[Edward POV]
"I'm sorry for blurting out about what I was feeling when I saw you. I realized that I should've kept the feeling buried inside like a normal human being instead of throwing it at your face so that you can keep the illusion that you're a kind woman. How about that as an apology?"
Haley stared at me with a deadpan expression before she said, "You realize she's my grandmother, right?"
"Ah. Grandmother. I guess I should include that she's old somewhere in the sentence.
As Haley and I walked together to her house, I relied on her help to adjust my undeserved apology to Dede and make it seem more sincere. I was carrying the guitar case on my left hand while Haley stood at my right side.
Haley shook her head and hit my shoulder afterward after hearing my apology template.
She said in concern, "Be more serious. What if my mom thought you're someone who can't apologize for his mistake? Then you cannot come over anymore."
Rubbing my sore shoulder, I said teasingly, "Why do I feel like there's a hidden contempt behind the punch?"
"Must be your imagination." She said as we reached the front door. She quickly stood in front of me and said, "We're here, so don't you dare use that apology. I'm serious. Don't do it."
"I won't. I won't." I said dismissively while shrugging my shoulders. "I was only teasing you, I am not crazy enough to do that in front of your family."
"Hmph! Don't kid yourself. You are crazy enough to do that." She mocked teasingly before opening the front door.
"Edward!" Cam saw me the minute I walked in and ran to the door from the living room sofa he was sitting on to give me a hug.
"Hi Cam. Long time no see."
"Gosh. It's been a long time. How's Taylor?"
I was flabbergasted by the random questioning so I answered, "She's fine…I guess."
"Good. So you're keeping in contact? You have her phone number? Are you guys datin-"
Before Cam could finish his words, Mitchell swooped in and pushed him out of the way. He greeted me calmly as if nothing had happened. "Come in. That must be heavy." He said while pointing at my guitar. "Are you back from practice?"
"No. I owed Haley a song, so I brought it with me to repay my debt here as her family is gathering together."
Mitchell exclaimed in wonder, "OOohh. A new song? I can't wait."
The uncles walked to the kitchen to call Dede to the living room, leaving me alone with Haley there.
Haley whispered, "Wait. Did you write a new song…for me?"
"Maybe." I replied teasingly, making her blush.
Alex and Luke walked into the living room from the kitchen and greeted me.
"I thought you weren't coming." Alex said as she stood close to me and Haley.
"I thought so too. But I need to do this for your mom." I said while turning my focus toward Dede and Claire, who were walking together to the living room.
"I heard you want to talk to me?" Dede said with a calm tone and a scrunched up eyebrow that showed she was uncomfortable. I automatically gritted my teeth as I saw her, but then Haley held my arm and whispered, "Be strong. Be clear. Just like ripping off a bandaid. Be quick. Then you don't have to care about this ever again."
"Uhh…what is happening?" Alex asked, as she could clearly hear what Haley was saying.
I nodded at her and took a step forward to get closer to Dede. As I reached her arm length, I said, "I want to apologize for my rudeness. Please forgive me."
Dede paused for a second before she asked, "Can I know why you did that?"
I smiled at her despite gritting my teeth inside my mouth and spoke with a strained voice. "Because, your advice about homeopathy had influenced my mother and caused me nothing but suffering in my early childhood. But now, I realized that the blame was actually on my mother as she was too gullible to actually be tricked into a pseudo-cult that-"
"Ed. Temper." Haley called out to me hurriedly.
"Ah. Sorry again." I said it without any sincerity in me.
"That's all right. Not all people could understand the beauty and power of mother nature." Dede said without any guilt in her voice.
Despite my brain debunking her claims in 20 different ways, I had to smile and say, "Will you forgive me?"
Dede nodded and said, "I came here to get forgiveness. How hypocritical I would be if I didn't forgive you. Come here." She opened her arms wide to give me a hug, and Claire exclaimed, "Awww," Together with Haley when they saw I was forgiven.
"Ah. You don't have to-" Before I could reject the hug, Dede already had her arms around me. My forehead vein popped out from the anger while Haley enjoyed my misery.
I maintained my smile despite smelling Dede's all-natural body odor, which was forced onto my nose, and finally survived the ordeal after 10 long seconds.
As she released me, I said, "As a peace offering. I had brought a traditional Cuban dish as a gift. It's still frozen, so you should eat it when you get back to Canada." I said as I gave Dede the Ropa Vieja my aunt had made before this. The people that saw me giving a gift to Dede were all smiling, not knowing the story behind the dish.
