Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Nellie
“Oh my gosh, look at her sweet little face!” Sage cooed, peering at the ultrasound picture I brought out for her and Tabitha to see later that afternoon.
Tabitha looked over Sage’s shoulder, her smile wide. “Aww! This is giving me serious baby fever.”
“No! Absolutely not! Not happening!” Parker’s frantic voice called from the living room, where he was currently undergoing an intense makeover session with Bella, Brielle, and Daphne. When I’d walked in, Bella was applying so much blue eyeshadow, Mimi from the Drew Carey Show would be proud.
“How did he hear that?” Tabitha whispered, covering her mouth to hide her giggle.
“He must have supersonic hearing.” Sage smiled.
“Supersonic selective hearing,” Tabitha muttered, rolling her eyes with a smile. “Anyway, when’s your ultrasound, Sage?”
“Monday!” Sage replied. “Nix and I are going to pull Daphne out of school so she can come, too.”
“Oooh, yay! Then we need to get planning some baby showers,” Tabitha said gleefully, clapping her hands and giving her hips a little wiggle.
“I still need to tell my parents. And Noah wants to tell his soon, too.” I groaned, putting my head down on the countertop.
“You haven’t told your parents yet?” Tabitha sounded surprised.
“I know I need to, and I will. But. Ugh.” I sighed, and Sage put her arm around my shoulders. “I haven’t talked to them since their brief call on Christmas morning.”
“Rip it off, like a Band-Aid,” Sage suggested.
“Did you tell your mom?”
“Yeah, last night, over text message. She replied with a thumbs up, so…” She shrugged. If her mother’s reaction wounded her, she didn’t let on.
“Ouch.” Tabitha frowned, looking hurt on behalf of Sage.
“It’s fine, I expected it. My mother hasn’t been out to visit once since we moved to Hartwood Creek, and she knows where we live. She’s never even met Nix.” Sage pursed her lips. “It’s her loss. Nix’s parents and Auntie Em and Uncle Ed are excited enough.”
“Laurel and Keith are amazing grandparents, and Em and Ed will be, too. They were made for it.” Tabitha smiled, then turned her attention to me, fixing her warm blue eyes on my face.
“And no matter what your parents’ reaction is, your baby is going to be so loved and spoiled by Noah’s parents.
Aunt Gloria and Uncle Will are very involved with Damien’s daughters. ”
I smiled, feeling bolstered by both Sage and Tabitha’s reassurance. I knew from what Noah had shared about his family that the reception would probably be a lot warmer than whatever I’d get from my parents.
An hour later, I trudged back up to my apartment feeling motivated enough to call my parents. It was time to tell them, if only to get the painful process out of the way so I could focus on the things that were good with my life.
After a day of being with Noah and an afternoon of hanging out with Sage and Tabitha, I could admit there was a lot of good in my life—a lot of supportive people who were excited for this baby.
I curled up on my couch with a warm blanket over my lap and dialed my mom’s phone number. It rang a few times, and I was convinced I’d end up getting her voicemail.
After the sixth ring, she answered. “Ellen? Is everything alright?”
To her credit, Mom sounded a little concerned. I suppose it wasn’t common for me to call out of the blue anymore. On holidays and special occasions, absolutely, but I’d long since stopped calling them to chat casually. I always felt like I was pulling them away from some important engagement.
“Hi, Mom. Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m calling with some news.” I didn’t want to beat around the bush, but it was harder than I anticipated to blurt it out.
“What news? What’s going on? Are you okay?” Instantly, she was on edge. I could hear it in her voice.
“Is that Ellen? What’s happening?” I could hear Dad’s voice in the background.
“I’m fine, Mom. Better than fine, really. I’ve got some exciting news to share.”
“What?” Mom sounded suspicious, and I couldn’t blame her.
Drawing in a deep breath, I repeated Sage’s words in my mind: Rip it off, like a Band-Aid.
“I’m pregnant. I’ll be having a baby in July,” I said, hating how my voice wobbled.
“What? How can that be! You aren’t even seeing anyone!” Mom exclaimed, sounding scandalized.
“Actually, I have been seeing someone. His name is Noah, and he’s from Hartwood Creek.”
“And he’s the father?”
“The what?!” I could hear the outrage in my dad’s voice.
“Hush, Herb, I’m trying to get to the bottom of this,” my mom scolded him. It sounded like she’d covered the receiver, as her voice was a little muffled.
“Yes, he’s the father. He’s excited about the baby, and so am I,” I said, thankful that my voice was sure and stable.
