Devotion

28

"Rob and Jen, do you mind if we have a minute?" I asked.

"Yeah," Rob said. "But don't listen to them, Penny. They know where she is. They're full of shit."

"Robert!" his mother said in a stern voice.

Rob shook his head and pushed through the door. And that's what I loved so much about Rob. He always had James' back no matter what. And mine. I had learned that last night. His loyalty was almost tangible.

"Sorry," Jen whispered silently to me and followed Rob.

"We do not know where Isabella is," Mrs. Hunter said. "She hasn't been returning our calls. You're not honestly scared of her, are you? She's just upset because you ruined her reputation. She has a right to be."

"I ruined it?" James said.

"This is not the time or place for this conversation, James."

"It's never the time or place! You know what happened between us was not my fault. And in case you don't remember, let me just clear the record. She slept around behind my back! She ruined her own damn reputation. But am I happy that it's over? Yes. Marrying her was the worst f*****g decision I ever made in my life. Letting you two pressure me into something that was never in my best interest, just in yours. Screw both of you. What the f**k are you even doing here?"

"Both my sons seem to lose their vocabulary when they're angry," Mrs. Hunter said and shook her head. "Honestly, James, do you really think it's appropriate to curse at your mother? Especially when we went out of our way to come to this...celebration."

"We really don't know where Isabella is, James," his father said, cutting off his mother. "And either way, I don't think she's a physical threat. You have nothing to worry about."

"And 24 hours ago you never would have guessed that she would steal from me either."

"That is not proven yet. It's her word against Isabella's," his mother said and pointed at me.

"Then it's proven." James slipped his hand into mine. "Penny would never lie to me."

"James, don't be simple. How can you..."

"Stop." James' voice was more stern than I had ever heard it before. And his grip on my hand had tightened so that it almost hurt. "What the hell did we just talk about? If you say one more bad thing about Penny, you cannot come into our home. Ever. I won't remind you again."

"Susan," his dad said. "Stop trying to fight this. It's done. You can't always get what you want." He sounded spiteful. For the first time, I wondered how good their relationship was.

Mrs. Hunter frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "I still think it's a mistake."

"No one asked you for your opinion," James said. "I tried it the way you wanted. It didn't work. Neither one of us was happy. It wasn't just on me. You know that."

Mrs. Hunter made a weird noise with her throat and shook her head.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hunter," I said. It was time for me to say what I had come out here to say. I didn't want to hear them fighting about Isabella. I didn't want to think about James' past. Not tonight. Tonight was about our future. "I pressured James to reach out to you because I wanted us to be a family. I realize now that that wasn't really my place. Because it's not James that has the issues here. It's you. You're the ones that need to grow."

"Excuse me?" his mother said.

"I don't want to get into that right now. All I mean is that your son has done nothing wrong. And as his parents, that should always be your first assumption. Not taking the side of his ex-wife. That aside, everyone in our apartment is here because they love and support us. I wish I didn't have to question your motivations for coming. But..." I glanced at James, "you're invited to our wedding festivities only if that applies to you. We want this weekend to be memorable in a good way. No fighting. No wishing I was someone else. No making James feel bad. And absolutely no talking about Isabella. Put whatever problems you have on the backburner for this weekend. Your son is getting married. I don't think I should have to say anything else. If you agree to that, I'd love for you to come in."

James pressed his lips together. Maybe he just wanted them to leave. I was about to ask him when his father broke the awkward silence.

"I wouldn't have come for any other reason," Mr. Hunter said. "I don't want to fight. James, I'm sorry."

I wasn't even sure what specifically his dad was apologizing for, but this was a huge step.

James put his hand out for his dad who eagerly shook it.

"Thanks for coming," James said way too formally for a son to his father. But it was a start.

"Thanks for having us." He glanced at his wife. "I hope to see you inside, Susan." He turned and walked into our apartment.

"I didn't come to make a scene," Mrs. Hunter said. "Obviously. But how was I supposed to feel when we were uninvited. And we walked in on a toast from the Caldwells." She made the now familiar sound of disgust with her throat.

"We're both really close to the Caldwells," I said. "I've grown quite fond of them over the years." I emphasized the word years. Unlike Mrs. Hunter, the Caldwells had welcomed us into their home with open arms. They had never been anything but nice and supportive. I loved them both dearly.

"Still. It's the groom's parents' job to toast the couple at the rehearsal dinner. It's tradition."

"And no one's stopping you. We'd love to have you make a toast."

She eyed me for a second. "Very well. I'd like that very much."

"Okay." I looked up at James. He was busy staring at his mom. He looked like he was in shock.