Bittersweet Love

Chapter Four: Grandma's House

Evelynn

“Dad?” I called out as I walked through the front door of grandma’s, well now my house. As I pulled up in the driveway, I took in everything that was still here that dad kept. The apple tree in the front of the house grew bigger than I expected but yet, looked small. I remember climbing the branches and just sitting there reading books while munching on apples. Mom and dad had to practically climb the tree to get me down. Connor was just as bad except he would always have his nerf gun and shoot them to keep them away.

God, I miss him. He’s been calling but I’ve been ignoring his phone calls and messages. He’s pissed I haven’t talked to him about what happened. It’s something I want to avoid right now, but eventually I’ll talk.

A picture that grandpa drew still hung on the porch. It was a black and white sketch of the creek that flowed through back and it was beautiful. I remember spending lots of time playing in the water with June and Connor growing up. I stood there at the picture and tilted my head, noticing something that I haven’t noticed before. I guess I never really looked at it in depth. There were four silhouettes of children running around but why? Why four? It was just me, Connor and June…I shook my head and kept looking around, trying to remember our times here.

The porch swing was replaced with a newer one as the old one was getting rusty. Looking around at the freshly painted white house brought back lots of memories, some I wish would come alive again. I can only hope with Aless they will.

I know with Aless they will and when Connor has a child they will be as close as we were growing up.

Being here was bittersweet. As much as I loved this place, this is also where we found out about grandpa’s accident where he didn’t make it. It was the last place grandma saw Aless before she passed away. Being here makes me sad but at the same time, I know it was meant to make me happy.

They would want this for us.

A home for us.

But something felt missing…someone was missing and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Dad?” I called again, this time getting a bit frustrated as I kicked off my shoes at the front door, leaving it open to let fresh air flow through while the screen door protected the house from the outside bugs.

“Kitchen, Rose.” He yelled as I rolled my eyes. When he gets sentimental he called me Rose, my middle name, the same as Grandma’s.

I headed into the kitchen as I looked around the living room on the way. Dad has been working nonstop to make this house updated for Aless and I but I know Travis has been helping as much as he could but I feel like others were helping as well. There is no way they did this all on their own.

But regardless of who was helping them, they did a beautiful job. New hardwood floors were placed throughout the entire downstairs. The fireplace was redone and cleaned with a television hanging above the mantal. Pictures adorn the walls throughout the living room and hallway, everything from us as a family when we were younger, a picture of grandma and grandpa on her seventy fifth birthday, a picture of Connor and I the day I graduated college with me jumping on his back laughing, one of dad and I on my wedding day dancing, and many more.

When I walked into the kitchen I was tackled by a little minion gripping my legs, “Mommy!” she squealed, hugging me.

“Hey bug.” I bent down and kissed her chubby cheek, “How was school? Are you liking it?”

“I love it mama! I’ve made lots of friends.” She started school last week and she has been waking up earlier and earlier wanting to get ready. I hope that stays with her; I really do.

“I am so happy to hear that but I’ve miss you so much!” I squeezed her a bit tighter, “Hey dad. Thank you for getting her for me.”

“Anytime Rose.” He came over and kissed my forehead, “How did dress shopping go?”

“You know how June is.” I rolled my eyes.

“That I do but I’m sure the dress you picked is amazing.” He turned around and opened the fridge to pull out the pasta salad he made for me, knowing it was my favorite, “How was your day?”

“Weird.”

“Oh, please do tell?”

“It’s just…Zander stopped by.” He stopped moving for a brief second as he looked at me, but it was so brief you could almost miss it. It was weird. Every time in the past when I mentioned him mom and dad froze a bit but never really said anything. I know they were friends with his parents but it’s like they know something. Even when we were in college, dad was always tense around me when I was with Zander. It didn’t stop until after the car accident, “Dad…”

“Huh?”

“Why do you guys always do that?”

“Do what?”

“I know his mom is good friends with mom but why do you guys always tense up when he’s brought up? I just don’t understand. I mean I don’t bring him up often but when we do…”

He pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, “There is more to everything sweetheart and I think it’s time you and your mother have a chat.” He came over and pulled me into a hug, “It really is a long story but we thought things would be back to normal by now but clearly, things aren’t.”

