𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 (𝟐)

11 𝘍𝘈𝘔𝘐𝘓𝘠 𝘔𝘌𝘌𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

"thanks for joining this family meeting," i smiled brightly at all my loved ones, sitting down in the cousin's house living room, "im glad you're all here to discuss some important matters." i crossed my legs and my arms, "first things first, a proper introduction." i nodded over to my mother, and felt the whole room go tense. including her.

conrad met my eye, and i forced a small, weak, smile.

"jessica, this is the fam." i named out everyone in the room. the kids, my father, conrad, mr fisher, ms conklin. cam. she nodded and smiled at each one, "everyone, this is my mother."

no one really said anything, and i didnt blame them.

"its nice to uh," jeremiah hesitated, his gentlemenness taking over, "meet you?"

"its wonderful to meet you all." my mother smoke gently, "ive heard very good things."

there was a moment of silence, and i gulped, but was shocked when she opened her mouth again.

"i think i owe you all an apology," my eyes rose, "i shouldnt have come last night. i didnt know susannah, and it just wasnt my place." she turned to the boys, "i am so sorry if i ruined your night. it was never my intension," she smiled sweetly, "im sure your mother would have appreciated all that you have done for her. it was a beautiful gathering." both the boys nodded, respectfully, and i smiled. i was grateful she had turned to the boys, and not mr fisher.

she smiled at me, and i smiled back.

"ok, number two," all the kids knew what number two was, i had warned them.

instead of saying anything, i just followed suit with everyone else. and looked at mr fisher.

"youre decision, dear." ms conklin said in her usual, very condescending way. conrads fingers intertwined with mine, and i tried to stop mine from shaking.

he took a deep breath.

"i think i owe everyone an apology too." his words shocked me too, i thought i might die of heart failure if something else happens in this living room, "susannah dying had to have been the hardest day of my life. the hardest time of my life. the grief of losing a wife is unbearable." he looked towards his sons, "even more so when you werent the best you couldve been to your family. those dead, and still alive." his eyes were brimmed with tears, "grief has a way of lying to you. i was fully convinced that selling this house was the right thing to do. was the best thing i could do for the boys, for susannah's legacy, for my own guilt," he shook his head, "grief can make you idiotic, as it seems, because doing that would be so."

i let out a huge breath, putting my hand to my heart, and conrad just let his chin fall to his chest.

"im not selling the beach house."

conrad jumped out of his chair, pulling me up out of mine and spinning me around in a matter of minutes. i laughed in his arms, and tilted my head back. belly had jumped up too, jumping and clapping excitingly. jeremiah had his head in his hands.

conrad put me down, bear hugging his brother in a sweet embrace, and i walked over to my father. he stood up, slowly, and took me in his arms, squeezing me tight. i squeezed him back.

"thanks for coming," i whispered in his ear, "im really glad youre here."

his eyes twinkled as they smiled into mine, "me too, hun," suddenly, i heard everyone around me gasp, and my heart dropped. my dads eyes stayed bright, though, as he said, "especially for a moment like this." his hands plopped themselves on my shoulders, and turned me around.