Uncharted Territory

I don’t think I’d ever been as nervous to see Mrs. Hutcherson as I was at that moment. I had practically grown up with her as my second mother, but the thought of seeing her then was absolutely terrifying What if she hated me for ruining her son’s marriage? What if she didn’t want me around him at all?

No matter how many times Josh tried to assure me that everything was going to be fine, I didn’t believe him, and my heart was still racing when I knocked on the Hutcherson’s small home.

Josh was the one to answer, and I was so thankful that it was him and not someone else.

“I’m so glad you made it,” he said with a smile, stepping to the side to guide me into the house.

“Me too,” I replied and nodded my head softly while he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him. He guided me into the house, where Mrs. Hutcherson was standing in the hallway, an oven mitt in her hand as she smiled.

“Erin, it’s so good to see you,” she said, taking a few steps forward and wrapping me into a hug. It didn’t feel any different than the last time she had hugged me at the wedding, but I was still shaking.

“It’s nice to see you too, Mrs. Hutcherson,” I said. “You look lovely.”

She chuckled at me, shaking her head. “It’s Michelle, dear. You know that. You haven’t called me Mrs. Hutcherson since you were six years old.”

I smiled nervously, nodding my head. “Right, sorry, Michelle.”

Michelle laughed again before she wrapped her hand around my waist and began pulling me into the other room. “Why don’t you help me finish up in the kitchen and we’ll let the boys watch their sports.”

I followed her into the kitchen where she had a large meal whipped up, which smelled just as good as it looked. She passed me a ceramic dish of mashed potatoes and I took it to the table while she followed me with a few steaks – Josh’s favorite.

I had just set the dish onto the table when Michelle turned to me and smiled, pulling me into a hug again. She let go after just a few seconds and began putting silverware back on the table while she looked at me.

“I always knew it would work out in the end,” she said as she laid down a napkin at each setting. “Even when he announced that stupid wedding, I always knew things would works themselves out.”

I looked at her with my head tilted to the side, confusion written all over my face. “What?”

“You and Josh,” she continued, moving things around so they were nice and straight. “I always knew you’d end up together. Mothers have an eye for these things, you know.”

I blushed uncontrollably, turning my head away from her to straighten up a chair in hopes that she wouldn’t see.

“No need to blush, dear,” she continued, smiling at me. “The truth is the truth. You make Josh very happy. Always have, even when you were little.” She paused, pressing her lips together the same way Josh did. “Now, why don’t you go get the boys before the food gets cold?”

My cheeks were still red when I nodded, and I went back out into the living room, where Josh was already standing in the doorway and smiling at me.

“So, how was it?” He asked as he took both of my hands in his. “Did she rip your head off like you thought she would?”

I laughed at him, shaking my head while I tilted it to the side. “Remember all those play dates we used to have? I think our moms were trying to set us up.”

Josh laughed, leaning forward so his lips were just inches from mine. He was smiling at me as he pressed his lips to mine, and when he pulled away he rested his forehead against my own. “Finally she did something right.”