A visit from the MiL can be stressful. But what about when it’s the former MiL? Inspired by a prompt from SincerelyRobinK.

Shelagh spent the first Saturday morning since the wedding in a cleaning frenzy.

“Is this what it’s going to be like from now on?” Timothy complained.

“Tim,” warned his father, “Let her be. And go straighten your room.”

Slowly thumping up the stairs, Timothy continued to grumble. “The house was clean already. It’s not like the Queen is coming. It’s just Granny Parker.”

Patrick grinned. Running his hand through his hair, he joined his anxious new bride in the kitchen. Shelagh was standing at the table, staring down at two sets of tea cups. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Tea cups giving you trouble, sweetheart? Pesky little things.” He didn’t have to see her face to know her forehead was creased in concern. It had become a personal challenge to kiss that sign of worry away at every chance. He bent his head to nuzzle behind her ear.

“Patrick, please. Don’t distract me. I can’t decide which teacups to use.”

“It’s just a tea set, Shelagh. Anna’s coming for the company, not the china.”

When Shelagh didn’t respond, he turned her around in his arms. “Shelagh? What is it? You’ve been skittish all day.”

“I just want everything to go well today.” She would not meet his eyes.

“Sweetheart, it will. It’s only tea. You make a lovely tea.”

“Yes, Patrick, but…” Shelagh didn’t finish her thought aloud.

He moved his hands to cup her face. Staring into her eyes, he said, “It’s not the tea cups. What’s really bothering you?”

Shelagh’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so unsure, Patrick. This must be so hard for her, and I’m so afraid I’ll gum things up.”

Patrick leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her pretty mouth. “How could you possibly gum things up?”

“What if I use the wrong teacups?”

Patrick squinted, shaking his head. “I don’t understand.”

Shelagh turned away and took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts. “ Should I use Margaret’s tea cups, or the blue and white set Mrs. B gave us as a wedding present? If I use Margaret’s, she might think I’m trying to replace her daughter. If I use the new ones, she might think I’m erasing her.”

Finally comprehending the root of the problem, Patrick let out a relieved sigh. “Sweetheart, we’re on a new path here. Anna knows that. We won’t forget Margaret, but she’d want us to move on. She would definitely not want us to make a shrine to her, especially out of tea cups.” He leaned towards her, tilting his head as tried to understand her. Then he smiled. “Will it make you feel any better if I told you those aren’t Margaret’s tea cups?”

Surprised, Shelagh looked back. “They’re not?”

“No. You might recall I have a talent for breaking tea cups. By the time Timothy was born, we’d probably been through three sets. We only had a full set the first time I brought you home because I was embarrassed to show you our jumble. This set’s only a few months old.” He stepped over to her and took her in his arms. “So you see, no subtext necessary. Just pick the set you like.” He returned to nuzzling her ear.

Shelagh let out a ragged sigh of relief. “You’re sure?”

By now his lips had moved to just above her collarbone. “Yes, I’m sure,” he said as he tasted the smooth skin there. Still a bit overwhelmed by the intensity of their new intimacies, Shelagh surrendered completely to her husband’s kiss. The world disappeared as the kiss grew deeper, their bodies pressed closer. They only came up for air when they were startled by the sound of crashing china.

Panting, they both stared down at the broken blue and white tea cup. Sheepishly, Patrick bent to pick it up, apologizing.

Shelagh laughed. “Well that’s back to normal, then,” she whispered as she pulled her husband’s head down to hers.