Breaking Free ? TFC 2.0 ? l.t. au

Chapter Thirty One

I shake my head and dig my heels into the ground. "I might've just did, you know? In fact, I was the first one who ruined the Gastrell name. Granddad's so ashamed of me, I know it." I say. Mum shakes her head and turns to face me completely.

"Meg, listen to me. You're not the shame here. You've made a few mistakes but so what. You said it yourself, Gastrell's are brave and wise-"

"Mum, no... I'm just like dad, okay? I tell everyone I'm not but really I am, let's face it. Would you even look back at my mistakes and tell me that I'm not?" I ask her.

She sighs frustratedly and forces me to look into her eyes. "Meg, your past doesn't define you. Whatever you've done it's done. You've forgiven yourself, that's the most important, that's the strongest you've ever been. And being a Gastrell isn't a shame, your grandfather isn't a shame. Your grandfather's made mistakes and even his own father. Overcoming and accepting those mistakes, forgiving themselves thats what made them strong. What you are now, a strong beautiful wise and caring woman, is what makes you a true respectable Gastrell. You're just like them."

"Is that why you changed your last name?" I joked her. She smiled and takes a deep breath. "I'm not even a Gastrell by blood" She tells me. I cock my head and just agreed with her because it's true.

"You have a point... that made me slightly better, thanks." I say, crossing my legs this time. My mother laughs for a while then let's out a sigh.

"Are you up for a story?" She asks. I turn to face her and she looks completely amused. "Bring it. I haven't had story time since I was 12." I say.

"Will a love story do?" She asks. I laugh lightly and nod. I know it's coming. Mum and dad's love story.

"I met your dad long before we got married. He was my friend." Well that's new. "He was the captain of the football team and I was just the middle person, a chameleon. I blend in everywhere that it's impossible to notice me. To make the long story short, he was the one who came to me. A relationship of 4 years was a sign telling us we were ready for marriage and it happened. Let me just tell you Meg, you'll never know true happiness until you know you'll spend the rest of your life with him."

I smile but it breaks my heart. Mum still loves him, she does. She's married to Rick but dad was her first love and he will forever be her first love. And spend the rest of her life with him? Now that's a lie. He left. Rick took his place but no matter how good and kind Rick is to my mother, he'll never fill up the hole dad dug up in mum's heart when he left. It will always be there.

"Only, he broke his promise." Mum says. She smiles but I see the pain through that.

"But you still love him..." I say through a sigh and she nods slowly. She cocks her head and holds my finger up. The ring, of course. Mum's delicate fingers twist the ring and the word 'forever' comes to full view.

"Forever, huh?" She says hopefully. I smile and hold the ring to my chest. It's become my most prized possession ever since.

"The first moment I saw Louis Tomlinson," she says and I look up at her. "I knew he really loved you." Her voice cracks. "He didn't have to say it or he didn't even realize it yet but he does."

"How do you know?" I ask her, making my heart flutter.

"The way he looks at you... Cause-"

I know what's next. I've heard this a lot and it made the most sense after all the cheesy love situations I've heard.

"Dad looked at you the same way." I say quietly. She looks down and smiles as well as if remembering a vague memory of them together when they were happy. She doesn't just love him, she misses him. A lot. There are a lot of memories of them together.