The Best Mistake

Chapter Thirteen

"You haven't said anything about your birthday." Mom said.

"That's because I don't plan to do anything."

It was Thursday evening after work, I decided to go grocery shopping with the girls and mom wanted to tag along. I normally reserve my shopping for the weekends when I'm off, but the girls were running low on a few things and it was best to get it out of the way now.

"Why aren't you?"

"Because I don't care." I shrugged.

"Don't care? Ava you're going to be 26 tomorrow. That's a blessing."

"I know that mom and I'm so grateful, but with everything going on I can't focus on my birthday right now." I said.

I browsed the aisles pushing the shopping cart where Peppa sat quietly inside while Lily roamed freely through the aisles with me. She held onto the hem of my shirt as she walked with me.

"So that means you've come to a decision?"

"Yes, I've decided that I will tell Mason." I said.

"That's great." She smiled.

"You were hoping that I made that choice, weren't you?" I asked.

"Well, you know I don't want to intervene in the choices that you make, I want you to be able to make the best choices for yourself and your daughters..."

"And..."

She chuckled, "Yes, I was hoping that you made that choice."

"Do you think it's a good one?" I asked.

"Yes, I do. I'm not saying that it will be easy, but I think you must give him the benefit of the doubt. He deserves to know the truth."

"I don't want to regret it."

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't but at least you won't be asking yourself a list of 'what ifs'."

I watched Lily's fingers graze the jars of jam on the shelf slowly and tugged her away lightly.

"Did you have any regrets about telling my father?" I asked.

"The only regret I have is him hurting you. I never wanted you to get hurt Ava, but I wanted you to learn for yourself who your father was, not from listening to old stories."

My mom was right, she never insulted my father in my presence. She always wanted me to learn for myself and she never took that decision away from me.

"At the end of the day the fact still remains, he is your father just how Mason is Lily and Peppa's father." She continued.

I scoffed, "Let's just hope Mason is more of a father than my father ever was."

Mom nodded her head thoughtfully, "You turned out just fine. Great actually." She said.

"You're just saying that."

"No, I mean it. There were days I watched you sat at that window all dressed up waiting for a man that was never going to show and the whole time I thought, will my baby heal from this. No child should have to beg their father for a relationship but despite it you've grown into a beautiful strong woman." She smiled.

It was getting harder and harder to control my emotions in the middle of the food store. Peppa was playing around with the cereal box that I placed in the kart and Lily was walking a bit ahead of us gazing at the snacks in the aisle.

"I don't want them to feel the hurt I felt, but I know I can't take that decision from them either."

"How did Royce take it?"