Chapter 45
CHAPTER 45
KAREN
I walked into the tearoom with Jenny and Rylee. Lauren was bringing Mary Ellen shortly.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “This is gorgeous!”
The room had been transformed into a soft, delicate wonderland of white roses, soft greens, and hints of gold on the tables and around the walls. I felt transported into the most romantic version of a high tea party anyone could imagine. Rylee, Jenny, and Lauren had really pulled out all the stops.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Jenny said. “We wanted it pretty and whimsical but also classy.”
“You succeeded,” I said. “This is just stunning.”
Jenny quickly went to check in with the staff. Rylee and I walked around the room, noting all the little details.
Lauren arrived with Mary Ellen, her arms full of additional floral arrangements. “We might have gone overboard.” She laughed as she set them down on a table already crowded with vases.
Mary Ellen was glowing in a pretty white silk dress that hit just at her knees, her heels sparkling like she’d stepped out of a fairy tale.
She smiled, her eyes lighting up as she took it all in. “You guys!” Mary Ellen exclaimed. “I love it!”
There was nothing like seeing someone you love beaming like that, especially knowing how Archer adored her. There was a table set up with mini scones with clotted cream, crustless sandwiches stacked in delicate layers, and a spread of teas along with sugar and cream.
Some of Mary Ellen’s other friends and family arrived. Mary Ellen insisted things be kept small. She wanted intimate. The tearoom certainly provided that.
“How are you feeling?” Lauren asked.
“Good.”
“You look good,” she said. “You have some color in your cheeks.”
“That’s not a problem these days,” I said with a laugh. “I’m constantly feeling flushed.”
“How are things with Cassidy?”
“Fine.”
“Karen,” Lauren said in a chiding way.
I looked around to make sure no one was around to overhear. “We’ve been having sex all day every day since you guys left.”
Her eyes widened. “Karen!” She gasped, putting her hand over her heart. Her eyes darted around, searching for an eavesdropper before she leaned closer. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I can’t get enough of the man. It’s like the most gourmet chocolate just sitting there begging to be devoured.”
She burst into laughter. “I guess I know why you have color in your cheeks.”
“Did you tell him, then?”
“No.”
“Karen,” she said with a sigh.
“I know, I know. I just don’t want to lose what we have. We’re so good together.”
“If you’re that good together, maybe he’s not going to react as badly as you think he’s going to.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “We’ll talk later. This is Mary Ellen’s moment. I don’t want to worry about my problems.”
Jenny clinked a fork against her glass. “Can we have everyone sit down? We’re going to play a game.”
It was the classic bridal shower tradition. Mary Ellen was put into a chair at the head of the room that had been draped with a dainty lace wrap.
“Okay, we’re going to play a game called ‘He said she said,’” Jenny announced, producing two large masks, one of Archer and one of Mary Ellen. There was both laughter and applause as she demonstrated how it worked. “A quote will be read out loud, and everyone will guess if it was something Archer or Mary Ellen said.”
The first round went smoothly, with lots of laughter. The quotes grew more ridiculous. Archer’s colorful past made it easy to distinguish between our lovely librarian and her future husband. Mary Ellen blushed with every correct guess of her sayings, shaking her head. “I can’t believe he told you guys that.”
After that game, there were two more. When the cake was brought out, we all gasped at how pretty it was.
It was a towering, three-tiered masterpiece of matching pale green frosting and pretty white flowers. There were intricate patterns scrolled in gold on the side.
“Oh my!” Mary Ellen exclaimed as she looked at the cake. “This is too much.”
“For you, it’s just enough,” Jenny said.
After some pictures, Lauren and I cut the cake and handed out servings while Jenny and Rylee got Mary Ellen situated with the gifts.
As Mary Ellen started opening gifts, the rest of us enjoyed the decadent cake. It was good but very, very sweet. Someone got her a romance-inspired gift set. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a sexy book club membership, made just for her by Rylee, who grinned when Mary Ellen blushed. “That is for you and Archer. Think of it as inspiration.”
“Oh my God, Rylee!” Mary Ellen’s cheeks turned pink as she hugged the gift to her chest. “Archer’s going to love this.”
“The real question is if he’ll get past chapter one, or if he’ll be, shall we say, distracted. ”
Everyone laughed while Mary Ellen shot Jenny a mock glare. She got that look in her eyes that said she was thinking about her man.
Mary Ellen opened another gift, the typical sexy bit of lingerie. She blushed again before moving on to the next gift.
A sudden wave of nausea rolled over me. I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose. I tried to fight it but it never worked. Morning sickness was not like typical flu nausea. There was zero breathing through it or fighting it back.
I broke out in a cold sweat. There was no way I was saving this. If I didn’t get out of the room, I was going to embarrass myself and ruin Mary Ellen’s party. “Excuse me,” I said with a forced smile as I got up.
