My Blossoming Redemption

THIRTY-EIGHT

"If you two are happy, then well, that is all that matters," Dad adds.

"Thank you." Nick nods.

"Thanks, Dad," I say quietly, and wipe the last tear away from my eye.

"I just want to ask one thing," Dad asks. "Why did you choose to have Gabriel adopted? If you don't believe as we do, I would have expected you to have an abortion and hide it."

Well, that was not what I expected to come out of his mouth. When we told my parents I was expecting Gabriel, we never told them about the trip to the abortion clinic, or that I'd considered it. We also never told them when the adoption went through officially. They never visited him when he was born. All they knew was that I was pregnant, and we were giving him up for adoption. We didn't even tell them when my waters broke, or when I'd given birth.

It always made me laugh how they were quick to say abortion is a sin and every foetus should get the chance to be born, yet they were the ones who acted as if Gabriel never existed and never cared for him. They accepted that we were going to give him up, but never offered to help or support, never tried to talk us out of it.

I open my mouth and glance at Nick. His knee starts going up and down against the floor. His eyes meet mine for the briefest of moments. He's uncomfortable.

We're discussing his brother. My son. It's so delicate, like a fine China plate that absolutely can't be broken.

"I... I couldn't do it," I admit quietly. "I knew I couldn't be a mother, but I couldn't go through with it either. So, we decided the best thing to do was give him a family who would cherish him."

My dad nods in response.

I close my eyes and almost pray that he doesn't push this anymore.

"Did he get a good family?"

"Yes, he did," Nick pipes up.

"Nick."

"That's good, but how—"

"Because my parents adopted Gabriel."

People always say they want to hear the truth. The fact is, when the truth comes out, they quickly regret wanting to know and they realise things will never be the same. Just like when you smash a vase, you can try to stick it back together, but it'll always have visible cracks on it. It might resemble the same shape, but the cracks and lines where it was broken will always mar it. It's a fruitless exercise to make it look the same and people often regret trying. Once that thing is cracked, once those words have tumbled out, you can never make it right.

I can see the instant regret in both Nick's and my dad's eyes as both pairs bulge.

"Nick," I hiss.

"No, he was going too far," Nick defends, his amber eyes falling on me. His recovery is astounding and as the truth settles around us all like that first blanket of snow as it settles on the cold ground, I know he doesn't regret it.

"So, my grandchild is your adoptive brother?" Dad questions.

"He's not your grandchild, Dad. He's not my son," I reply.

"Legally, no. But biologically he is Aspen," Dad points out.

He has a point. No matter what happens, Gabriel will always biologically be tied to me, Joel, and my parents. He can be adopted and legally Nick's parents' child, but that DNA will always have Wilkins and Watkins in it.

"Yes, Gabriel is my adoptive brother. We became aware of the fact after Aspen and I started becoming interested in each other," Nick admits. "My parents are now also aware of it, and it's between my family and Aspen. Right now, it is not a problem. But I'm not going to sit here and listen to you badger her into the whys of what happened. She didn't feel she could terminate Gabriel because of the pressure around her, probably that you and her mother gave her for eighteen years. Gabriel is a victim of your lousy parenting choices and Joel's idiocy in not protecting them when they had sex. He is my parent's child now, and that is that. It's my brother you're talking about and he's happy without the pressure you gave Aspen."