"Awwh. thank you. I'll enjoy it." Dede said with a smile as she took the container from my hand.
*Ding Dong*
The doorbell rang and my apology session was finally over.
"That must be Gloria." Claire said while turning her head left and right before saying, "Mom. You should go sit near the mantel with Mitchell. You know…Furthest away from Gloria."
"But-" Mitchell tried to protest, but Claire used her eyes to make him obedient. "We'll sit by the piano." Haley said and pulled me to the spot as it has the best view of the living room. Cam was sitting on a single couch with a champagne glass in his hand while Mitchell and her mom were standing nearby, face full of nervousness.
"I'll get it." Phil said as he descended the stairs quickly to open the door.
"Oh, Mitchell, I know it's silly, but I'm a little nervous." Dede said while locking arms with Mitchell.
"Oh, no. That's not silly…You should be." Mitchell replied sarcastically while patting his mother's hand.
At the front door, Manny and Jay walked in with Gloria.
"Hey. How are you?" Phil smiled before turning to a well dressed kid in a dinner jacket and fedora. "Manny."He said while tipping an imaginary hat.
"Phil." Manny did the same gesture before entering the house.
"Hola. I came here to get the artist's autograph!" Gloria said playfully as she entered the house in a pink floral pattern dress and green high heel shoes.
Gloria walked two steps into the house before her smile disappeared instantly as she turned toward the living room.
"Oh, boy." Mitchell exclaimed as he prepared himself for the upcoming storm.
"Dede." Jay muttered as he saw his ex-wife.
"Hi, Jay." Dede greeted him back before turning to the new wife, "Gloria."
"What is she doing here?" Gloria asked with dissatisfaction.
" What does she mean, "what is she doing here?" Mitchell told you I'd be here." Dede asked a bit fearfully as she turned to Mitchell for help.
"Lies!" Gloria exclaimed as her anger bubbled up to the surface.
"Look. I couldn't tell her because she wouldn't come." Mitchell explained before turning to Gloria and saying hurriedly, "Gloria, my mom wants to apologize for everything."
"So you just spring it on Gloria like this? Mitchell, what the hell is wrong with you?" Jay said shamelessly.
"I don't want her apologies." Gloria said in a dissatisfied tone.
"And who could blame you, honey? Which is why this is a terrible idea by you!" Jay said while throwing the blame on Mitchell once more.
"This is entertaining." I muttered. "I wish I had popcorn to enjoy this."
"Shut up. It's not." Haley admonished me.
" Jay, Manny, let's go." Gloria said while pulling Manny and Jay away to get out of the house.
Dede realized she had to step up instead of leaving it all to Mitchell, so she approached Gloria a few steps while begging, "Oh, wait, wait, Gloria.. Gloria.."
Gloria stopped trying to leave and turned to Dede.
"I'd—I just want to tell you how sorry I am for ruining your wedding." Dede said hurriedly.
"I was struggling with being alone…Meanwhile, Jay moves on so easily. And not just with anyone, but with a young, intelligent, and beautiful woman..."
Gloria nodded as if acknowledging Dede's statement before turning angry again.
"I don't expect you to forgive me. If I were you, I'd want to punch me right in the mouth." Dede said.
"Do it." I muttered softly.
Alex pinched me and said, "Be serious."
"....I was serious."
Gloria thought about it for a few seconds before sighing heavily as she glanced at Manny.
[Gloria's commentary]
"I could've punched her in the mouth. I could give her a good punch that she would remember. But how could I do that…in front of the children. I don't want to set a bad example for them. So I had to be better than el diablo."
[Commentary ends]
"No. I think. You have suffered enough." Gloria said while trying to act benevolent. Her act worked as Manny was watching her with glittering eyes as she cemented her position as his role model in his mind.
Mitchell was excited as he saw the anger being thawed out of Gloria's face. "Y-y-you see? Yeah, we're all gonna move past this. And because of me, who -- who's not a mama's boy, but is a caring person with wisdom and emotional insight, So make a note, bitches." He said while pointing at the people around him.
While sipping his wine and enjoying the drama, Cam said to Mitchell, "That's not a good color on you."
While standing facing Dede at a close distance, Gloria said, "I forgive you."
Dede broke into a smile and held her chest in happiness. "Oh. Wow. I am not prepared for this."
She walked toward the smiling Gloria before she said, "I just -- I wa-- I want to rip your head off!"
Dede suddenly attacked Gloria and tried to rip out her hair. Gloria abandoned her intention to forgive Dede and returned to her actions by pulling her hair back. "You ruined my wedding!" Gloria shouted.
