“Oh for shit’s sake.” Cam’s eyes popped open wide.
“Yup.” Krissa smiled through her tears. “Pretty ironic, huh?”
“I suppose. I guess you can’t be very far…”
“Two months.”
“Oh, lord. But Krissa…it’s great! You wanted to be a mother. You’ll be afantasticmother. It’ll be okay. Eric and I will do whatever you need—hey! I’ll be your labor coach. I’ve been through it a couple of times.”
Krissa choked on laugh, wiped her face with tissues she’d retrieved. “Thanks. That would be great. I…I’ll need some help.”
“Whatever we can do. You’ve done so much for me—coming and rescuing me when I’m having a breakdown. Cleaning my house while I’m at work. Listening to all my bitching and complaining. I’ll do anything for you.”
They shared a tearful, emotional hug.
“Anything?” Krissa asked.
“Of course.”
“Can you tell my mother?”
She’d been joking. In a way. Telling her parents she was pregnant wasn’t going to be fun. They were going to tell her to go back to Derek. They’d blame her for the marriage ending,somehow. Just like Derek had blamed her all along.
But after telling Cam how she felt, and ending up with a stronger bond between them, she felt a little more confident she could do it. She could stand up to her mother. She didn’t want to make Derek the scapegoat for everything, because, although she wasn’t willing to take all the blame for their marriage falling apart, she knew she’d had a part in it. But she wanted her mother to understand that she was not responsible for everything that had gone wrong.
How would she make her understand that without telling her the entire gut-wrenching tale? A tale her mother would find appalling.
Her insides twisted and churned as she drove to her parents’ home the following week. She’d been to the doctor, had her pregnancy confirmed. She had to tell them. She was going to need all the support she could get in the coming months, but if they wouldn’t…she could survive. She knew it.
She parked in the huge curved driveway at the front of the imposing house, feeling intimidated even though she’d lived there most of her life. She didn’t ring the bell, but opened one of the double doors into the spacious foyer with its marble-tiled floor, high ceiling and a chandelier dripping crystals. “Hello!”
“Krissa?” She heard the tap of her mother’s heels, then she appeared in the hall from the family room. “Hi! Come in, darling.”
Krissa closed the door behind her, took a deep breath. She and her mother gave each other a polite hug and then Krissa followed her down the hall. “Your father and I are just having an after-dinner drink. Come and join us.”
Well, there was a quick way to break the news.
“What would you like, Krissa? I’m having sherry.” Her mother held up a glass. “Or we have a very nice Sauvignon Blanc…”
“Nothing, thanks.”
“Nothing?” Her mother blinked.
“Well…do you have some iced tea, maybe?”
“Of course. I’ll get it.”
“Hi, baby.” Her dad stood and gave her a much warmer hug. “Haven’t seen you in ages. How’re you doing?” He searched her eyes with his green ones so like her own. Had his hair receded even more? Probably, but he still looked distinguished and handsome, even with his middle softening a little.
“I’m okay, Dad.” She smiled at him. “How about you? How’s work?”
“Oh, great.” He talked about interest rates and mortgages until Mom returned with the glass of tea.
“Here you go.” She handed the glass over. “Have a seat. So, Krissa, are you okay? We’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m okay, Mom. Really.”
“I just can’t believe you and Derek…” She shook her head, the corners of her mouth turned down. “It’s such a shame.”
