie talked about my brother’s clumsiness. She really could make anyone feel comfortable in any situation. She was the light that lit up every room she walked into. I squeezed her hand as they continued to talk through the evening, so glad that everything had turned out the way that I wanted.
There was no shaking it, I was falling in love with this girl. Head over heels in love.
Chapter 20
Tiffany
I always hated doctor’s offices, and especially with the rash of news that completely turned my life upside down recently. I knew that turning my life on end was a good thing since I had realized I shouldn’t have ever been with Jordan, but the baby things were still really numb in my chest. I had spent so much time over the last month dealing with the end of my marriage and the beginning of whatever it was Jason and I had, that I had put the fact that I couldn’t have children in the back of my mind. However, sitting here in this paper gown with my feet dangling over the edge of the paper-covered doctor’s chair, brought a striking feeling to my heart. I always thought by now, I would be pregnant, getting ready to start a family with my husband, but instead, I was divorced and I didn’t even know if I’d ever have my own child. I looked around the room at all the pictures on the walls, staring at the happy mothers, staring at the happy fathers, and looking past them to the baby that always seemed so perfect. In reality, those women were the lucky ones, the ones who got to enjoy their time with their families, enjoy getting pregnant, prancing in and out of doctor’s appointments, in awe at the life dancing across the sonogram screen.
I was jealous, there was no two ways about it. These women had everything they ever wanted, and I was struggling to even think about having a child at all. I hopped down from the chair and walked around the room, the tiled floor cold underneath my bare feet. I looked at the different pictures on the walls depicting a woman’s uterus. I ran my finger down to the ovaries and thought about the disease that plagued mine. I had been healthy my whole life. Nothing even as much as a strong cold ever kept me down. My mother hadn’t become a junkie until after I was born, so I’d managed to skirt any complications from her drug use, except for the occasional emotional issue that I had being left without a family. It was times like these, I wish I had a mother to run to, to talk to, and to feel comforted by. Sure, Lily would be more than happy to be there for me, but until I knew Jason and I were going to be long-term, I didn’t want to get close with her again. I knew if I had no real ties to the family, eventually, they would lose interest in me, and I didn’t want to feel that heartbreak all over again. I sat back down on the chair and looked up as the doctor walked back in.
“Okay, Tiffany,” he said with a kind smile. “I got all your tests entered in, and now, we wait. It should only take a day or two to get the results, and then we can go from there. You are free to go, and we will call you as soon as we get the results.”
“Thank you,” I said with a shy smile. “So, what does that mean? Do you think there’s a chance I will have options?”
“I think that if your blood work comes back clean,” he said, shrugging, “we will have a ton of options to discuss. I've seen cases much worse than yours end up happy in the end. Just relax, breathe deeply, and let’s wait for the results. Once I have those in my hands, I’ll be able to really give you a definitive answer.”
“Okay,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days.” He left the room, shutting the door behind him to give me privacy.
I wanted to get dressed, but I couldn’t seem to force myself to move from the spot where I was. There were so many things to think about, and my mind was all over the place. What if I could have children? What would Jason say? What would Jordan say? I knew I didn’t want him back. I had already decided we weren’t right for each other, but I still couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had taken the time to look up doctors, do research, and wait for this amazing second opinion. Just the thought of it made me realize even more that Jordan wasn’t right for me. He gave up before there was any definitive proof of anything. He ran without a thought in his mind, and honestly, it might have been the best thing in the entire world for me. But now that I had options but no husband, it was kind of a moot point. I mean, I could have a child on my own, but I didn’t want to. I wanted a family with someone I loved. I guess having the knowledge that I could even have children when I was ready was enough peace of mind to fully move on from all of this and look forward toward the future. That’s exactly what Jason wanted for me, and that was what I was going to take from all of this.
I got dressed quickly, not wanting to spend any more time in the doctor’s office than I had to. I texted Jason that I was done, and he asked to meet me at the café by work for lunch. I smiled at the thought of drinking a hot coffee, snuggled up in a booth next to him. I pulled on my jacket and left the office, grabbing a cab and heading toward the café. The entire time in the cab, I thought about the tests. Would this doctor tell me the same things everyone else had? My biggest fear was that all of this was for nothing, and I would have gotten my hopes up just to have them shot down. I guess knowing was better than going the rest of my life wondering, but I wasn’t sure if I could take another blow, especially for something I hadn’t really come to terms wit
h yet. I took in a deep breath and pushed the thought from my mind, deciding that I needed to be positive. And for God’s sake, I had taken a long enough break from life. It was time to jump back in and move forward instead of just standing still.
When I arrived, Jason was waiting and he opened the cab door for, taking my hand and helping me up onto the curb. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his neck, taking in a deep breath of his cologne, which calmed my nerves. He pulled back and smiled, kissing me on the forehead and looking deep in my eyes for some kind of answers. I smiled softly at him, letting him know I was okay. He took my hand, and we walked into the café, grabbed a table at the back, and waited for our lunch to be ready.
“So,” he said smiling. “How did it go?”
“He seems to think that as long as my tests come back the same as before, there are options for me to get pregnant when I’m ready,” I said excitedly. “I mean I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself, but this is just such amazing news.”
“That is amazing news,” Jason said, clinking his coffee cup against mine.
“I just don’t want to be let down,” I said with a sigh. “So, I am trying to keep my mind busy. I decided that I am coming back to work. I want to start back tomorrow and hit the ground running. I’ve had too much time off, and I’m ready.”
“Well, I will be more than happy to have you back,” he said, kissing my cheek. “I just want to know that you’re doing everything at your own pace.”
“I am.” I smiled. “You are always looking out for what’s best. You are so good to me.”
“You deserve it.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself and took a sip of his coffee instead.
We spent his lunch hour talking about me coming back to work, what that meant for me, and what that meant for the company. He was genuinely excited to have me back at the office, and to be honest, I was just as excited to be back. I still needed to call John and let him know, but there was no way he would argue with it, especially with the piles of files that seemed to be increasing every time I walked into the office. Not only would this get everything off my mind, but I would also get to see Jason every day, which was a really awesome bonus to all of this. He had been my rock, and I hadn’t even expected it. Each time he looked at me, touched me, or was even in the same room as me, I immediately felt better. A crazy calm would roll over me like a wave, and I loved every second of it. He reached over and touched my hand, sending chills down my back, and I smiled, feeling safe and secure. When he looked down at his watch, signaling he was running out of time, my stomach almost dropped, but I told myself it was okay. I just needed to make it through the night, and I would be back in action, lots of things to keep my mind busy.
“I have to get back,” Jason said with disappointment in his voice. “We have meetings today, and now that you aren’t the mystery girl anymore, they aren’t really cutting me any slack.”
“Aw.” I stuck out my bottom lip. “I understand. Text me later if you aren’t busy.”