let the light in | jack hughes

Chapter 84

[June 17, 2024]

Beatrice 

"Happy anniversary Mom." I bend down kissing her temple as I bring my plate of breakfast to the dining table. She thanks me as she admires her wedding band, watching it shine on her ring finger. Despite being a widow, my Mom has never taken her ring off for a long period of time. She never wanted to marry again, my Dad was it for her.

She's told me so many times that Dad was the other half of her soul, no one could ever come close to that and it's not up to them to carry that second-place position in her heart. I wouldn't be angry if Mom fell in love again, I want nothing more than for her to be happy but she's the one who promises me that she's as happy as she could ever be. 

Jack takes the seat beside me, asking my Mom to tell him the story of how she met her husband. She puts down whatever she was working on and grabs her mug of tea. She crosses one leg over the other and leans in, putting her elbows on the table. Mom tells the story in great detail even telling us what outfits she was wearing that day. 

My boyfriend and his brothers are captivated by the story asking further questions and wanting to know more. "And then what happened Kata?" Luke asks, taking a bite of his crepe. "So then he moved with me." she shrugs, pushing her glasses further up her nose I swing my legs over Jack's lap as he listens to every word my Mom says. 

He puts his hand on the outer part of my knee, holding it gently. I stab a strawberry with my fork and raise it to my mouth noticing that for once this whole breakfast Jack's eyes are no longer on my Mom, they're on my strawberry. I pause, letting it sit against my lips, and move it over to him letting him have it. He takes my ripe berry and then focuses again on the history of the Jae family.

"And that's enough for today boys, I have to get to work." She scrunches her nose up, takes her tea to go, and walks out of the house. Ellen and Jim took an early bus to the other side of the island so they aren't here to join us but I'm sure they would've loved the story as much as their kids did. "What are we doing today?" Luke asks

They all look at me like I call the shots, pulling a little laugh out of me. "I wanted to get a tattoo today if you'd like to join me." I say, putting more fruit in my bowl. Jack nods his head enthusiastically, claiming he's been wanting to get a tattoo too. "Meh, where are all the girls?" Luke asks and lucky for him I know just the beach for him. 

"You're a saint, Beatrice Louise!" Luke yells, running away from us and up the stairs to get ready while Quinn washes his dishes. "I suppose I'll go with him and let you two have a couple's day together." Quinn says, looking at us. I try telling him it's okay but Jack pinches my thigh, silently asking me to not offer and just say thank you. 

Jack washes our dishes while I put on some light makeup and look for an outfit. I decide on a green top a long cream skirt with some Birkenstocks, letting my hair hang over my shoulders. Jack takes a look at my outfit and picks his out to match me. He's lovesick and looks better than I do. I grab my tote bag and yell at the boys to lock the door once they're gone before leaving with my boyfriend.

On our walk there Jack swings our hands, pulling his phone out occasionally to take a picture of the view or of me. "What are you thinking of getting?" he asks, squeezing my hand. I pull out a picture of what I'm hoping to get. I watch his smile droop into a downturned smile, finding my future tattoo to be "precious" as he put it.

"Are you going to get a tattoo?" I turn the question over to him, wondering why he nodded like his life depended on it this morning. He shrugs his shoulders dragging out the word, "Maybe," leading me to jump and down at the fact that I might get to witness Jack getting his first tattoo ever.