“Please don’t tell me he’s related to me because that’s just disgusting if he is and you guys never told me.” I shuddered at the thought of his possibly being my cousin or something. That’s just…wrong. I’ve had a crush on him in the past and thinking about my crushing on my cousin makes me want to vomit, “But what do you mean normal?”

“No. Trust me there is no relation between the two of you…” he mumbled.

“But…you never answered me about what you mean normal.”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair. The tension rose a bit in the room as we stood there in silence. Aless, sensing something was off, decided to run off to her room and watch Pokémon, leaving dad and I here.

We were always able to talk in the past so what’s stopping him from talking to me now?

“There are things that happened in the past that we are not exactly proud of Evie. Things happened that caused a chain reaction. We thought things would get better or change but they never did.”

“Is that part of the reason why Zander and I stopped hanging out when we were kids?”

“No. That was purely because his mom and dad moved away because of a job offer but…” He mumbled, “Just…talk to your mother.” He clapped his hands suddenly, giving me the biggest grin he could, “Let me give you a tour of the house. I changed things up a bit.”

I dropped the subject. Clearly dad was uncomfortable talking about it and I didn’t want to make things worse but I knew I needed to figure out what he was talking about. He took me around the house and showed me room after room. He updated everything. The kitchen had all knew appliances and countertops. The dining room had a wall to wall floor to ceiling bookshelf that were decorated with different knickknacks and plants. The table itself was beautiful. I traced my hand on it, feeling the engravings on the edge. It was so intricate and beautiful but familiar.

“Dad…”

“Yes Rose?”

“Where did you get this table? The carvings…they’re…familiar.” It was like a scene from the woods, a lake with birds and flowers all along the edge. My head started to hurt the more I looked at it and I don’t know why. I shook it off and looked over at my dad as he was leaning against the wall.

“An old friend made if for you.” He smiled, “He wanted to make sure that you had a welcoming place to eat and such. He knows how much you love lakes and the outdoors so he wanted to add this special touch for you. Isn’t it amazing?”

“He did a beautiful job. Who did it?” I mumbled but dad didn’t answer me. It is truly amazing that this was hand carved. He continued to show me around as he took me upstairs. Aless’ room was beautiful. A room full of pinks, purples and white and made for a princess. She had everything you could ever think of. She was laying down in the corner on a giant unicorn chair, sleeping while clutching a smaller unicorn. I went over and picked her up to tuck her in. She had a full day so of course she was tired.

The next door we opened was a spare room. There was a king sized bed in the center fully made with grays and blues. A desk and a dresser with some pictures hanging from the walls, making it a normal standard room. I walked in and noticed on the nightstand were a stack of books, The Vow, A walk to remember. I picked it up and smiled. I loved these books and movies but why was it here?

“Dad…” I mumbled when I held up book and showed him.

“Oh, he must have left that here. Just leave it. I’m sure when he comes back he’ll grab it.”

“Um…okay?”

“Well, lets go to your room.” He said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me across the hall. When I opened the door, a blast of cherry vanilla flooded my senses, making me transport into a memory of the past when I first started college. My dorm room was filled with this scent when I was introduced to it by Zander when we became friends. He bought me a candle and as soon as we lit it, the smell was addicting and it’s been my favorite ever since. Evan couldn’t stand the smell so I never had anything like this. It just brought me more memories.

The walls were a very soft purple with black accents and had a giant bay window with fairy lights, making it absolutely breathtaking. There was an old style vanity that was refinished which used to be grandma’s along with a picture of June and I from college as well as another of June, me, Zander, Travis and Evan. I picked it up and looked at it, confused. I don’t remember this picture. Zander was looking at me and I was looking at him while the others were looking at the camera. It was confusing.

“What is this?” I asked softly.

Dad’s eyes went wide a bit before he grabbed that, “It’s um…nothing.”

“I don’t remember this picture ever being taken…” I mumbled, “When did that happen and…”

“It happened about six years ago right before you got married.” He sighed out, “I didn’t know it was here.”

“But…this never happened?” I looked up at dad, “I never had a picture with all of them. Evan and Zander hate each other for some reason and…” I looked at it again but something didn’t seem right. Why do I not remember this? Why am I so happy but I wasn’t looking at Evan, I was looking at Zander who was looking at me. What the heck is going on? “Dad…”

“Connor called…you should call him back. He said he’s been trying to reach you but you aren’t answering his phone calls or messages.”