“I thought your endometriosis made you infertile?” Mom asked, sounding as if she couldn’t wrap her head around the news.
“I thought so too, but evidently not,” I answered. “I’m having a girl.”
My mother was silent for several beats. “Oh. Well. Congratulations, I suppose. You are in your thirties.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’d hoped you would be married before bringing children into the world. How does this…Owen…feel about marriage?”
“It’s Noah, Mom.” I sighed deeply. “And marriage isn’t a requirement to parenthood,” I added. I wasn’t about to get into the circumstances of the situation for her. I knew she wouldn’t understand. My parents were very traditional and rigid with their beliefs.
“Raising a child is a serious job, Ellen. Knowing that you have a stable partner is crucial. What if this…Noah…takes off? Or isn’t up for the task?”
“Marriage wouldn’t prevent him from leaving if that’s what he wanted to do.” I massaged my temple, trying to ease the headache this conversation brought on. “Anyway, I’m pregnant, and I’m happy about it. I wanted to let you guys know.”
“Oh, well. Thank you for informing us.” My mother’s voice was formal and lacked warmth. It shouldn’t have surprised me or stung, but it did.
I felt both defeated and relieved when I finally hung up the phone after a terse goodbye. I suppose I should be happy that my parents’ reaction wasn’t the indifference I feared, but I could have gone without the blatant judgment.
Noah
Nellie left work on Friday at her usual time, heading home to pack a bag for the weekend with plans to meet me at my place around five thirty, then we’d drive over to my parents’ house for dinner.
I’d told my mom she was coming, and Mom was ecstatic to meet her. I hadn’t yet mentioned the pregnancy, but Nellie was showing more. Charlotte was getting suspicious, although Damien had kept it a secret from his fiancée, since his stance on the whole thing was ‘it’s not my place’.
I was hoping to tell them soon, but I could understand Nellie wanting to meet them first as my girlfriend.
Once Nellie dropped off her overnight bag, we walked out to my truck to make the short drive over. I could tell she was nervous. She kept fiddling with her zipper, zipping it up to her chin and back down again.
“Are you nervous?” I asked.
“A little. I’ve never done this before; met the family of a guy I was seeing,” Nellie admitted.
“I promise, my family’s pretty cool. You already know Easton, Damien, and Charlotte,” I reminded her. “Besides, technically, you’ve met them briefly already. Before Christmas, at the park.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” She let out a breath. “I didn’t meet them as your girlfriend. Your pregnant girlfriend.”
“We don’t have to tell them that second part yet,” I replied, turning onto my parents’ driveway.
“I was thinking maybe we should. It’s getting harder and harder to conceal this baby bump, and frankly, I’m tired of keeping it a secret from everyone. Word is going to get out soon, and I would hate for your family to find out from someone else.”
“It’s totally up to you,” I assured her. “If you want to wait, we can wait. If you want to tell them tonight, we can tell them. No pressure at all.”
“Except some pressure, because I’m meeting your family, and what if they hate me?”
“They could never hate you.”
“My own parents barely tolerate me,” Nellie muttered, looking out the window to hide her face. I could hear the heartache in her voice.
“Nell.” My heart broke for her, and I put my hand on her knee as I slowed down and put my truck in park. We only had a few minutes until we arrived at my parents’ house, and I knew they’d be watching from the front window. “I’m sure that’s not true,” I added, turning to her.
“I told them about the baby. My mom lectured me, and we ended the conversation on the ‘well it’s your life and you’re a grown woman’ note, but I could tell they weren’t thrilled with me,” Nellie admitted, blinking away the tears that had formed.
“My dad didn’t say anything to me directly, but I could hear him ranting in the background. ”
“They’ll come around,” I said, putting my arms around her. “And even if they don’t, well, that’s their loss. This baby of ours is already so loved and wanted, she will never feel their absence.” I could promise her that much.
“But I will,” Nellie whispered, looking at me. The hurt in her eyes gutted me. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response. I held her close.
“We don’t have to do this right now; I can tell my parents something came up. We can order a pizza and stay in.”
“No, I’m fine. It’s pregnancy hormones, I swear.” Nellie pulled away, drying her eyes, and giving me a brave smile. “It’s probably better I let them out now than at your parents place.”
I opened my mouth, about to argue with her, when honking sounded behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Easton pulling up behind me in his beat-up pick-up truck.
“I’m fine, I swear,” Nellie repeated. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Gee, don’t sound so excited,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
We finished driving up the driveway. I hopped out, going to open Nellie’s door while Easton parked beside me.
“Hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Easton said, walking over to us as I helped Nellie out of the truck.