Debby’s POV:
I was woken up by loud noises and voices coming from the living room.
I yawned and then sat upright to look at my pup.
I spent most of my hours looking after her, making sure that she was resting well and being fed whenever she was about to cry. I even changed her diapers twice. It was early, yet I was getting used to taking care of her.
“Leave!” Jay’s voice came on.
I quickly got out of bed and walked out of the room with a pounding heart.
Who could upset him this morning? Was it his brother? I wondered.
When I walked into the living room, I instantly regretted it.
An elderly woman who stood in front of him looked at me with a glare on her face, while the elderly man gave me a bored look.
“Oh, I see. Is it because of her?” she asked as I frowned.
“She has nothing to do with anything, and didn’t you hear me? Stop acting like a bitch and get the fuck out, mother!” he yelled, shocking me.
Mother? Was he talking so disrespectfully to his own biological mother? I knew he wasn’t in contact with her, but that was too much, even for someone he hated.
“Apologize to her,” I said seriously as he looked at me in disbelief.
“What?” he asked in a low tone.
“I don’t care if you hate her or if you aren’t on speaking terms, but you can’t call someone who gave birth to you a bitch. Apologize to her,” I said seriously as the woman smiled happily, then looked at him patiently, waiting for her apology.
Jay sighed softly, then brushed his hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a murmur.
“Jay!” I exclaimed.
“Fine! Mother, I am sorry for being disrespectful a while ago,” he apologized loudly.
“And also to the man sitting there. She may or may not be your father, but you still disrespected him by being mean to your mother,” I said.
“Damn it,” he whispered, then looked at the man seriously.
“I apologize to you too, Father, for my rudeness,” he apologized as the man nodded at him.
I was startled when the woman moved and grabbed my hands happily.
“I’m so happy to finally meet you. I heard a lot about you from my other son, and when the manager called to tell us how Jay was back in his apartment, we came rushing to meet him and greet you,” she said as Jay furiously walked to where we were.
“Did Martinez tell you everything?”
“Yes, by now you should know that your brother isn’t a very good secret keeper when he is drunk. He called very late at night, talking about how your new girlfriend had a baby girl. We were shocked by the news but also very happy and excited to meet them,” she answered.
“I’m going to kill him,” he spat as the woman laughed softly.
“He is your little brother,” she reminded him.
“So, what is your name, dear?” she asked me.
I looked at Jay seriously. When he nodded at me, I looked back at her and then cleared my throat.
“My name is Debby,” I answered.
“Wow, what a beautiful name. I’m Mrs. Gomez, and the man over there is my husband. Feel free to call us mother and father since you are now a part of the family,” she said.
“Wait, wait, wait. Mother, do you not remember how you disowned me? You said I was no longer a part of the family,” he said loudly.
She dropped her hands and then went to her husband and sat next to him.
“We do remember everything. When you left, we thought you would easily come back when you experienced the hardships of the world, which I guess we were wrong about. You left and everything changed in our lives. Your brother was very lonely, and your mother blamed herself for not hearing you out when you wanted our understanding. She rarely went to work for a few weeks and cried herself to sleep,” Mr. Gomez answered sadly, then continued.
We both had regrets, and there wasn’t much we could do about it. We feared how you would react if we came to ask you to come back. You would definitely hate us and think we aren’t genuine with our words. As years went by, we discovered how happy you were with your new family, and we decided not to ruin anything for you. Now, after hearing the news from your brother about how you were thinking of reconciling with us, we decided to come here first,” he said.
“We also want to apologize for being horrible parents to you. We paid no attention to what you wanted, and we only thought of what would benefit us as a family and what would strengthen our name and status. This time, if you will give us a chance and forgive us, we promise to do our very best to be by your side,” she said in a cracked voice as Mr. Gomez wrapped his arm around her shoulder for comfort.
Jay stood there in silence, not moving or reacting in any way.
I walked to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him in front of them, then letting go.
He slowly leaned in and hugged them both.
“I forgive you,” he whispered as tears filled my eyes.
If my parents were still alive, I would waste no time making them happy every day and letting them know how much I loved them. The fact that his parents were alive and willing to stand by his side meant they really loved him.
I moved my hand and wiped off the tears that were rolling down my cheeks.
When Jay pulled back and looked at me, he quickly rushed to my side.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in concern.
“I just remembered my late parents. If not for the accident that took their lives, they would have been happy to meet you and your family,” I answered seriously.
I wasn’t going to tell them what actually happened, but I wasn’t going to lie about them being alive.
“Oh, darling,” Mrs. Gomez whispered when Jay embraced me.
“I am okay with you calling me mother. We actually want you to be very open with us, just like you would be with your parents,” she said.
I pulled back happily and nodded.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She pulled out a cell phone from her purse and dialed a number.
“Bring them in,” she ordered, then ended the call and stood up, going to the door.
“Mother, what are you doing?” Jay asked when she opened it.
“Nothing,” she answered, then stepped aside as men walked in, carrying a lot of wrapped gifts in their hands.
“Mother, seriously, what is all this?” he asked when the men went out after putting the gifts down, and more walked in.
“Don’t act so surprised. I wasn’t there for my first grandchild, and I won’t neglect my second one. She will be in the best designer clothes, as well as my daughter-in-law, so always be prepared,” she answered.
I was so grateful for everything, and I wanted to do my best to live up to their expectations, not because of the money, but because of Jay. I wanted to be with him, and I missed what it felt like to have parents who loved me. I wanted their approval.
“By the way, where is our other grandchild?” Mr. Gomez asked, making me feel nervous.
“After my wife died, I decided to let Micah stay with her Aunt Olivia. To be honest, they were both living with me until I found out that Debby was pregnant with my child. That’s when I decided to move out of the house,” he lied.
“Oh, I’m so sorry for reminding you about your late wife. We understand, though. But one day, we would love to meet our other grandchild,” Mrs. Gomez said.
“Of course you will, just not right now,” he answered.
“Of course,” she said, and I sighed in relief.