“It’s because he wants to talk about what happened.” I sighed out, “Can you please tell me what is going on with this picture? I just…it’s really bothering me.”

“Rose, I really do think you should talk to your mother and maybe have June with you.”

“But why? Why can’t you tell me? Why am I in this picture with Zander and we are smiling at each other? Why don’t I remember this?”

“I promise, you talk to them, I will be there with you, and everything will make sense but please, talk to them.”

“Dad…” I groaned, knowing it was a lost cause at this point. He hated conflict especially when it came to me but this was a lost cause. I know I wasn’t going to get anything out of him.

“I’m going to go and head out. You have a full pantry and fridge. Maybe call June and Travis to come over and hang out, show them the new place. I’m sure they would love it.” That’s confusing. Didn’t Travis help him with the place?

He came over and gave me a soft kiss on the top of my head while I sat on my bed before walking away. He turned and looked back as I looked up at him, still holding the picture in my hands, confused. His eyes started to water which confused me even more as he gave me a tender smile.

Something was going on and I was going to find out what happened.

The last time I really spoke to Zander was after the car accident and I can remember it like it was yesterday but I didn’t want to think about it. That was the day our friendship ended. I was too distraught with the loss of my child and everything else I didn’t want to deal with anyone. The cherry on top of that cake was when Evan came over and showed me the message from Zander, saying that he was tired of the back and forth and he was done with me. It broke my heart but I at least had Evan to help me.

I pulled out my phone and sent a message to June and Travis to come over and see the new place. What I didn’t realize was there was a message from Evan saying that the banquet was going to start at seven instead of eight and we were required to be there a bit early which I replied with a simple okay. He didn’t say anything else as I tossed myself on the bed and closed my eyes, not wanting to fall asleep but it happened anyway.

The beeping echoed in the room as I stirred a bit. I scrunched my nose at the smell of the disinfectant that surround me while feeling something down my throat, choking me a bit. My eyes flashed open as my heart rate picked up. I tried to claw the tube out from me while someone rushed in and held my hands down.

“Shhh…hey it’s okay. Let me get this out of you but I need you to calm down before I do that, okay?” she whispered, “It’s going to feel uncomfortable but as soon as it’s out you will feel a lot better. Nod if you understand.” And I did as I felt the tears welling in my eyes at the uncomfortableness, “Okay, just hold on and don’t move too much.”

I tried to stay as still as I could while she took out the breathing tube. The first gasp of air was a relief while my throat was so sore. She checked my breathing and vitals while I tried to calm myself down. Why was I in the hospital? What happened?

“How long?” I asked with a scratchy voice.

“Three weeks.” She mumbled as she sat down next to me, “I set a message to the nurses to call your family to meet you here. They stepped out for a bit not long ago but they should be here soon.”

“What day is it?” I asked.

“September 6th.” She asked and my eyes just started to water, “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

I shook my head, “No. But why can’t I remember anything from the last eight months…you said I was out for three weeks but…” I started to cry, “I…I can’t remember!”

“What was the last thing you remember?”

I thought really hard while I wiped the tears away, “I was…I was at a dinner with June, Travis, Evan and Zander back in like January. There was a fight but I don’t know with who or what about. Everything’s blur. That’s all.”

There was a knock on the door making both of us look over and there was Evan, standing in the doorway with tears in his eyes as his chest was heaving in and out, “Is this for real? Are you really awake?”

I nodded, “Yeah. Evan…I don’t remember anything.”

He looked over at the doctor and she confirmed, “She doesn’t remember the last eight months.”

He looked at me and something flashed in his eyes, “I am more than happy to tell you what happened.” He grinned while he sat next to me. He started to show me pictures of us and telling me story after story.

“We…we were set to get married.” He sighed as he pulled out an engagement ring from his pocket and showed it to me. It was beautiful but something felt…wrong, “You just found out a couple months ago you were going to have a baby and you were so happy.” He started to tear up a bit while my hand went to my stomach, “You unfortunately lost the baby but I still love you, so so much. And I just…I need you in my life Evelynn. I need you. I need you to…I just…”

The door opened making us look up and there was June and Travis with Zander behind them. My chest tightened looking at them, especially Zander. I don’t know why but I feel like I should be with him, to go to him and hug him. He didn’t move from where he was standing. Instead, he just looked between Evan and I as Evan held my hand, holding an engagement ring with tears in his eyes. Zander looked hurt, upset, pissed but then his face flashed into what I would call nothingness. He instantly seemed like he went numb.

