Tying the Knot - Ch. 9 (Sunny Hill Extra Story, Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

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Chapter Nine – Awake

Matty observed Rusty quietly, taking in the way he tapped his foot impatiently along with his fingers drumming an unknown beat on his knee, while his eyes were turned away, fixed on the landscape rushing past the car window. Because they hadn’t slept well the previous night, they had opted out of driving to avoid getting in an accident. They were that responsible, and Matty was certain his parents would be proud of them.

He slowly inched toward Rusty’s restless hand and gathered the courage to take it, feeling it cool and rigid in his.

“Everything’s going to be all right,” he said softly.

“Yeah,” Rusty said, turning to face him. A smile lit up his face. “That’s right. Thank you for coming along, Matty.”

“As if I’d miss this,” Matty said with a small snort. He tried to joke and make things a little lighter, because an intense, focused Rusty wasn’t the norm. That was what couples did, right? They forged a bond and a balance and, in the current situation, he was the fun and games guy. “You know I can barely wait to meet my mother-in-law.”

“It’s pretty crazy, you know?” Rusty said and closed his eyes, while his hand lost some of its rigidity as they linked their fingers together. “It was on such bad terms… okay, I won’t dwell on that for now. What matters is that she’s awake now. And I’m glad that you’re with me, because she needs to know this. That I’m getting married. That I’m singing. Professionally.”

“She’s going to be happy for you,” Matty assured him.

“I’m not always sure about things like that,” Rusty replied and let out a breath. “I mean, it’s not like my parents have been such a constant presence in my life that I would know where they stand.”

“That’s true. But it is you who wants this to happen, right, Rusty? That’s all that matters. Their reactions are not your responsibility. They have to figure out things on their own because they’re adults and responsible for their own feelings. I hope I didn’t get too philosophical there for a sidekick.”

“You’re the best sidekick a guy could want, so no worries at all.” Rusty took Matty’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it briefly. “I sure am glad that I’m not doing this alone.”

“You’ll never have to do anything alone. That’s a promise.”

***

Rusty held Matty’s hand tightly as they walked into the wing where his mom was. The nurses told him that she was expecting him, so there was already a lump in his throat that he couldn’t get rid of. Before this moment, he had only wanted for her to wake up and be okay, and now he realized that he had no actual plan besides blurting out that he was engaged to Matty and that he was singing with an opera company.

Matty’s hand in his was firm and reassuring. He hadn’t lied earlier when they were still in the car and Matty comforted him. He was glad that he didn’t have to do this alone. And yes, there was still some lingering guilt in his heart over his role in her falling, although he no longer felt responsible for the bitterness she had nursed all her life after his father’s leaving.

He was stronger, Rusty realized, and stopped for a moment before the nurse opened the door for them to grant them access to the patient’s room.

His mom had her eyes closed, but she opened them slowly when she heard the door. For a long, horrible moment, Rusty waited for her to say something awful, that she didn’t want to see him, that she was through with him, and reenact all the fights they had had throughout their lives.

But the moment her eyes fell on him, it felt as if all those bad things were gone in a moment.

“Rusty,” she said in a hoarse voice, “come here.”

He hurried to her and didn’t just take her hands, he hugged her instead, squeezing her frail body against his, while letting his emotions get the better of him for a second.

She caressed his hair and, when he let go, she looked at him while holding his head. “I was told that I’ve been out for months.”

“Do you recall what happened, mom?” Rusty asked the serious question that needed to be asked.

“I do.” She looked away for a moment. “I’m not blaming you at all,” she added and continued to hold his head in her hands. “I know how you are, how you feel everything tenfold because you’re so like me. So, ever since I woke up yesterday, I’ve been thinking of the right words to tell you. And I am taking full responsibility for what happened.”

He had longed for such words from her for a long time. But, as they said, better late than never, so he sniffled for a moment. “I’m so glad you’re okay, mom.”

Sharon looked past him, as she must have realized that there was someone else in the room with them, someone that had come in with Rusty. “And who’s your friend? I need my glasses, but I can tell that it’s not Maddox.”

Maddox and Jonathan, as well as Dex and Zoey, had asked them if they could use more company, but Rusty had wanted this to be a close family business. With the requisite apologies, he had told everyone that he wanted to take Matty along and no one else. As expected, their friends had been understanding of the situation but pressed him to give them news as soon as he had any.

“This isn’t a friend, mom,” Rusty said and gestured for Matty to come closer. “You’ve never met him, but I’ve wanted to introduce him to you for a very long time. This is Matty. My fiancé.”

He hoped the shock of finding this out wouldn’t be too much for her, but there was no point in lying to her now that she was awake and on the mend.

“Fiancé?”

“Hello, Ms. Wilder,” Matty said as he walked toward the bed. “I’m glad to meet you.”

“Same here,” she said while throwing glances at Rusty now and then. “Rusty, this isn’t some way to prank your mom, is it? I know how much you like to joke, but… fiancé?”