Both Dede and Gloria started to fight, startling everyone there but me. While choking each other, both of them fall onto the couch. Gloria's chest almost popped out of her chest therefore Claire hurriedly closed them with her hand to censor it.
Phil interjected quickly and hugged Gloria by the waist before pulling her away, while Mitchell pulled Dede away. Claire tried to help Phil separate the two, but to no avail.
"I got Gloria! I got Gloria! I got Gloria." Phil shouted as he threw himself in between the two women and held Gloria's waist to pull her away. Gloria was confused by Phil, but didn't mind it as he was on her side. Dede was limping her entire body on instinct as she was dragged away by Mitchell and Cam.
"Stand up like a big girl.Come on." Mitchell muttered to make Dede realize they weren't authorities trying to remove her from an establishment as usual.
Jay finally decided to say something after seeing the situation deteriorate. During the fight. "All right, all right, all right. Stop it, stop it, stop it, the two of you!" He stood in between the two women and faced Dede.
Haley said quickly as she became embarrassed by her family, " I am so sorry about this."
"No, it's cool. I like seeing your nana get beat up." I said dismissively as I enjoyed the show.
Standing facing Dede, Jay spoke calmly. "This is ridiculous. Gloria didn't steal me, Dede, and you know it."
Dede lowered her eyes and nodded obediently.
Jay continued, " We grew apart for years. And you left to find yourself, remember?"
Dede said, " I thought I could handle this. I'm so sorry-"
Gloria shouted in anger and tried to walk to Dede to beat her up before getting caught by Phil, "You don't say "sorry" anymore! That word means nothing in your mouth!"
"I got Gloria."
Manny, Claire and Phil tried to stop Gloria from giving Dede the beating of her life.
Dede said, "I don't know what just happened."
Then, the living room became silent as the atmosphere worsened.
"Ugh. This is unbearable. Can't you just… 'Dr. Phil' them like you did to us before?" Alex asked.
"I can, but why should I?" I said.
"Do it for us. Please." Haley said.
Luke interjected, "Do it, then I won't shout what you did inside Haley's room before this-"
I walked out of the corner where the kids were standing and said, "If I can put in my two-cents here."
"Edward. I'm sorry for this-" Claire tried to apologize while everyone else turned their attention towards me.
"It's okay Claire. Dede said, She doesn't know what just happened. But, as an outsider, I can see it. She came here today, because she was reaching out, and trying to hold on to something awesome." I said while pointing at Dede.
"That something is …passionate, and accepting of hot foreigners,..." I said while looking at Gloria, then I turned to Mitch and Cam, "... gay dudes, stray artists," Lastly, I turned to Dede who was sitting alone on the sofa, "and Nutty people."
I sat at the armrest of the lone couch Cam was sitting before and faced the whole family.
"A family, that actually loved each other. When I spent the days where my dad wasn't around, alone inside my house, I felt a bit jealous of Haley, Alex and Luke for having this kind of family." I continued.
Claire hugged the teary-eyed Phil who cried as soon as my words touched them. "He's wonderful."
With a shaky voice, Phil said, "I know. He's perfect. I really want him to be our son-in-law."
Claire was baffled and turned to Phil with a confused look, "What?"
Mitchell felt that the time was suitable for him to change the subject.
"Uh. Everybody. Edward said he had a new song he made for…Haley. So why don't you play the song now?"
Phil got excited and he ran towards me with my guitar case. "Play it E-money."
While pretending to be hesitant, I said, "Well…I guess if you want me to."
The reason why it was so easy for the family to move on from the fight was simple. They just needed an excuse, as they had just released their pent up frustration with each other. Now, they just wanted to move on from the fight, and I gave them a way out with my intervention.
I placed the guitar on my knees and locked eyes with the young girls in front of me. Both of them had a lovestruck twinkle in their eyes, but I ignored them, thinking they were just fans of mine. Further backing me up in my hypothesis were Manny and Luke, who had the same twinkle in their eyes as they waited for me to sing.
[Playing: Rhythms of Love – Plain White T's]
I started playing the intro to the song, and the family fell in love with it instantly.
"Oh, it's a cheerful song this time." Claire commented.
Phil added, "Of course. Haley made him cheerful. They should date-"
Claire closed Phil's mouth before he could finish their words and turned toward me to make sure I didn't hear them.
After the intro, I started to sing while maintaining eye contact with the family, "♫♪ Head is stuck in the clouds…She begs me to come down…Says "Boy quit foolin' around"♫♪♫..."
