The Life We Make

Chapter 31

As our mother makes her entrance back into the room, the air seems to grow heavy, suffused with her palpable displeasure. Her footsteps echo ominously against the wooden floor, a harbinger of the storm that's about to descend upon us all. She commandingly, her icy gaze sweeping over my sister and myself. "Alexia Simon," she intones, her voice slicing through the tense silence like a knife. "I demand that you call those two men who supposedly fathered my grandchildren."

Jordan and I exchange a fraught glance, the air between us crackling with shared apprehension. "Mother," I start, trying to keep my voice steady against the onslaught of her formidable presence, "I don't think that's possible."

She levels a perfectly arched eyebrow at me, an unspoken challenge. "And why not, pray tell? You have nothing but good things to say about them as fathers."

"The kids are with them," I explain, attempting to inject some rationality into the emotionally charged atmosphere. "They can't just abandon them. and, I don't want the children to be around the argument or to hear any of this."

"But you claimed the children were at a friend's place," she retorts, her eyes flashing with a dangerous combination of disappointment and anger.

"Dad," I turn to him, my voice almost pleading. I'm hoping for backup, for him to defuse the ticking time bomb that is our mother in one of her moods.

But our father, always the silent observer, merely sighs. "Vivian, please..."

"Enough, Ronald," Mother interrupts, her tone sharp enough to draw blood. "I have had it with the constant deception. And it's no issue, Victoria is here. She wouldn't hesitate to help out."

"I don't want to impose on Victoria, Mother," I interject, my words tumbling out in a rush, desperate to prevent another explosion.

"Alexia, you will hush," Mother snaps, her patience clearly threadbare. "I will meet these men. I'm not leaving this table and this conversation until I have. And you, Jordan, I see you're a part of this tangled web of lies too, so I want to meet this boyfriend of yours immediately."

Victoria, steps in to mediate the situation. "I can take the kids to the park, I don't mind."

"Fine," I give in, "If that will placate you. But let me be clear, Mother. If you exhibit any rudeness, I will not hesitate to ask them to leave."

"I have every right to be upset when my children lie to me," Mother retorts, her voice thick with hurt and anger. "I have stood by you through thick and thin - your unexpected pregnancy, your brother' coming out as gay. I've been your rock and his a good mother, and what do I get in return? Lies."

"Fine, I'm calling them now," I say, reaching for my phone with a sigh. "Feel free to continue your tirade."

Taking a deep breath I step out of the room and, I dial Cam's number, the sound of the rings reverberating ominously around the room. "Cam?" I say when he picks up, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Hey, Alexia," he responds, his voice filled with warmth and familiarity. "What's going on?"

"There's a bit of a situation here... my mom's here," I explain, glancing at the formidable woman across the table from me. "She wants to meet you."

I clear my throat, stumbling over my words. "Well, I... I may have told my parents about you and Luke," I confess, my gaze darting nervously to my mother across the table.

"You told them what exactly?" Cam asks, his tone cautious.

"That you and Luke are married," I admit, "and... and that you're the fathers of my children."