“I’m not joking at all, mom. When I came to visit you last,” he said, stopping for a moment since that had been the moment of the accident, too, “I made the mistake of bringing August along when I should have brought Matty with me.”

“Matty for Matthew?” his mom asked as she seemed to still have a hard time wrapping her head around what was going on.

“Matthew Han,” Matty offered promptly.

Sharon nodded in understanding, although it was quite clear that the surprise was still puzzling her. “You are very handsome, Matthew. And how did you two…”

“We attended the same college,” Matty explained. “I can assure you, Mrs. Wilder, that it’s not a joke at all. We will be getting married this fall… but I suppose that I should let Rusty tell you the rest.”

“I’m fine with you talking about it,” Sharon said right away. “Please, come closer, I want to get a good look at you. I’m sorry that I’m acting so surprised, but Rusty never mentioned you… or any other boy.”

“That’s because there was no other boy,” Rusty said, a bit clipped. “Matty’s the one,” he added. “I hope you’re going to get well enough to be able to come to the wedding. I wanted you to at least know I was getting married as soon as possible.”

“I’m glad to be awake for this,” Sharon said as she blinked and then looked intently at Matty again. “There are so many things to be taken care of. Weddings are not an easy feat, you know? I hope you boys don’t plan on some gaudy ceremony in Vegas or something of the sort.”

Rusty smiled. It was great to see his mom’s face so animated as she thought of plans for their wedding. She looked worn and tired, but she looked happy, for a change. Whatever she must have been thinking from the moment she had awakened yesterday until his visit today, it must have helped her put her thoughts in order. He doubted that everything between them would be wine and roses from here on out, but this outcome was better than all the scenarios he had envisioned repeatedly throughout his fitful sleep last night.

“No, it will not be gaudy at all, because it’s going to take place at Jonathan’s parents’ estate.”

“Jonathan,” his mom said slowly. She rubbed her forehead for a moment. “I know the name, but I can’t seem to place the person.”

“Maddox’s fiancé,” Rusty explained. “They’re also getting married at the same time as we are. And not only them.” He began telling his mom about the multiple weddings that were going to take place in the fall. He watched her as she smiled and while she seemed overwhelmed a bit by all the information flung at her in such a short time, she appeared delighted to hear about everything she was hearing.

“There’s something else Rusty wants to tell you, Mrs. Wilder,” Matty intervened.

“Something better than the fact that he’s getting married to a handsome young man?”

“Not better, but it’s second in importance,” Rusty said. He took one deep breath for courage and then said, “I’m singing opera, mom. And I’m getting paid for it.”

She covered her mouth for a moment, her eyes widening in disbelief. “That’s incredible, Rusty! I thought you wanted to impress your dad so much that you gave up on your singing forever.”

“It looks like it’s not so easy to get rid of something you like,” Rusty replied while scratching his head. “And I’ve never given up on it. I just… kept it a secret, I guess.”

“That’s great news, Rusty. When can I see you performing?”

“We have some videos to show you,” Matty said as he pulled his phone out. “Rusty is already a celebrity on the Internet because of his singing. All these are from his debut that only happened yesterday.”

Sharon clapped her hands and covered her face again like a child feeling so excited that she didn’t know what to do or how to express it. “Please, Matthew, show me everything you have there.”

Rusty and Matty sat on the bed by her sides, and Matty held the phone up so that she could see everything.

“The sound is not the best because these were taken by people in the audience,” Rusty explained.

“Hush already, let me listen to you sing.”

Rusty exchanged a look with Matty over his mom’s head. As he listened to her whispered comments about his performance, his heart melted for good. He was truly happy.

***

“I’ll go talk to my mom for a second,” Jonathan informed Maddox as soon as they were back home.

While he had every intention of keeping Rusty’s secret, which was basically his mom’s secret, he still wanted to see her face when he told her about Rusty’s amazing performance, the first of many, at least as far as official appearances on a stage went. He also wanted to see his mom losing the pretense for once and show how happy she was for someone she had taken under her wing.

Maddox kissed him and yawned. “Okay, I’ll go take a shower. And then I’ll wait for you, naked between the sheets.”

“Are you trying to make me skip an important conversation with mom?” Jonathan asked, while pulling Maddox into a second kiss that lasted a bit longer.

“What important conversation?” Maddox asked right away.

“About Rusty and his debut. I know, I won’t let her know we know she was there, but I still want to see how she reacts to what I’m going to tell her about her protégé.”

“Okay. If you feel like you need any reinforcements, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Maddox barely stifled a second yawn and gave up eventually.

“If I don’t find you awake, I’ll just have to use your sexy body,” Jonathan warned his beautiful fiancé.

“I won’t mind, for sure. But hey, I won’t fall asleep. Don’t even insinuate that.”

Jonathan patted Maddox discreetly on the butt while sending him away. He had every incentive to keep the conversation with his mom as short as possible while still achieving his goal. Francine had always been a stubborn person, and Jonathan had loved to make her happy and proud of him. This was a different story, he thought as he asked Mr. Simmons where he could find his mom.

