But beneath the worry came a flicker of happiness. For her. Her future. The child that was growing inside of her.
Arik loved her.
She loved him.
They were finally on the same page in life.
Maybe.
There was so much more to find out. To conquer. Map and plan.
Mapping and planning she excelled at and she had to do something productive.
“Sorry to drop in like this unannounced,” she said. It was better to do it like this than call ahead and worry them. It wasn’tlike her to visit during the week. Not unless she had to pick something up or drop it off.
“It’s never a problem. Is everything okay?”
She forced past the confusion of the past few weeks. Clarity was nudging itself forward, but the more who found out about the baby, the more eyes and comments would be made in her direction.
It was like she’d done with Arik; she just had to get the words out first.
“I have something to tell you and Dad.”
“He’s out back working on a car. I’ll go get him.”
“Wait,” she said, her hand reaching for her mother’s. “I’ll tell you first.”
“Are you sick?”
The fear in her mother’s eyes had her blurting it out to ease that concern. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh.”
The silence was killing her. “That’s all you’ve got to say? I’ve been dating someone for just over two months. Had no communication with him for over ten years prior and now I’m carrying his baby.”
“Sounds to me as if you’ve thought of it all and run everyone’s responses through your mind already.”
Something she’d always been guilty of in the past.
“Let’s sit. This is a shock. I know you’re disappointed in me.”
“Never,” her mother said. “Life happens. You never wanted to believe it, but it does. It’s happening to you now. I need to know one thing first. Well, two.”
“What is it?”
“Do you love him?”
“I do. I have for a while but have been fearful of saying it. He hasn’t proven he can stick something out long term.”
“No one proves that until you live it,” her mother said.
“I know. But he’s doing all the right things. Showing me he’s trying. That was before the baby. Since he found out, he’s just different. So excited. It’s all he wants to talk about, but we tabled it until I went to the doctor.”
“I’m assuming you did and that’s why you’re here?”
“We went together yesterday. I’m a little over seven weeks along. Early yet, and due January twentieth. Thankfully work is slow that time of the year.”
“Don’t even start talking about your job. It’s the least of your worries.”