Haley snorted before getting embarrassed as everyone turned toward her. She shook her head and focused on the song once more.
"♫♪I told her "I love the view from up here…Warm sun and wind in my ear…
We'll watch the world from above…As it turns to the rhythm of love..♫♪"
Phil, Claire, Gloria, and Cam started to sway their bodies as the song compelled them to dance while Mitchell sat beside his mother.
"♫♪We may only have tonight… But till the morning sun you're mine, all mine…♫♪"
"♫♪Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love…♫♪"
Cam commented, "The song is very different from the other songs he played before."
Claire said, " I know. Isn't this great? He's not singing sad songs anymore."
♫♪My heart beats like a drum…A guitar string to the strum…A beautiful song to be sung…♫♪"
I locked eyes with Haley for the next verse paired with a playful smirk that made her fall for me once more.
"She's got green eyes deep like the sea…That roll back when she's laughing at me…She rises up like the tide…The moment her lips meet mine…♫♪"
"Wait what?!" Claire widened her eyes while Haley was frozen on the spot, thinking that I was a crazy person to actually put that on the lyric.
"♫♪We may only have tonight…But till the morning sun you're mine all mine…Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love…♫♪"
"♫♪When the moon is low…We can dance in slow motion…And all your tears will subside…All your tears will dry…And long after I've gone…You'll still be humming along…And I will keep you in my mind…♫♪"
Haley couldn't help but be touched as she remembered what we talked about before, but Alex could only conceal her feeling of envy that she didn't know she had. Rather than being a love song, the song touched her more because she considered it an ode to a friend. That was, before the next verse.
"♫♪The way you make love so nice…We may only have tonight…♫♪"
Jay looked at me weirdly while Claire widened her eyes. Haley turned to her mother and said quickly, "Not about me. Not about me."
Although the rest of the family sighed in relief, Claire finally connected the moans she heard inside Taylor's cabin to me, who was singing the song in front of her. "Oh. My. God." She exclaimed.
Cam almost spat out his drink in surprise at the word choice, but Phil was delighted because he took the phrase literally rather than understanding its meaning. Mitchell was staring at Haley with a grin on his face.
[Mitchell Commentary]
"I never seen Haley look more smitten than she is right now. (sing-song voice) That girl has a crush."
[commentary ends]
Haley couldn't help but blush the entire time the song was playing as I continued to tease her as I played the song.
"♫♪But till the morning sun you're mine all mine…
Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love…
Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love…
Yes sway to the rhythm of love…♫♪"
-song ends-
[Manny's commentary]
"Ed has a vocal range and the way he plays with emotions on his songs give him a style that no other artist is able to provide. I'm proud to say that he's my idol now. Also, I need to learn from him how to serenade girls. It was obvious that Haley had fallen in love with him after the song."
[Jay and Gloria's commentary]
Gloria said in excitement, "I know that Ed is an artist, and he will meet a lot of beautiful girls. But Haley is beautiful too. And for sure they are falling for each other."
Jay commented grumpily, "I think the song is 'Meh.' I like the other ones better."
[commentary ends]
…
After dinner, Haley walked me home despite my repeatedly saying it was okay for me to go back alone. It was almost midnight when the dinner party ended, and my dad had already gotten to work.
She helped me carry a takeout container for my breakfast tomorrow that Claire had prepared as I was carrying the guitar case.
Haley said, "I want to say it's been a long time since mom freaked out, but you were there in the afternoon, so I would be lying if I said that."
"Yeah. I got to explain to her that I was just playing around when I wrote the word 'make love', but she wouldn't believe me." I said with a laugh.
Haley laughed too as we entered my house. I put the guitar in the living room while she put the container near the key drawer.
"Like, what did she expect? Us doing it?" Haley joked playfully.
I turned toward her and said, "Yeah. She's funny. She doesn't even know that we agreed that we wouldn't kiss each other anymore…after tomorrow…"
We locked eyes with each other before we stared at each other's lips.
Haley pretended to laugh and said, "Yeah…after…tomorrow."
Our bodies inch closer to each other before I said, "Yeah…Tomorrow…"
As if we were waiting for it, both of us moved our faces closer and kissed each other. I grabbed her body and pulled her up into the air and into my arms, as she was too short for me to keep bending my body. She wrapped her legs around my waist as we kept making out with each other.
Our tongues intertwined with each other as we wouldn't let each other stop. We were trying to make the most of the little time we had before tomorrow came.