Morning After

BECCA

“Becca? Logan? Can I come in?” I hurriedly jumped from his lap. Logan shook his head and stood up as well.

“Yeah.” I licked my lips and saw as the door opened. Lily walked inside my room and closed the door behind her.

“Well…” She took a deep breath. “You two are too loud.”

I don’t know why, but Logan and I burst out in laughter. He instantly placed his hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer to his chest. He was standing behind me, so his hand rested a little over my chest.

I locked eyes with Lily. She was staring at us, not blinking. Then she just ran to us and tried to hug us both. I guess she forgot how huge her brother was. After a few seconds, she stepped aside, looking at us.

“I am so happy for you guys! It was a long time coming. I had this feeling for several years already, and I honestly was very hopeful about the wedding. Because it meant that you two would have the opportunity to see each other again.”

“Uh huh… Still, you told me that Teresa was so good for him.” I arched my brow and looked at Lily teasingly. She only shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

“Well, a little push never hurt anyone. You needed to think that there was some competition.”

“Teresa didn’t stand a chance against Rebecca. No one would.” Logan kissed my temple and tightened his grip on my shoulders even more. While I was ready to explode with happiness, was this really happening?

“So, what now? Are you two dating? Please, say ‘yes’?!” Lily’s eyes were running from my face to Logan’s and back. She was impatient, I could tell.

“We’re still discussing details. But Becca said something about moving to Philly. For me.” Logan sounded so proud.

“Oh my God! This is the best wedding present I could have asked for from you! My best friend and my big brother are finally together! It was a long journey for both of you, so now I am sure that you will cherish this relationship.”

“We will.” We said almost simultaneously. I bit my lower lip, trying to stop my smile from growing even bigger than it was right now.

“Ugh, now I want to delay my departure with John. I want to know everything!”

“We will have time for that, Lil.” I laughed and moved away from Logan.

“Does that mean you’re staying here?”

“No. Tim and Kate are waiting for me.”

“Lil, we will figure this out. Go on your honeymoon; everything will be okay.”

Logan stepped closer to me and took me by my hand, entwining our fingers together. I saw as Lily glanced at our joined hands. I met her gaze, and she winked at me. Let’s hope that the rest of the Jones family will react the same.

When we were finally in the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Jones were already sitting around the table full of various dishes. John wasn’t at the table, but soon I heard his voice, and he walked into the room with his phone in hand.

He looked at Logan and me standing in the doorframe, and I saw a big smile spreading across his lips. He went to sit at the table. Then I felt a push from behind and saw Lily.

She went to her room, while Logan and I went downstairs. Now she was back, and she wanted us to walk inside. So Lily, Logan, and I just joined others at the table.

“Good morning.” My voice sounded so shy, and I was surprised by it myself. It was like it was my first time meeting them. I experienced this kind of situation while dating Drew or Cody when they introduced me to their parents. But with Logan, it was a different story and still…

“Good morning, lovebirds.” Mr. Jones greeted us heartily, and I started to relax. I smiled at him and turned my head to look at his wife.

Her look radiated warmth this time, and it was very encouraging. “So, not to state the obvious, but I need to hear it from both of you. Are you two together?”

“Yes,” Logan was the first to answer. I poured orange juice into my glass and took a sip. “But please, people, give us some time and space to figure everything out.”

“You know, son, I am not surprised at all. I have been waiting for this to happen since Becca’s first visit to our town.” Matthew laughed heartily and took a bite of his food.

“I am happy to see you both so smiley and all. But how are you going to manage a long-distance relationship? And with your insane schedule, how is it even going to work?”

Alicia was expressing her worries, and I understood in an instant that she wasn’t ready to put her guard down for me so quickly.

“Mom, this is exactly what I just asked you to do. To give us time. I will be here till Friday, and then I will fly back to Philly. Before that, Becca and I will discuss everything.”

“Alicia, our son is a grown man. Let him solve it on his own. If they want to be together, they will do everything to make that happen. And just looking at them, I know that I am right.” Mr. Jones placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder and squeezed it. I saw her relax and take a deep breath.

