29. Harper
CHAPTER 29
Harper
That was it. I was going to die.
Okay, I was being dramatic. But as I walked up the front steps of Garrett’s parents’ house, I was seized with fear. My heart thumped so hard I wondered if the glance Owen cast over his shoulder meant he could hear it. My stomach churned and the sugary scent of the too many cookies I’d stress baked was making me queasy.
Garrett’s hand on the small of my back provided comfort, but not enough to calm the raging storm of feelings that swept through me in time with the beat of my jumpy heart. Fear, hope, anxiety, excitement, anticipation, curiosity, all swirling around with a healthy dose of sheer terror.
But it was good. I wanted to meet Garrett’s parents. Sugar cookies, I was pregnant with their grandchild.
I just hoped they liked me.
That voice inside me was so tiny, and yet so deep—the voice of the little girl who’d just wanted to be seen and understood.
Garrett knocked twice but didn’t wait to be let in. He opened the door. “Hey Mom. Dad.”
“They’re probably in the kitchen.” Owen walked in without waiting for any acknowledgement from inside the house.
I shifted the box of cookies as Garrett stepped inside, and, for a second, it felt like I couldn’t move. I knew it was silly. That I was overreacting. This didn’t have to be such a big deal. But in that moment, my fears left me frozen.
Please don’t let my bad luck show up tonight. Please.
Garrett glanced over his shoulder and his eyebrows drew in. He took the few steps back to the doorway and grabbed the cookies from me. “You okay?”
My eyes were probably too wide, my expression a mask of abject terror, as if I were faced with a seven-headed monster, not an introduction to my boyfriend’s parents. My voice came out in a squeak. “Yes.”
His features softened, the corners of his mouth turning up in a gentle smile. He took my hand in his and led me in. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you. Just like I do.”
I let out a long breath and a little bit of the tension in my body melted away. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
He placed a knuckle beneath my chin and lifted my face to his. “Don’t be. I’ve got you.”
As his lips brushed against mine, I felt a little more of the fear recede. I was still jumpy, and concerned about how the mirror curse might make itself known in front of his parents, but at least I had him.
And he was everything.
He took my hand and led me through the entryway and down a short hallway. Pictures adorned the walls, reminding me that Garrett was from a big family. There were kids everywhere—mostly boys. I didn’t get a good look at every photo, but the image they painted made my heart ache a little. They looked so happy.
Owen was already in the kitchen, his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, chatting with his grandma. Marlene Haven didn’t look as grandma-like as I’d been expecting. Her light brown hair had some gray and she wore it in a cute bob. She had beautiful blue eyes behind a pair of blue-rimmed glasses, and wore a navy T-shirt and jeans. A far cry from a little old lady, she looked vibrant.
“Well, hello,” she said, turning to me and Garrett with a warm smile. “You must be Harper. I’m Marlene. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Oh my goodness, she really meant that.
“Hi. I’m Harper. Wait, you already said that. It’s nice to meet you too. Sorry, I’m nervous.”
Her smile widened. “Don’t be. I promise, we don’t bite.”
“Most of the time.” A burly man in a red flannel came into the kitchen. He sidled up next to Marlene and spoke into her ear, “But only when we’re alone.”
“Paul,” she scolded, nudging him with her elbow.
His mouth turned up in a sly grin. He was clearly Garrett’s father. The resemblance was obvious, although Paul had a thicker beard.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Owen said.
“Dad, this is Harper.” Garrett set the box on the counter. “She baked cookies for dessert.”
“Several kinds. And brownies too.”
Marlene’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s very generous of you.”
“I bake when I’m stressed,” I said, then wished I hadn’t. “I mean, I love doing it anyway, so I don’t mind.”
Paul opened the box and leaned in, inhaling deeply. “Garrett, you should stress her out more often.”
I laughed softly and it broke a bit of the tension I felt.
“Don’t even think about it,” Marlene said. “Those are for dessert.”
