“I do.”
But I signed anyway.
We’re family.
***
Afterward, Ethan called.
“Everything’s handled, Nat.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. You have nothing to worry about.”
I believed him.
You understand what you’re signing.
***
The pregnancy went smoothly.
Claire brought groceries, attended appointments, and once arrived with four brands of crackers because I’d complained about nausea.
“Four?” I laughed.
“I panicked.”
I believed him.
Ethan drove me to appointments and kept reassuring me. “Once she’s born, that mortgage disappears.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Claire held up a tiny yellow sweater.
“Already washed it twice,” she announced.
The pregnancy went smoothly.
“That child will have cleaner clothes than I do.”
We laughed.
Claire once glanced around my living room.
“I’ve always loved this apartment. Three bedrooms, that gorgeous view… Places like this cost a fortune now.”
“Mom and Dad helped me buy it,” I said.
That mortgage disappears.
“You’re lucky,” she replied. “I understand why paying off the mortgage and keeping this home means so much to you.”
