Propping up on an elbow, he fiddled with one of my unruly curls and fell silent as he waited for me to take my turn.
Eden, he’s not asking for details, so tell him C-section and leave it at that. It’s not lying.
This was Echo’s way of reminding me about the personal oath I’d taken. Being truthful was something I’d started doing at the beginning of the summer because being honest with Drew was important to me. I took a deep breath and began, even though I was pretty sure the answer wasn’t going to be enough for someone like him. He’d want specific details. Even though I expected it, I still prayed he wouldn’t ask me to elaborate after I gave him a short version of the truth.
I closed my eyes, dreading the inevitable reaction as I said, “I was born emergency C-section as well.”
“Wow, seriously? I guess we are both lucky, it’s crazy that we were both born the same way.”
Echo chuckled, a sarcastic sound, Hmm, sorry, handsome, not exactly.
“The reason I was an emergency delivery was due to my mom’s uterus rupturing.” Drew cringed like he’d felt the pain himself. “It took the idiot doctor longer than it should have to piece together what was happening. It’s a miracle my mom or I survived. She almost hemorrhaged to death. So that’s my story. What’s yours? Why did your mom need a C-Section with you?”
He glanced at me, and I felt my face get cold as the blood drained from it.
Echo whistled low and long in my head. Oh-kay—I have no advice on how to get around that one, sorry Darlin, but you’re on your own.
My heart plummeted to the ground and shattered, taking my hopes for a simple conversation with it. It was getting complicated fast, and I didn’t do complicated well. I sat there thinking about where to begin for a long moment before finally settling on telling him the ugly truth. Something, I'd only ever told one other person, my best friend, Jennifer.
“My mother had a C-section because she died before she ever got the chance to go into labor with me. The rancher who owned the field I was born in had heard the gunshot and her scream. He’d come running, and the news reports say he got there just in time to see the silhouette of the man who’d shot her running into the woods. She was only thirty-four weeks pregnant with me when she died. The bullet pierced her heart. Call it coincidence, I believe it was divine intervention, but what the papers didn’t say was that the “rancher” was a veterinarian and knew enough about human anatomy to safely cut me out of my mother. So, you see, the emergency was for me more than her. Dad says it was a miracle I lived at all, and I believe that with every ounce of my being.”
Telling Drew my story in a flurry of rushed words pulled all the same emotional chords it had when I’d told Jennifer for the first time. Glancing heavenward, I experienced a sudden wave of nostalgia wash through me because I knew that’s where my mother would have ended up. I’d never gotten the chance to meet her alive and in the flesh. Bringing my attention back to Drew, our eyes locked, and I told him the most significant detail.
“My mother’s name was Echo.”
There was thick, heavy silence, and I waited to see what he would say or do. He just stared, apparently at a loss for words. There was no pity in his eyes when he finally looked at me, but the way they softened with understanding conveyed an overwhelming sense of empathy that made me want to cry. He got it and, therefore, got me. It was barely a whisper when he found his voice again.
“I can’t even begin to imagine what that must be like, Eden. It makes me want to call my mom right now and tell her I love her. I’d say I’m sorry, but I know how annoying it can be when people start apologizing for the loss of a loved one you never knew in the first place.”
At that, I hiked a brow of my own and wondered how he’d come to know what that feels like. I started thinking about the times I’d seen Drew over the years, and it occurred to me that I’d never seen him with anyone other than his mother or friends.
“Who did you lose but never have the pleasure of knowing,” I asked with a sinking feeling that I already knew the answer.
A series of emotions raced across his face, competing for dominance until his features settled into a distant stare.
“My father, he died before I was born. He was in Kosovo, fighting the war.”
There was a touch of sadness in his voice, and my heart ached for him.
“My mom never remarried. She says my dad was it for her. Not to say she doesn’t have the occasional boyfriend,” he cringed at the thought, “but she isn’t interested in taking anyone else’s last name.”
“I can’t say I blame her, Drew, Graves is a pretty awesome last name. I wouldn’t want to change it either if I were her.”
I gave him a bright smile, and he chuckled.
“Well, what about your dad, did he ever remarry? Did they ever catch the guy who—you know?”
For someone who always seemed so confident, he sure looked uncomfortable. I laughed because he was adorable when he was nervous. “You mean the guy who killed her,” I said, ducking my head
