28. Aspen

Twenty Eight

Aspen

Turning the knob to my parents’ house took away any confidence I had built up. I sat and talked with Boone, more like I talked at Boone, practicing what I was going to say. Crossing the threshold of my childhood home wiped all that away. My nervousness showed. I was wringing my hands and tapping my foot as I waited out back for my parents to join me.

When I arrived, they were ecstatic to see me again. Hugs were exchanged and smiles shared, which showed me the news hadn’t spread to the Westgrove household yet, meaning I beat Marjorie to it.

My parents came out of the house together, and in typical mom fashion, she was carrying some sort of snack with her. Placing down the plate of cookies, she and Dad took a seat next to each other across the patio table.

“How has our girl been?” my dad asked. I hope he still was this pleasant when I told him about me and Boone.

His last words about him were, I don’t think that Cassidy boy is good enough for you anyway .

“I’m good! I’ve been seeing more of Theo and Penny. Theo is staying for a while. She’s pregnant.” I don’t know why I just said that, maybe to soften the blow for what I was about to tell them.

My mom gasped, covering her mouth. “No way! I bet Sissy is so excited to be a grandmother.” Well, that was better than I expected. “Is the father involved?” my mom whispered.

“No, she’s doing it all on her own.” My heart filled with pride talking about Theo becoming a mom and kicking ass without a man to get her through. That was Theo, tough as a nail and determined to prove everyone wrong. You tell her she can’t do something, she will do it a million times over.

“She must be scared,” my mom replied, shaking her head slightly. “If she needs anything, please tell her to reach out.”

My dad usually stayed quiet during these kinds of conversations. If it involved people outside his family or gossip, he tended to just observe from the outside.

Taking a cookie and laying it down on my napkin, I replied, “I will! I want to throw her a gender reveal party when she’s ready.”

The one thing I admired about my mom was her nature to give. She would give you the shirt off her back. As giving and caring as she was, her ability to understand other perspectives sometimes fell short.

“I did have something I wanted to tell you both,” I muttered, picking apart my snack chocolate chip by chocolate chip, anything to avoid eye contact. I noticed my behavior and decided it was time to try something new.

Sitting up, I straightened my back and looked at my parents. Come clean, there was no use in hiding it. “I’m seeing someone. We’re taking it slow. I wanted you two to hear it from me.” I remained with my attention on them, ignoring every urge to retreat and look away.

Finally, my dad spoke and asked, “Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Boone Cassidy, and before either one of you comments, I want to say something.” If I was going to stand my ground, it started with taking control of the conversation. “Boone and I have been friendly since I moved on to the ranch. He and his family have been nothing but supportive and kind to me. I like him. He makes me happy and pushes me to be a better person. If you’re upset, I’m sorry. There is no changing my mind.”

“Better person?” my dad scoffed. “That boy is a mess. His reputation doesn’t fit my daughter.”

“That ‘boy’ has treated me with more respect and compassion than any stupid guy from the city would. He’s kind, hardworking, and pushes me to achieve my goals, not yours. It isn’t up for discussion. I’m seeing Boone, and that’s the end of it.”

No one in this town knew Boone anymore, maybe they did when he was a teenager, but the man I know isn’t the boy he was growing up in Faircloud.

My mom chimed in, her sweet voice trying to calm the moment, “What I think your dad is trying to say is, are you sure he’s what you need? What happened to the future you planned? Going to the city and school? I know you grew comfortable at the coffee shop. When it closed, you made it sound like you were back on track.”

I let out a loud laugh. “That was never my dream. That was your dream for me . My dream is to stay here and be an author. I want to settle down in a place I know and not some big city where I’ll get sucked up and lost.” I didn’t mean to let wanting to be an author slip, but if I was telling them about Boone, I might as well hurt them all at once.

“No,” my dad said sternly. “My daughter won’t be staying here and making a bed with a Cassidy.”

“You’re insane!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. “I’ll ‘make a bed’ with whoever I want. I’m a grown woman who pays her own damn bills and doesn’t live under your roof. You may have been able to control me while I was a kid, but new flash, I’m not anymore.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, spitting with rage.

When my dad was really angry, he didn’t yell. He sat back with a calm composure while everything under the surface boiled. I didn’t see this side of him often. When I did, the old me used to cower away. Aspen today wasn’t going to back down.

Taking a deep breath and placing both my hands on the table, I said, “I played into whatever version of me you both wanted. When Parker wasn’t your puppet, I was. I never wanted to go to school. I want to be an author. I want a quaint life with a husband and children running around. In Faircloud, I have that chance.”

“What has gotten into you?” my mother spoke softly, almost appalled at my behavior.

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. “For my entire life, I’ve let people choose for me. Now, I’m finally choosing for myself. I’m choosing Boone and a life here. I want you both to accept me and that choice. Please.”