He was already lifting a chocolate truffle cookie out of the box. With a slight grin at his wife, he took a bite. His eyes closed for a second and he groaned. “Damn. Son, she’s a keeper. ”
Garrett slipped his hand around my waist and drew me closer. “I know.”
“What kind are those?” Owen asked, crossing the kitchen to look in the box.
“Chocolate truffle cookies,” I said. “They have a crispy exterior and a soft, truffle-like middle. Very rich, which is why they’re small.”
Marlene shook her head in defeat as Owen helped himself to a cookie and took a bite.
“Wow,” Owen said around his bite. “I think I like these better than the brownies.”
“Yeah? I’m glad. There are brownies in there, too. Some with walnuts, some without. And classic chocolate chip cookies. Also some apricot thumbprint cookies. Those are grain-free, but don’t let that scare you. They taste delicious.”
“That’s quite the assortment of treats,” Marlene said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I hope you like chili and cornbread. I asked Garrett if you have any allergies and he said he didn’t think so.”
“No, no allergies. And I like just about anything. I’m not picky.”
“Good.” She smiled again and every time she did, my nervousness eased a bit more. “I guess it’s not a fancy meal, but we’re not fancy people. It will fill you up and make you feel good.”
“That sounds amazing. And it smells delicious.”
“Owen, can you help set the table, please, honey?” she asked.
“Yeah, Grandma, I got it.” He peeled off his hoodie and took it to the family room where he tossed it on the couch. “Do you want me to pour water too?”
Marlene didn’t answer. She just stared at him with a puzzled expression on her face.
“What?” he asked .
Paul’s brow furrowed. “What’s going on?”
“Owen,” Marlene said, then hesitated.
“Yeah?”
“What does your shirt say?”
He looked down and grinned. “I forgot I was wearing this.”
My eyes locked on his shirt. It was crisp white—looked brand new. And in bold, block letters across the front, it read, Big Brother .
“Um…” Marlene slowly turned her gaze on me and Garrett.
I glanced up at him, my heart racing again. His mouth was slightly open.
“Whose shirt is that?” Paul asked.
Owen looked down at it again. “Mine. Who else’s would it be?”
“But it says big brother.”
“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “Cool, huh? There’s a shop downtown that has them. I didn’t think they’d have my size because most of them were for little kids. But they had this one in a large. It’s kind of big, but that’s okay.”
Paul shook his head. “I don’t get the slang kids are using nowadays.”
“Oh, is that what it is?” Marlene asked, turning back to Owen. “What does big brother mean?”
Owen looked confused. “What do you mean, what does it mean?”
Garrett cleared his throat. “Mom—”
“Does it mean you’re cool or the best at something?” she asked. “That’s all I can think of. What do you think it means, Paul?”
“Hell if I know. Half the time when he talks, I need a dictionary to understand him.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Owen asked.
“I think he means the time you said dinner was, what was it… bussin’?” Mom said. “There was some confusion over whether that was good or bad.”
Paul grunted.
“Mom,” Garrett tried again, but Marlene kept talking.
“It does roll off the tongue nicely. Bussin’. Tell me if I’m using it correctly. Those chocolate truffle cookies are bussin’.”
Owen chuckled. “Yeah, Grandma. That’s basically it. But it sounds weird when you say it.”
“So what does the shirt mean?”
“Owen, they don’t know,” Garrett cut in before he could answer.
His eyes widened. “What? Why didn’t you tell them?”
“That’s why we’re here.”
“Dad, I thought they knew.”
“Tell us what?” Paul asked. He seemed to realize what was going on about five seconds before Marlene. “Oh.”
“Tell us—?” Marlene looked at Owen’s shirt, then her gaze swung to me.
“Mom and Dad,” Garrett said, pulling me closer. “Harper and I are having a baby.”
I waited for it. The shock. The anger. The pointing fingers, blame throwing, and shaming.
How could you?
What were you thinking?
How could you be so irresponsible?
I was completely unprepared for what came next.
Marlene gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. “A baby?”
Paul tipped his chin to Garrett. “Congratulations, son.”
“Oh my goodness, a baby?” Marlene said again, her eyes brimming with tears. She walked around the counter, reaching her hands toward me, and drew me in for a tight hug.