I slipped out of the room. The exit was closer than the bathroom. I rushed outside, hoping the fresh breeze would calm my stomach. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
“Karen!”
I turned to see Archer walking down the sidewalk.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He held up a velvet box. “I have a surprise delivery for my girl.”
“Oh?”
Grinning, he cracked open the box to reveal delicate, pearl-drop earrings. They were simple and timeless, just like Mary Ellen. My heart squeezed seeing the pride and love in his expression.
“She’s going to be over the moon,” I told him.
“Good. I want her to be happy. I plan on spoiling her rotten.”
“You’re off to a good start.”
“I’m so lucky, Karen,” he said. “Sometimes, I still can’t believe she picked me.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Watching his love for Mary Ellen hit me with an ache I hadn’t expected. Cassidy’s face flashed through my mind, clear as if he were standing right beside me. I could picture his teasing grin and feel the warmth in his arms when he held me. I couldn’t deny it. I wanted that with him.
“Karen?” Archer’s voice pulled me back to the moment. He was looking at me funny. “Are you okay?”
I managed a smile. “I’m fine. I’m really happy for you both.” I hugged him quickly. “Come on, I’ll take you in. She was opening gifts. Don’t peek. I have a feeling she’ll be showing you each and every one of them later.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I’m hoping you ladies have been extra naughty.”
We walked back inside. I was more determined than ever to tell Cassidy everything. I had to, or the future I was starting to envision would stay a dream. I would never get the chance to have what Mary Ellen did.
“Archer!” Mary Ellen exclaimed when she saw him. She stood and quickly met him halfway. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to give you something.” He gave her the box.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Open it.”
Mary Ellen opened it and her eyes filled with tears. She pressed her hand to her mouth when she saw the earrings. She read the note he’d left and shook her head with a huge smile.
“I’ll see you soon,” Archer said and gave her a quick kiss.
He slipped out, not wanting to steal her thunder. Mary Ellen returned to her seat like a queen on her throne. She received all sorts of amusing and unusual presents. One that had all of us laughing was a risqué game that made everyone blush.
After the party began to wind down, Mary Ellen was eager to leave to go see her man. The rest of us stayed behind to clean up the place.
“So, what’s the plan?” Lauren asked. “Are you going to tell Cassidy when you get back?”
“Yeah, I have to. I owe it to him, and honestly, I owe it to myself too. I’m tired of the secret. We’ve had a few really good days. It was a lot of sex but there was also something more. I feel like we really connected.”
Even now, I was craving Cassidy’s touch.
“We’re going to hold you to that, you know,” Rylee said. “No more hiding. No more secrets. You need to tell him everything before Valentine’s Day. Agreed?”
I swallowed and nodded again. “Agreed.”
We linked pinkies, and for a second, it felt like we were little girls pinky swearing on secrets and plans. Only this time, it was my heart and my future that were on the line.
“Have you gone to the doctor yet?” Jenny asked.
“No.”
“Karen, you need to go see a doctor when you get back,” she said. “It’s time to take this seriously. You need to take prenatal vitamins and get some bloodwork, the works. Promise me?”
I didn’t hesitate this time. “I promise. It’s about time I stop dancing around this. I think I’ve just kind of been going about this like it isn’t real.”
“But it is very real,” Jenny said, her voice soft.
I had a responsibility growing inside me, one I could not afford to shirk from anymore. All the hot sex in the world wasn’t going to solve this problem.
“I promise you, Jenny, I’ll make a doctor’s appointment.”
“You better.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to stay there, though,” I said. “I don’t want to go through the trouble of finding a doctor there if I’m going to be coming back here.”
“Are you coming home?” she asked.
I took a deep breath. “I don’t know. If he doesn’t want to be involved, I’m not going to stick around and basically force him to be a part of my life or the baby’s.”
She grimaced. “I get it. You know you have plenty of options if you come home. You’re not going to raise the baby on your own. You can move in with us, or we’ll buy you a place. Whatever you want.”
“I can support myself,” I said. “Yes, it’s going to be difficult, but I’m not going to be a burden on anyone.”
“You’re not a burden. Now, let’s go home.”
I was staying with Jenny while I was in town. She gave me a lot to think about. Once back at her house, I immediately went to the guest room. I was exhausted.
Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind whirred with thoughts. Thoughts of Cassidy and me. Thoughts of raising a baby alone. The weight of my secret felt heavier than ever.
How would he take the news? Would he still look at me the same? I didn’t have answers, but I knew I couldn’t keep this from him any longer. He needed to know—and maybe, just maybe, I’d find out that I didn’t have to face it all alone. That was the dream, but I honestly didn’t know if I would ever get it.