Page 14 of Ashes of Us

The ride to the Preston's house in Dedham was mostly quiet, with Danica anxiously trying to figure out what to say to Jasper's parents.

She knew that however she tried to soften the blow; it was going to end with his mother having a complete breakdown.

Amy Preston was a boy mom to the extreme, even telling Danica that she got her perfect child with Jasper, so she never wanted to try for a second.

She worshiped the ground Jasper walked on but had never been the toxic type of mother-in-law.

She loved Danica because Jasper did, without questioning anything.

When Jasper announced to his family that he had asked Danica to marry him and she had luckily agreed, Amy hugged her tightly and warmly, whispering in her ear.

“If Jasper chose you, then I know you're special.”

Danica was fairly confident that the fact that she was an orphan and didn't have a “real” family helped her out.

Amy never had to share holidays or special occasions or worry about Jasper seeing another woman as a mother figure; instead, she gained a daughter-in-law who was more than happy to include her in her son's life with her.

Amy and Cecil, Jasper's father, were warm and open with her from the beginning and didn't hold her past over her.

Cecil was quieter and more reserved but would drop random nuggets of truth and knowledge that seemed odd coming from the man who never graduated from high school and happily lived his life covered in grease and surrounded by random parts of various cars, until he showed Danica his “man cave” on the second floor of his garage.

Built-in bookcases lined the walls, with books stacked three deep on the shelves, a comfortable recliner with a small side table beside it in a well-lit corner and a desk near the door.

He explained to Danica, as she looked around, that he also had ADHD, and school back then didn't know how to handle him.

He was labelled a problem child and not given the support he needed.

He dropped out in the ninth grade and started working as an apprentice in a garage because his father told him he had to either work or be in school.

He was good at mechanics and flourished there, so he never bothered to go back, instead getting his GED when Jasper graduated from high school.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Alex asked for directions to her in-laws' house.

She gave him the directions absently, remembering how Jasper had clung to the idea that their plan to move to Dedham and start their car restoration business would be what saved their marriage.

The fact that he wanted to leave East Boston so badly, after living there his entire life and refusing to move when his parents suggested it after they moved, suddenly seemed much more suspicious.

He had put it down to getting the fresh start they clearly needed, away from the Wests and their home garage, which they had both avoided going back into after the fight, which had made sense before, but now she was wondering if it was because he was afraid Danica would run into that woman.

Danica covered her face with her hands and drew in a deep breath as Alex turned onto her in-laws' street and slowed down as he looked for the house, trying to shake off the thought that Jasper could have cheated on her.

She just couldn't see it happening; he loved her almost obsessively, and he never went anywhere without her besides work or the very occasional family gathering she had to miss because of her job.

His only friends were his cousins, who were close to her as well, and she doubted they would cover for him.

They believed in loyalty, and it extended beyond the immediate family to the spouses who married in.

One of his cousins cheated on her husband, and she was the one who was disowned when it came out, while her now ex-husband still attended holiday dinners and family gatherings with their four children.

Hell, her best friend, Emilia, was married to one of Jasper's cousins and wouldn’t have kept anything from her.

She didn't know who the woman who approached her in the hospital was and had no idea where Jasper would have met her.

She regretted turning off her phone that night instead of tracking where Jasper went.

He had insisted on the tracking app after her car broke down in the middle of nowhere and she couldn't tell him where she was exactly, just that she had gone for a drive to clear her head after Cassandra died and hadn't paid attention to where she was going.

The car came to a stop, and she lifted her head, staring at Cecil and Amy's dark house.

Shoving the thought of Jasper's potential infidelity aside, she glanced at Alex as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“You should probably wait here.” She wasn't sure if Amy and Cecil knew about everything that had happened since the fight.

She did know that Jasper had defended her slapping him, unable to hide the mark on his face when he went to work that Monday, explaining they had fought, he made unfounded and unfair accusations then grabbed her when she tried to walk away.

He said he hadn't told them what the fight was about, just insisted to them that he was in the wrong and deserved the slap.

Amy had tried to get the information out of Danica, but she had deflected, stating it was between her and Jasper, and they were working things out themselves.

“I figured as much.” Alex nodded as he put the vehicle in park and pulled out his phone, the light from the screen making his face glow eerily in the darkness. “Are you hungry? I can go pick up food so you can eat while I bring you home.”

The mention of food reminded Danica that she hadn't eaten since lunch in Austin, which now felt like it was days ago instead of just twelve hours previously.

“Yeah, but don't go too far or out of your way for it.

I have no idea what's going to happen in there, and I could either be thrown out or forced to spend the night; either way, I'll need to be rescued.” She tried to make a joke about it, but it fell flat, and she ran her hands through her hair nervously as she avoided his eyes.

“Why would they throw you out?” Alex asked as he scrolled. Danica could see he was looking for open restaurants and let out a sigh.

“Because I'm about to deliver the news that their only son is in the hospital, brain dead, and I have to pull the plug?” She reminded him. “They will either try to keep me here to convince me not to do it or throw me out for saying it.”

“So don't mention pulling the plug.” Alex put his phone down and shrugged, as if what he was saying was the obvious choice.

“Just stick to the facts. He was in a car accident and is now in the hospital.

The hospital is keeping him alive so family and friends can come say goodbye, but there's no hope of recovery.” He shot her a look and shook his head.

“You need to learn the art of giving just enough information that you're not questioned on it.

You either refuse to give up anything or you're bluntly honest, and there's no in-between.

You don't have to tell them it's your decision on when or if they pull the plug, just that it's going to happen.”

“You do realize omitting information is lying, right?” Danica knew she was stalling the inevitable, but she also wanted to follow his advice without feeling guilty.

“He's your husband, Danica. Yes, he's their son, and they deserve the truth, but they don't need all the specifics. Did they know all the specifics about your marriage?” He asked evenly before continuing with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course they didn't, unless your husband was open with them in a way I'm positive would have pissed you off.” Danica let out the breath she had been holding as she slowly shook her head.

“Exactly. You're allowed to withhold information that pertains to your marriage and your relationship with him because it's none of their business. The fact that he just had you as his next of kin and not his parents says he understood that. Besides,” Alex leaned back in his seat and regarded her with a mixture of pity and distaste.

“While I disagree with what the doctor said to you, especially with how he said it and his timing, he was right, you're paying to keep his body alive, not him.

And unless his parents are going to step up and take over the bills, they don't have a say here.”

Danica let out a dry laugh and shook her head as she opened the door.

He had made several excellent points, especially about the hospital bills.

Even with the money that was sitting in the trust, she couldn't afford to keep Jasper's body alive on the nonexistent chance that he would miraculously recover, and neither could his parents.

“You are the absolute last person I would have thought would be here with me while I'm going through this,” she told him as she slid out of the Jeep.

“But I'm honestly not mad about it.” His detachment from her marriage, husband and the emotion surrounding it all was surprisingly helpful.

She caught a quick glimpse of his surprised grin as she shut the door, and for a brief moment, felt like everything was fine.