“Of course,” Jefferson and my mother said at the same time.
I watched as Gunner, Garrett, and Ari walked into the house. Ari turned back with a worried look. I smiled and nodded. She mouthed, I love you, to me and blew a kiss.
Jefferson put his arms out for my mom and me to take.
We walked a good quarter mile in complete silence.
“Mom, did Dad treat you good while he was with you?” I asked.
My mother stopped walking. She sighed as she looked over toward a tree. “Can we sit down, kids? I have a story to tell you. It’s one I should have told you years ago. Really, I should have told someone years ago. ”
Jeff led us over to an oak tree where we all sat in a circle on the ground.
My mother took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I was sixteen years old when I met your father. He swept me off my feet and promised me the world. Of course, it was easy to fall for him. He had your handsome looks, Jeff, and your breathtaking, beautiful blue eyes, Ellie. ”
I looked over at Jefferson and smiled.
“All my girlfriends told me how lucky I was to get the most popular boy in the whole school. He played football as the star quarterback. He had big dreams of playing in college and then going pro. We dated all through high school. Our senior year, he was signed on with the University of Texas. ”
When my mom glanced at Jefferson, he seemed to stiffen up just a bit.
“Anyway, I was thrilled because we wouldn’t have to leave Austin. My parents didn’t really have the money to send me to school, so I made sure I got good grades, and I ended up earning a scholarship to UT. My parents and your father were beyond thrilled. As a graduation present to your father, his parents bought him a small house close to UT. On graduation night, he asked me to marry him. I’d never been so happy in my life. I was madly in love with him and ready to start a life with him. ”
I grinned and looked at Jefferson. “So, you were high school sweethearts?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes. Your father is the only man I have ever dated or been with. ”
Wow.
“Things were wonderful for the first year. I was doing well in school, and your father was beyond happy. He was playing football and getting his degree in engineering. He was preparing to take over his father’s company after he graduated UT. ”
Jefferson glanced over at me. He seemed to be putting two and two together…and so was I.
“Then, I got pregnant. I was so happy and so excited, but I was also shocked as shit!” My mother laughed. “Your father was playing in a game against Texas A&M in College Station, so I decided to drive there and surprise him with the big news. I was late, and the game had already started, so he had no idea I was there. After they won, I made my way down to the sidelines where everyone was celebrating, and I saw your dad talking to a girl. I had seen her before at the home games. I’d even talked to her a few times. Angie…she was the sister of another player. ”
She stopped talking as she stared out to where the cows were now grazing. She smiled slightly and shook her head. Then, she took another deep breath and let it out. “I was just about to call out his name when he leaned down and kissed her. ”
Oh no! Oh god, my poor mother.
“I just stood there like a fool and watched them. It wasn’t just a small kiss. It was filled with passion. I wanted so badly to look away, but I couldn’t. When your father pulled away from her, he looked up and saw me standing there. His smile faded, and all I could do was walk back to my car. I felt completely numb. ”
“Ah shit, Mom. ” Jefferson reached out for her hand.
She grinned, putting her hand in his and placing her other one on top of Jefferson’s. “He called out after me, but I kept walking away. He finally caught up to me and grabbed my arm. He asked for me to let him explain. I couldn’t even think straight. The only thing I got out was that I wanted to surprise him. I said I had news to share with him. He placed his hands on my face and started kissing me. I was so lost in the kiss and the love I had for him that I just melted. Afterward, he told me how much he loved me and only me and how he had made a mistake by kissing Angie. Oh, he went on and on. I shook my head as I blurted out that I was pregnant. ”
“What did he do?” I asked.
“He smiled and picked me up. He kept telling me how happy he was. ” My mother smiled and let out a small laugh. “I believed him. ”
Jefferson looked toward me. “Mom, did y’all ever talk about this girl, Angie, again?”
She shook her head. “No. He never brought her up, and I didn’t either. He’d promised me it was just that one time, and it would never happen again. Your father had talked me into giving up school for a while, so I could stay home with Jeff. I wanted nothing more than to become a nurse, but he said I could go back once you started school, Jeff.
“Then, one night, I decided to have my parents babysit Jeff, so I could surprise your dad with an evening alone together. We hadn’t been out in so long, and I just wanted to spend some time alone…well, you know how that is. Jeff, you were two years old at the time, and you were so full of spit and fire. ” She laughed. “I just needed a break. ”
Leaning back, she let the little bit of sun peeking through the branches hit her face. “Considering my last surprise didn’t go over so well, I should have known it was a mistake to surprise him. He was interning at his dad’s engineering office, so I knew where he was. After I dropped off Jeff, I called the office at lunchtime to see how his day had been going, and he told me he was going to be working about an hour later than usual that night. I thought that was perfect. I planned on dropping by the office and waiting for him, so we could go to dinner and maybe a movie. When I got there, the security officer let me in. The closer I got to the office, the more apparent it became that he wasn’t alone. When I heard laughter—his and a woman’s—my heart started pounding. I opened the door a little, and I saw him in his chair…with Angie sitting on his desk. ”
I let out a gasp.