For a second, I was stiff in her embrace. What was happening? She was hugging me ?
She was hugging me.
I softened into it, wrapping my arms around her. Tears stung my eyes, although I was still too shocked to properly cry.
“I know, I know.” Marlene let go and took off her glasses to dab at her eyes. “I’m too emotional. This is just such beautiful news. I had no idea.”
“It’s um…” I hesitated. “A little bit of a surprise for us too.”
“Life is funny that way, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I’ve been there. My Reese was a big surprise. And by big, I mean all ten pounds, two ounces of him.”
My eyes widened. “Ten?”
“I’d say don’t worry, since he’s not biologically related to Garrett, but wasn’t Garrett a big baby, Paul?”
He shrugged. “Am I supposed to remember?”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure all three of Paul’s boys were at least nine pounds. Runs in the family. But don’t let that scare you. This baby won’t necessarily be bigger than average.”
“I think I was almost ten pounds,” Owen said. “Wasn’t I, Dad?”
“Ten pounds exactly,” Garrett said.
I didn’t know if I was more shocked at the sudden talk of ten-pound newborns and what that might mean for my body, or the fact that no one was lecturing me about how I’d ruined everyone’s life.
They were happy about this?
Were they for real?
“Come on, let’s eat.” Marlene took my hands and led me toward the dining room. “How are you feeling? Are you sure chili is okay? If you’re having heartburn, I can get you something else. It’s not terribly spicy, but it might aggravate things.”
“No, I feel fine. Just tired, mostly. No heartburn. ”
“If dinner doesn’t smell good or taste good or anything, don’t be afraid to speak up. I had food aversions with one of my pregnancies and it was terrible. Don’t worry, I won’t take it personally. I’ve been there.” She pointed at a chair. “You can sit here.”
“Thank you.”
Owen was busy setting the table and Garrett stepped in to help. I felt weird sitting down before everyone was ready, but Marlene insisted they had everything under control. Paul brought in the chili, and if I was going to have any food aversions, I sure hoped it wouldn’t be that night. It smelled fantastic.
Garrett sat beside me, with Owen across from us and Paul and Marlene at each end. We all dished up and started eating.
The topic of my pregnancy took a back seat. Owen had a lot to say about school. They were studying astronomy in science class and he was currently fascinated by black holes. We got quite the interesting explanation, and he was particularly excited to tell us about spaghettification. It sounded like something out of a horror movie to me, but apparently being stretched into a noodle shape was fascinating to his teenage-boy mind.
Owen might have been fascinated by black holes, but I was fascinated by Garrett’s parents. By Paul’s covert wink at his wife. By Marlene’s knowing smile at her husband. The way they’d moved around the kitchen together, a subtle harmony of familiarity.
They were in love. You could see it, plain as day. They weren’t putting on a show or trying to act differently because someone was watching. It was real.
It was so beautiful, it made my heart ache. I’d never seen anything like it. As far as I knew, my mother hadn’t been in love with either of the men who’d fathered her daughters. And my aunt Doris had never been married. My grandfather had died when I was little, so I didn’t remember seeing him with my grandmother.
Garrett’s hand rested on my thigh while we ate. He gave me a little squeeze and when he turned to me, the corners of his mouth lifted. Our eyes locked and I searched his. We’d said it. We’d both admitted we were in love with each other. Was it that kind of love? The kind that survived all the craziness of life Paul and Marlene must have experienced?
I hoped so. I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything. Even more than I’d wanted the mirror curse to finally end.
I wanted this. I wanted Garrett, and Owen, and this baby. I had no idea what I was really in for—I had no experience with babies—but I knew I wanted it all anyway.
A little voice whispered in the back of my head, reminding me of the package. And the murder bear. About someone breaking into my house and going through my things. I was staying at Garrett’s house, not because I was having his baby, but because something weird was going on and he didn’t think I was safe.
And I started to worry that my mirror curse was going to show up in a big way and I’d be left grasping for a life I’d almost been able to touch.