She was in her office – each of his parents had one – and seemed to be in an organizing mood given the stacks of papers on her desk.

“You boys are back?” she asked with a small smile. “Just for the record, you two don’t have to report to me all of the time, but it would be nice to be told when you leave home to attend your friend’s debut in the world of opera.”

Fine. She was starting it. Jonathan grinned and closed the door behind him. “So you knew.”

“Of course I knew. I know everything when it concerns someone I’m invested in.” She paused for a moment and studied him over her many stacks of envelopes and other things. Only then did Jonathan realize what was with all of the things spread out on her desk.

“Are these all of the wedding invitations?”

“Yes, and they turned out great.”

He took one as she handed it to him and only then realized what he was looking at. “Do you intend to do all of them by hand?”

Francine shrugged. “I have been known for my beautiful calligraphy for decades now. Why not?”

“Um,” Jonathan said, shifting in his chair and taking another look at the cursive writing on the card. “How about because it’s a little nuts to write hundreds of these by yourself? How’s that for a reason?”

“Do you think I’d mangle your name or Maddox’s by mistake?” she asked, looking quite affronted by the mere suggestion.

“No, I’m just thinking about your wrists and your eyes.”

“I’m not old, Jonathan,” Francine said in a pointed tone. “I’m sure you and Maddox will take care of making me one of the younger grandmothers in the neighborhood.”

“You’re thinking ahead,” Jonathan replied smoothly.

“Someone must. Young people have such a strong tendency to forget what’s important from time to time.”

“And you believe that Maddox and I would somehow forget about the importance of children in our lives?”

“Yes.” She wasn’t one to cut corners. “You are very much in love with each other, and when people are happy, they might forget about adding more and more things to their happiness.”

“Then I’m a bit surprised that you and dad decided to have only me.”

Francine hadn’t stopped organizing the invitations on her desk since he’d come into the room, but she stopped now. She didn’t look at him as the next words left her mouth. “Not for lack of trying, dear.”

“This is news to me,” Jonathan said. “I thought you two didn’t want more than an heir to the kingdom.”

Francine shook her head and then looked at him. “That wasn’t the case. I envy Florence and her full house. But don’t let her know that,” she added and pointed an invitation at him, angled so that its corner looked like the sharp end of a weapon. “Even as we love each other to pieces, we are still in a sort of competition.”

His mom was trying to gloss over things that must have hurt her in the past, and this admission of weakness was so new to Jonathan that he didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, Jonathan,” she said in a warm voice, “don’t give me that look. Pity from my one and only son is not part of my diet.”

“I seriously don’t know what to say, mom,” he said.

“You don’t have to say anything. You just have to do something.”

“What?”

“Didn’t I tell you only earlier?” Francine gave him another motherly smile. “Bring home as many grandchildren as you two think yourselves capable of raising. And if you don’t find yourselves capable of doing that, leave it all to me. I’ll take care of them.”

Jonathan let out a short laugh. “Are you going to torture them with French each summer break?”

“It’s a beautiful language. But I will take your cues on your children’s education.”

“They might not be too crazy about French, but there’s someone else who wants to learn it badly.”

“Who?” Francine asked, looking at him.

“Rusty,” Jonathan replied, accompanying his words with a sly smile.

“Rusty,” Francine said with a sigh. “Do you mean, that ingrate fool that didn’t even think of inviting me to witness his debut?”

“As if such small things as invitations have ever stood in your way when you wanted something,” Jonathan pointed out.

For a few moments, there was a battle of wills between them, as they stared at each other in a typical standoff.

“Is there something else you wish to tell me, dear?” Francine asked, showing a little teeth.

“I don’t know, mom. Isn’t there something you wish to tell me?”

“Like what?”

He had come in here to make her confess to having wanted so badly to see Rusty’s debut that she had jumped into the car and ordered Mr. Simmons to take her to the show. But he could allow his mom small victories, given the sacrifices she must have made over the years.

“Come here,” Francine said.

He got up and moved around the table to let her embrace him.

“Tell Rusty he’s invited to take French lessons under my guidance.”

“That’s great. It’s all I wanted to hear from you.”

She pinched his cheek. “That’s not all, however. I love you, child. I’ve made my share of mistakes with you, so I hope you can forgive me.”

“Like I’d ever be able to hold a grudge. You’re in charge of five weddings, because you want all my friends to be here. Thank you, mom, you’re the best.”

“Excellent. Now, shoo. And make sure Maddox understands my demands, as well.”

“Demands, huh?”

“That is how we work in this family, isn’t it? I wouldn’t want to disappoint everyone.”

“Okay, I get it. But you know that you will have real competition from Florence when it comes to raising your grandchildren.”

“I believe I can manage that,” she said promptly and gestured at the door. “I have a ton of work to do.”

TBC

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