“What are you doing here? You know you’re not supposed to be here.” June said as she came over and pulled him up.

“What the hell. Let me go!” he snapped and that made Travis come over and step in front of her, “I’m here to see my fiancé.”

“Like hell.” Zander started to say but Evan cut him off.

“She’s my fiancé and nothing you say is going to change that.”

“Evelynn….” June whispered, pushing past him and coming to me, “What’s going on? You know…”

“I can’t remember.” I cried, “I can’t remember anything from the past eight months…all I remember was being with Evan and dating, I remember the dinner in January and….” I broke down, thinking of how I don’t remember getting pregnant or why they were mad at Evan or why Zander looks like he wants to kill Evan.

“Babe…” June whispered as she pulled me into a hug. She looked at the guys, “Get out of here, all of you. Let me talk to her.”

“June…” Zander groaned, “You know I need to talk to her.”

“Not right now. Not like this. None of you. Not until I talk to her and see where she’s at.”

“No. She’s my fiancé and I should be here.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Like hell you are.” Zander started to raise his voice, making me wince.

“Evan….” I whispered out, “Please stay. Please.” And that made everyone look at me. I don’t know why but they looked hurt and confused while Evan looked happy as can be.

“Evie…” June started to say when Zander cut in.

“It’s okay.” He sighed, “If she remembers then everything will be okay. Until then, she needs to make her choices based on what she remembers.” He came over to me as Evan glared at him. He gave me a soft smile before bending down and kissing the top of my head with a sad smile, “You might not remember but I always will.” And with that, he gave Travis a guy hug and a small hug to June as he walked out the door without looking back. June looked between us and ran out the door to catch up with him with Travis on her heel.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked softly, looking up at Evan, “Why is everyone so sad?”

“Let me tell you everything baby and it will all make sense…”

I woke up with a startle remembering when I woke up in the hospital. My chest hurt remembering the look on everyone’s face. I remember talking to Evan and him telling me what happened. I remember talking to June and Travis and them telling me a similar story but they were still hesitant about some of the things they were telling me, same with mom and dad. I remember trying to reach out to Zander only for him to start ignoring me so I gave up.

“Evie!” I heard from downstairs. I let out a puff of air and looked at the clock seeing it read six pm. With a stretch I walked down the stairs to see June with Travis, looking around the house, “They did amazing.”

“Dad did good.” I smiled as I walked to her, “You both did. Thanks for helping dad. I really do appreciate it.”

“I um…didn’t.” And June glared at him before he said, “Yeah. It’s no problem. I was happy to help. So, when are you two moving in?”

“Most of the stuff is here. I just need to get our clothes and we will be good to go.”

“How about this. Tomorrow is the banquet so while you’re there with asshat, Travis and I can hang with my beautiful niece and get your clothes over here and unpack. And then when the night is over, you can come back and we can have a movie night.”

“But what if Evan wants me to go home with him. I really don’t want to but…”

“Just tell him you’re hanging out with me for wedding planning. It’s not a complete lie. Now, let Travis stay here with Aless while we get you pampered with a spa day for tomorrow.”

“Oh good because I wanted to ask you questions.”

“About?”

“What happened before the accident.” I sighed and looking at June and Travis, they both froze for a moment.

“What about it?”

“I don’t know. We know I still don’t remember a huge part of that year but dad was saying something about talking to you guys and mom and I had a dream of the day I woke up and it’s just so confusing. I just…I feel like I need to know what happened.”

She looked over at Travis who nodded his head, “Okay. We will talk about it, but after the divorce and everything okay? Let’s concentrate on one thing at a time and we can go from there.”

I didn’t like that idea but I went with it. Maybe she was right. One thing at a time and right now, my priority is getting out of the house one hundred percent and getting things settled for Aless and I but I will find out what happened before I woke up in the hospital.

I have to because I feel like whatever happened was going to change my life.