“How are you feeling in here?” Deidre comes into the great room carrying the same tray I used to serve her son’s meal on my first day in this house. “How about we have a little snack?”
I thought Titus was bad when it came to making sure I was fed and hydrated, but he’s got nothing on his mother. Since he’s gone to the office most days in the week since the explosion, she’s been staying here with me. Keeping me company, feeding me incessantly, and I’m pretty sure she’s tracking my liquid intake on a spreadsheet.
Deidre brings the tray over and sets it on the coffee table already stocked with five different drink options, my phone, a tablet, the remote control, and an honest-to-goodness bell in case I need her. Not that I would ever have the need to use it. She’s been well within earshot the entire time. Hovering. Smothering.
And I love it so much, it makes me want to cry.
“Thank you.” I shift around, getting into a sitting position as Deidre passes over the collection of cheeses, meats, nuts, olives, and dried fruit. “You know I love a good charcuterie board.”
It’s the exact same place we started—bonding over our love of cured meats. But saying we’ve come full circle would be a mislabeling of where Deidre and I are now.
I’d been so afraid of her reaction to my pregnancy, but it was the most unfounded emotion I’ve ever experienced. Which is saying a lot coming from someone who let her emotions incorrectly lead her up until moving to Wyoming.
I stack some cheese onto one of the multigrain crackers before adding a couple cranberries and taking a bite. “Holy cow, this is so good.”
The doctor’s plan for me to eat a little bit all the time is actually working, and for the first time in months, I’m finally feeling better.
In spite of the horrible event a week ago.
I think I’ve finally managed to get the stench of smoke out of my hair, but the clothes I wore that day had to go in the trash. Thankfully, I didn’t end up with any sort of major injuries—just some bumps and bruises from the tumble Maren and I took—and the ultrasound my doctor ordered showed both babies are perfectly healthy and happily bouncing around in my belly.
Ultimately, Titus and I decided not to find out whether they’re boys or girls or one of each. It doesn’t matter. And it didn’t feel right since he never knew the sex of their big brother or sister. I know we’ll find out at some point, but I kind of like the suspense. The surprise.
The connection of what might have been and what will be.
The ring signaling a car in the driveway goes off and Deidre smiles wide. “Sounds like Daddy’s home.”
She hasn’t called Titus by his government name since our announcement at dinner. He’s just Daddy now. Her excitement over the babies is obvious in everything she does. Every word she says. It makes me happy and sad at the same time. Because while I love finally having someone warm and accepting in my life, I can’t help but think about how my own mother would have reacted if she was still alive.
Nothing like Deidre Bradshaw, I know that much.
The door to the garage opens and Titus barrels into the house, his steps coming straight for me. He reaches the couch anddrops to his knees, one hand spreading across my stomach as his eyes search my face. “How are you feeling?”
I know he’s struggled this week. More than one night he’s woken up in a cold sweat, his body jolting as he breaks free of a nightmare. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for him to handle it all. What happened to me. The memory of what happened to Kara. It’s all tangled together, and I suspect it will take a long time for his mind to separate the two.
“I’m good.” I hold up the cracker stack I just took a bite from. “Want some?”
“If he does, I will make him his own.” Deidre gives us a stern look. “You need to eat. Those two babies are going to start taking a lot out of you.” Her expression softens as it settles on Titus. “Probably for the rest of your life.”
Titus widens his eyes in mock offense. “I hope you’re not talking about me.”
Deidre grins. “Not anymore.”
Titus turns back to me as his mother lets herself out, disappearing just as magically as she appears each day. “Is she driving you crazy?”
“Not even a little,” I answer honestly. “She makes me all the snacks I can eat, lets me pick the shows we watch, and has told me all about the time you got your penis stuck in the open handle of a jump rope when you were five.”
Titus stares at me, and I can almost hear his brain processing my statement. I wait him out, letting him work his way through everything with a smile on my face.
Finally, he asks, “Do I want to know how that particular incident came up in conversation?”
“It was actually relevant. She didn’t just offer it up.” I smooth out the lines of his shirt, unable to stop myself from touching him. “She was explaining to me all the interesting aspects of raising boys, just in case I’m growing one.” I grin, amused at the look of horror on Titus’s face. “It wasn’t just you she told me stories about, so don’t panic.” My brows pinch as I consider all hismother did tell me. “I am a little surprised at how many different things you guys stuck your wieners in, though.”
Titus tilts his head. “To be fair, Tucker is still sticking his wiener in a bunch of different places, so…”
“Oh, I heard about that too.” I lean forward, lowering my voice even though there’s no one else to hear me. “He better watch out, because it sounds like your mom’s plotting to figure out how to make that come to an end.”
Titus laughs, shifting so he can sit on the couch beside me. Once he’s in place, he gathers me in his arms, dragging me onto his lap just like he did the first time we came face-to-face. “She’s going to have her work cut out for her.” Titus brings a hand to my cheek, fingers brushing over my skin. “Because for some reason, he is pretty determined to never settle down.”
