What's Done is Done

Chapter 27

The following morning, I get two extremely surprising and unexpected visitors. 

I've already been awake when the doorbell rings around 9 AM because I've been tending to Daphne and Jared for three hours now. I yawn sleepily (I'm running on five hours of sleep here!) as I walk over to the front door. When I fling it open, there are two people standing right in front me. Those two people happen to be Mom and Dad.

"Mom?! Dad?!" I gasp and form my mouth into a huge oval due to utter shock. "What...what are you doing here?!"

Mom and Dad exchange uncertain glances and sighs uncertainly.

"We need to talk," Mom tells me with a sharp tone.

"It's important," Dad adds.

"Okay..." I reply worriedly.

I let them walk in. I lead them to the kitchen and the three of us sit down at the table.

"So?" I say, still sounding worried. "What's up?"

Mom takes a deep breath. Then she proceeds to give me a long speech:

"Okay, listen, your father and I are very, very sorry for betraying you. You did mess up and you did turn your life upside down possibly for the bad. But that's no reason for us to ditch you and to stop being your parents. We should've helped you, supported you, encouraged you, and overall we should have been there for you. Being pregnant and being a mom at age sixteen is hard especially without the help, support, and encouragement of your own parents. Admittedly we were angry at you - furious, honestly. We thought you committed a sin and you deserved to go to hell. We didn't want anything to do with a teen mom. But we missed you terribly. You were generally a pretty darn terrific kid - and you still are. You only made one mistake; you didn't mean for that to happen. You're still our little angel and you deserve to go to heaven. Your father and I love you very, very much. Again, we're really and truly sorry for everything we did to you."

There are tears welled up in Dad's chocolate brown eyes and there are tears escaping from Mom's blue-green eyes and cascading down her reddened cheeks. 

I start to weep, too. I hug both of them for several moments. 

"I accept your apology, Mommy and Daddy," I tell them, gasping and sobbing. "I love you guys so, so, so much. Thanks a lot for apologizing to me. I missed you guys a TON."

Mom and Dad just nod their heads and continue to hug me.

Our cries and sniffles wake Isabelle up; she lingers into the kitchen with a surprised face.

"Mom...Dad...Allison..." She says speechlessly.

"We made up," I tell her, smiling.

Isabelle beams. She joins our group hug. I am now reunited with my family again!

"Do you wanna meet the babies?" I offer Mom and Dad.

"Yes!" They say happily at the same time.

I lead them to the nursery and introduce them to Daphne and Jared. Mom and Dad falls in love with their grandchildren. I stand back and watch the four of them interact, smiling.

"I'm your Nana," Mom croons to Daphne and Jared.

"And I'm your Papa," Dad adds.

I smile. Nana and Papa. I have to admit that those are pretty sweet grandparent names!

We spend the rest of the day just chilling. Watching TV, playing board games, and reading the Bible to each other (I secretly loathe reading the dumbass Bible but today I'm just so incredibly happy that I don't care what we do together). Even Delilah and Erin and John  joins in because she was - and now is - practically our family.

Before Mom and Dad leaves, they give me a gracious offer.

"Do you and that Brandon guy and the babies want to live in an apartment together?" Dad asks me. "Your mother and I are willing to rent you one near our house."

I squeal, "Seriously?!"

"Seriously!" Mom and Dad says, giggling.

Then Dad gets serious. "But on one condition."

"Yeah?" I say, getting sort of nervous.

"You and Brandon must get married."

"Get married?!" I say softly, super shocked. "Are you serious?"

Mom and Dad nod their heads seriously, dead seriously.

I would love to marry Brandon, but would Brandon want to marry me? 

"I'll talk to him about it," I alert Mom and Dad with a somewhat positive smile. 

~ ~ ~

Later that evening...

I call Brandon and invite him over.

I excitedly fill him in on the great news - Mom and Dad coming over and apologizing to me and finally reuniting with them.

"That's awesome!" Exclaims Brandon. 

"Yeah, and guess what? They offered us - you, me, and the babies - an apartment they're willing to rent."

"Oh my fucking God! That's beyond awesome!" 

"Yeah, I know! But we can only follow that route on one condition."

"Which is...?"

"You and I. Get married."

Brandon stares at me blankly. At first, he doesn't speak for a while.

"You don't wanna marry me, do you?" I say, sighing sadly.

He laughs. "Ha. Of course I want to marry you! You're the love of my life and the most amazing girlfriend ever. I always visioned us getting married someday just not right now...but I totally want to marry you!"

I laugh and cry again for what seems to be the thousandth time. "Aw, Brandie Bear!"

Brandon grins at me. He then sits down on one knee and holds my hand. He gazes at me deeply into my shining, twinkling blue-green eyes. "Allison Christine Barry, also known as Allie Bear, will you marry me?"

I kiss him on the lips with the greatest heat, the greatest intense, and the greatest passion I'd done. "Yes! Absolutely yes!"

Brandon chuckles and kisses me with equal heat and intense and passion. Then he suggests, "The wedding should be at the local church on December 26. It should be a lovely, small, and simple yet the awesomest wedding. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea."

I can't believe I'm engaged to the cutest, sweetest, nicest, overall the best guy on Earth! Talk about how blessed I am! And, holy fuck, I can't wait until the day after Christmas, until our wedding!