My dad shook his head and stood up, done with the conversation. My mom was quick to follow.

“I won’t accept that. I want better for you. Not this damn town or these damn people.” My dad walked away, my mom gave me a sympathetic look before going after him. I sat in my chair, my shoulders slumping for the first time. The defeat was an understatement. I stuck up to my parents, knowing the outcome was going to suck, but expecting to feel good.

Instead, I felt like shit and had no idea what to say. Crying, I left my parents’ backyard through the gate in the fence. When I climbed into my car, the tears turned into a stream of sadness and frustration all at once.

I was pissed at my parents for not listening to me. I was livid at myself for letting my actions last this long. If I had just been honest about what I wanted, this blow-up would’ve been avoided, and my parents’ disappointment wouldn’t be so intense.

There was one place I knew I could visit: someone who understands my family and knows me.

My car tires whined as I drove down the street in silence. My mind was chaotic, even music wasn’t going to quiet these thoughts. I ran through every word in my head, finding new ways I was angry.

“The audacity!” I yelled at myself, groaning. Weren’t parents supposed to want their children to be happy? Instead, mine had an agenda they didn’t accomplish, and they were pushing it on me.

My car came to a screeching halt in front of the hardware store. I needed Parker, he understood our family and their fucked up mentality better than anyone.

Storming into the shop, I let the door slam behind me. “Park!” I yelled, stomping my way to the front counter. Parker stood behind the register, his eyes wide open staring at me. Today, his blonde hair was styled in a low bun, his muscles bulging from his t-shirt. “Our parents have lost it,” I groaned, flopping down on the counter.

“You’re just realizing this?” He muttered, tinkering with some kind of tool.

“Well, no. I just hit my breaking point.”

Parker continued working, not bringing his gaze up to meet mine, and said, “Tell me what happened.”

I let the floodgates open and spilled every detail, acting out what was said using different voices for each of us. I told him how I was dating Boone and I wanted them to find out from me before Marjorie could do it. Sharing every detail about the conversation, Parker took it all in, listening and analyzing. In that way, he was a lot like our dad.

“Then, I left and didn’t even go inside. I’m in shock at how they reacted. You’d think I joined the Army or killed the neighbor’s dog!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. To my parents, those things were on the same level.

“In their mind, you might as well have,” Parker sighed, looking up from his tinkering. “Look, I had fifteen years with them before you came along. I saw what staying in this town did to them. Neither one expected to stay in Faircloud, but when you have a baby at seventeen, plans change,” Parker confessed.

I honestly hadn’t thought about it that way. I didn’t know my parents young like that, to see them struggle and lose their dreams. That put things into perspective for me. However, it didn’t justify their reactions.

Huffing, I said, “I get that. I guess I’m also to blame because I should’ve put an end to this years ago.”

“You didn’t do that, so here we are. You’re facing the consequences,” Parker said, going back to his task.

“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes. Laying my head down on the counter in defeat, I took a minute to breathe for the first time since leaving my parents’ house. Parker silently until I brought my head back up and looked at him.

“Please help me,” I muttered. I didn’t know what to do to fix this. I was afraid and could feel the avoidance building inside. Old Aspen would’ve just ignored everything and waited until they came to me, but I understood how toxic that could be. I needed to fix this, not please them. I needed to express myself in a more controlled way to convince them how serious I was.

“You really like Boone?” he asked, briefly looking towards me.

Laughing, I said, “Yeah, I do. I think I have for a while, but I’m facing it now. He makes me happy, like really happy. He brings out a side of me that I’ve never seen and it’s so good.”

Smiling to myself, I thought about Boone. How amazing he had been over the last couple of months. My heart thudded in my chest. I couldn’t picture my life without him, friends, or more. My parents were wrong about him; he was good for me, and I was good for him.

“If you’re happy, sis, I’m happy for you. Don’t let mom and dad change that. You’re old enough to make your own choices, and if you crash and burn, so be it.” Parker twisted his tool, a pop coming from whatever he was working on. “Yes!” He yelled, victorious. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Parker was right. My parents will get over it or calm down enough that we can sit down and talk about everything. I may have said some borderline cruel things and acted a bit out of character, but I stood up for myself in the end. Talking with my brother changed my perspective on why my parents acted the way they did. They missed out on a life they dreamed for themselves and wanted at least one of their children to live it. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a baby so young and have to navigate parenthood before you can even legally vote.

“Thanks, Park,” I said, coming around the counter to hug him. Parker hugged me back, rubbing between my shoulder blades in a calming motion.

“Just know, if that Cassidy boy breaks your heart, I’m coming for him.”

Laughing, I pulled away from the hug. I knew that he meant it. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he would make Boone regret it too. Letting myself even think about Boone and heartbreak wasn’t an option today. I didn’t just go toe-to-toe with my parents to prove them right; I was going to prove them wrong.