“You’re right, Matthew. I am sorry, Becca, Logan. It’s all up to you. I am just worried and I... I am really happy for both of you, just know that, okay?”

“I know, Mom.”

Logan was always fond of his parents. They meant a lot to him, so of course, he was happy to hear all that. And truth be told, I was pleased to see and hear it too.

All this hostility that Alicia had for me when I arrived was gone. She was back to the way she was when I first met her—a kind, witty, and brilliant woman. She loved her children and her husband and was ready to do anything for her family.

“Wow...” We all turned to look at John. He had a hilarious expression on his face. Amusement mixed with happiness. “I’m kind of glad that you weren’t that hard on me when Lily brought me here for our first introduction.”

With that, the atmosphere changed. The conversation went with a natural flow. We talked and laughed a lot. I didn’t even realize that it was almost 12 when breakfast was finally over.

The buzz of my phone snapped me out of the conversation. It was Kate, and I needed to talk to her. I apologized and went outside the house to answer.

“Hey, Becca! Say, what time will you be able to come over?” Kate’s voice was full of enthusiasm.

“Around 4?”

“That late? Why?” Because I want to be with Logan. But of course, I won’t say that now. I would keep that information to myself until I am at their place.

“Well, I have some things to do…” I hesitated. How would it be better to talk about it with her? “Kate, tell me, would it be okay if Logan joined us for dinner?”

“Logan?”

“Yeah. I talked to him.”

“Oh my God! Thank you, Becca! You have no idea how grateful I am to you! Tim is so sad because he hasn’t had the opportunity to solve their argument… He’s trying to hide it, but I know him too well for that. So, Becca, thank you for convincing Logan. It means so much to me!”

“Of course! What time should he be there?”

“At 8.”

“I’ll tell him.”

“You know, now I am honestly glad that we didn’t invite Drew. That way, Tim and Logan will have a great opportunity to talk, without any interruptions and without Drew hitting on you.”

“Yeah, it will be better this way. See you in a few hours, Kitty Kate.” I ended the call and sat on the bench. And I'm back to square one. Drew.

I know that I don’t feel anything for him now, but he was a big part of my past, and we have a history together. We loved each other. Really loved each other. Those feelings were real and honest. There was a passion between us, tenderness, love, and respect.

We were young, and it’s not surprising that we fell apart. This happens all the time because of different states, different desires, and plans for the future. In our case, his unfaithfulness tore us apart.

Did he regret it? Absolutely. Did I regret it? No. It was destined to happen. There were a lot of signs. We even talked about it a few times because they were too obvious.

Right from the start of our relationship, he was too afraid of his emotions and his feelings for me that he started dating Phoebe instead of me. Or when he finally introduced me to his parents, it was a hell of a dinner! I can easily remember it even now.

We had just come back from Drew’s grandmother’s house when his mother called him and said that they’re waiting for us at home. It wasn’t an invitation. It was an order. I was nervous, but the time that we spent with Mrs. Milton was good for me.

She saw how much I loved her grandson, and she was kind to me from the very beginning. So I was expecting the same from at least one of his parents.

Drew warned me about his family, not once. Still, their coldness and total ignorance were hard not to notice. They weren't interested in knowing anything about me.

The whole dinner they talked about business, and only a few times did they return their attention to Drew... Only to ask his opinion on business matters. I hadn't said almost anything during the dinner, so when it was finally over, I was glad to go to Drew's room.

That night, Drew took care of me. He made love to me, clearing my mind from my gloomy thoughts. But the next morning, I overheard a conversation between his dad and mom. I realized that I wouldn't be welcome there.

They said that at least I was beautiful, and it looked like I could give birth to healthy children. Very nice, right?

I told Drew what I heard. He wasn't happy with me eavesdropping on his parents, but he was entirely enraged by their behavior. He had a fight with them, so let's just say... I am sure that our breakup was a relief to his family.

What were they thinking now that he has no desire to have a family if it isn't with me? God! I have a feeling that I am kind of a terrible troublemaker. Always finding myself in the most bizarre situations I couldn't even imagine!