You Make Me Whole

Ed managed a weak yet appreciative nod at Carter’s words, helping Ray’s stomach to relax slightly. She looked over to her mother, who got up from the table and started clearing the plates.

“Well,” she said matter-of-factly. “I wasn’t sure if your father and I were ever going to be grandparents, and now we are. I think this will be good for you Ray, a bit of responsibility. When is the wedding?”

Ray’s stomach dropped and she felt Carter stiffen beside her. Of course her parents would want them to get married, why hadn’t she thought about that?

“Erm…”

“Ray…” her mother warned in her most dangerous tone. “No grandchild of mine is going to be a bas*ard! You two are doing this together! Now, when is the wedding?”

“Your mother’s right, honey.” Ed chimed in. “It’s best for your child that the two of you are married.”

“We…we already did it.” Ray offered quietly. Carter squeezed her knee again, sharply this time, but kept his expression passive.

“You’re already married?” her mother squealed. Ray squeezed Carter’s hand in a way that said help me out here, and he responded in true Carter style.

“It was my idea, really. Ray was very distressed after discovering her pregnancy, and I wanted to ensure her that I was going to be here for her. I asked her to marry me to prove that I wasn’t going anywhere, that I love her and want to be part of her forever.” Ray resisted letting her mouth fall open at his willingness to join in on her lie, and the use of the word ‘love’ made her stomach flip. She reminded herself that he would have just used it to convince her parents, but she couldn’t deny how nice the word sounded on his lips.

“I realize that I broke tradition by not asking for your permission, sir,” Carter continued, nodding in Ed’s direction. “It fills me with shame, I must admit. My priority at the time was to gain Ray’s trust in knowing that she wouldn’t be going through this alone, and I’m afraid my excitement for the child and my love for your daughter clouded my rational thinking. But I promise you now that both Ray and the child will forever come first and foremost for the rest of my life. My mother taught me the value of family, and I’m thrilled to be starting my own, especially with Ray.”

Ray dared to look up at her parents, and was relieved to see they were smiling. Her mother even wiped a tear from her eye.

“That was beautiful, Carter!” She hurried around the table and he stood up in time to receive a huge hug from her. Ed heaved himself to his feet, and hobbled over to shake his hand.

“Welcome to the family, son,” he said, his eyes twinkling in pride. Ray nervously stood up from her seat, and her parents each scooped one arm around each of her sides, clinging to her.

“Congratulations, baby girl,” said Ed, kissing her on the cheek.

“We’re all here for you, darling,” her mother added, her face flushed in excitement. “Oh! A baby in the family! This is going to be wonderful.” She squeezed Ray’s hand before looking down in confusion. “Where are your wedding rings?”

“They’re being resized,” Carter quickly jumped. “It all happened so fast, and we were so excited we didn’t really care about the finer details, we just wanted to be married.” He kissed Ray on the cheek, causing her mother to swoon, and plant her own kiss on Ed’s lips, their love rekindled by watching a young couple remind them of the excitement of it all.

“This calls for a celebration!” Tanya clapped her hands together excitedly. Why don’t I open that bottle of wine he haven’t open since we got it last Christmas, Ed?”

“Great idea,” he said. “Just make sure there’s none for Ray,” he added, winking in her direction. She laughed, but the truth was her mood had plummeted, and a drink was certainly what she could use right now. She was more than grateful to Carter making the dinner with her parents a success, and for covering her ass about the wedding. But there was something about hearing someone gush about how much they loved her, knowing deep down that they’re lying that tore her apart. Carter was going to kid himself and everyone else for the rest of their lives that this was exactly what he wanted, and that everything he was doing for Ray was out of love, when really it was out of obligation. He was a good man, one of the best that Ray had ever met, and there probably wasn’t anyone better to have by her side during this time. But it made her sad to think back to the day he left her place in such a hurry because he knew they weren’t right for each other, when she had had such a blast with him, and it was going to stick with her forever.