The Untitled Piper Watson Project

Breaking the News

Piper's POV~

I jumped out of my chair and leaped into Mack's arms. "Yes!" I cried. "Yes! I'll marry you!" He was grinning from ear to ear. "Good, because otherwise this would've been really awkward." He slipped the ring onto my finger and I looked at it. It was lovely. I kissed Mack and led him back inside. As of this moment, I was engaged to be married. And it was perfect. I just kept planning in my head everything that would soon happen. But then there was the dreaded truth. We had to tell our parents. Mack and I made this whole plan to break the news to our parents. I would take my parents to breakfast, and Mack would have lunch with his parents, and then we'd meet up at dinner to talk about whether or not they approved. So there I was, sitting at an IHOP with my iced coffee and everything, flicking my menu around nervously waiting for my parents to arrive. "Piper!" I heard my mom yell and I slipped out of the booth to hug my parents. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad." They slipped across from me and I smiled at them.

Mom gazed over her menu. "Sweetheart, Jennifer mentioned you had some news. It's not bad is it?" "No, Mom." I assured her. Dad slapped down his menu and narrowed his eyes at me. "You're not pregnant, are you?" Mom gasped. "Mark!" I sighed. "No, Dad." "You and Mack are having sex?" "No." Mom hit Dad's arm and glared at him, shaking her head. Dad rubbed his eyes. "Alright then. What are your news?" I took a deep breath and set my hands down on the table, revealing my engagement ring. "Mack proposed to me last night. We're engaged." Mom smiled and reached across the table to caress my cheek. "That's wonderful news, darling." Dad said nothing. I became worried. "Dad?" He shook his head. "It's just too soon. I feel like I don't know him well enough. And..." My heart jumped. "And?" Mom sighed. "Jennifer told us how Mackenzie is...troubled." Oh, no. The thing that I had feared over all these months has finally come to the surface. "He's not like that anymore." I defended him. "Mom, Dad. Please. I love Mack. I want your blessing."

Mom and Dad exchanged a long look. "Piper," Mom said gently. "We love you and we'll support you no matter what. God knows there's been a lot of obstacles in this family." That's one way to put it, Anne. Another way is that the Watson women are a load of hot messes. My grandma, my mom, Jen. Me. "You have our blessing." Dad said. I beamed. That could have gone a lot worse than it did. My parents were some of the best people I know. Yeah, they have their doubts, but when it comes to their kids, there's no question. It's standing behind their kids 100%. I reminded myself that there was still time for them to get to know Mack, and once they fell in love with him the way I did, they'll know for sure that there is no one else who should be my husband.

Mack's POV~

I stood anxiously on the porch of my parents' house and what used to be my house, unable to ring the doorbell. Mom insisted she'd make lunch for me since she's home from work. "Well," I said to myself. "Let's get it over with." I rang the bell and soon after, Mom answered. "Mackenzie, it's so great to see you." She gave me a hug and I went inside. Dad hugged me. "Hi, son." I sat down at our kitchen table, and I saw Mom made sandwiches. I took one, put it on a plate, and swallowed nervously. Mom and Dad sat down as well, and filled their plates. I coughed. "Mom, Dad. I said I had news, remember?" Dad nodded. "It's nothing bad, is it?" Mom gasped. "You're not gay, are you?" "Daphne!" Dad scolded. I face-palmed myself. "No, Mom. I'm not." "You broke up with Piper." "No." Dad signaled for Mom to stop and waved me on. I sighed. "I proposed to Piper last night. We're engaged now." Mom's eyes went so wide it looked almost as if her eyes would pop out of her head. Dad clasped me on the back. "That's wonderful. Congratulations."

Mom's mouth was a flat line. "That's...disappointing, Mackenzie." I slammed my fists on the table. "What do you want me to say, Mom?" She glared at me. "I want you to explain to me how you think it's okay to rush into things when you know what happened last time!" "This isn't like last time!" I yelled. "I love Piper more than I ever loved Amber and I don't have to feel hopeless anymore because someone finally accepts me for who I am!" Mom jumped up, her heels clicking on the wood. "I never liked that girl from the moment I met her, and now I'm supposed to call her a daughter-in-law? Absolutely not!" Dad stood up too, and put his hand protectively on my shoulder, slightly pushing me back in my seat. "Daphne, your heart has been turned cold from the horrors that were unleashed on our son all those years ago. You need to let go now." "I can't!" Mom screamed. "I almost lost my son to some lonely whore who's rotting in prison right now and I'm not going to lose him again to another lonely whore—-" "I love her!" I cried. "I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her and you're not going to tell me how to live. Not anymore." Mom stared at me, stunned.

Dad had no idea what to say, and opened his mouth, but closed it again. "It makes me sad," Mom said after awhile. "After all those months of your treatments and facilities and I still end up not knowing who you are anymore." "No, Mom." I disagreed. "I don't know who you are anymore." I gently shrugged away Dad's hand which was still on my shoulder, and got up to leave. "Mackenzie, wait." Dad called after me. "No, Dad." I said. "I'm tired of waiting. I can't convince Mom to trust me, even after all these years. I don't care what she thinks at this point, and I don't think I ever cared. But I'm marrying this girl. And as much as we've bumped heads today and every day before, I still want both my parents at my wedding." Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the house. And I'll never forget the pained expression on my mother's face as she held back the tears.

***

When I got home, Piper had a salad at the table. I sat down and she ran down the stairs to meet me. "You're home much later than I thought you'd be." she said. "I was getting some work done. Any luck?" I shook my head. "You first." She sat across from me and crossed her legs. "I have their blessing." she said. "But they're still skeptical. What about your parents? How'd your mom take it?" I looked away from Piper, unable to push away all the memories of my mom talking badly about her. "My dad approved. My mom..." I trailed off. Piper smiled sadly. "I knew you'd have trouble getting her approval. Don't beat yourself up over it, Mackenzie." I took her hand. "I just wish there was some way to convince all of them that this is what we want." We sat in silence. Then Piper's eyes light up like they always did when she had an idea. "I have an idea." she declared. I raised my eyebrow. "Okay..." I ushered for her to continue. "Okay. We host like this dinner party here at the house and invite both our parents, and then my parents can see how nice you are and your mom can...express how much she hates me." I thought. "That's not a bad idea." I decided. "We'll schedule it ASAP." So basically, having both my parents, future in-laws, and fiancee in one room would either solve all our problems, or cause World War III.