Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Being around Evan in Boston was kinda like being around the bull riders during an event.
Folks knew who Evan was, looked a lot, every so often asked for an autograph or something, and pretty much ignored him, which worked.
He was very busy getting his pregnant daughter up onto things and down out of things.
Boston was damn cold and wet.
Really wet.
Sam thought it was all right. It was interesting and way different from out West.
He’d worked a couple of shows with the big bull riding league—not many. He liked to stay closer to home. They were way more corporate than what he liked, but he’d been to a show up in Connecticut once.
This was similar.
Everything was decorated for Christmas, and Hillary was over the moon to be out and about. “Do you think I should get a baby’s first Christmas ornament, Papa?”
Sam shrugged. “Well, if you want to, I mean, she’s going to have a first Christmas. You can use it for this one or the next one, so if you want to get one from here, get one.”
“That would be so fun.” She held her belly and then glanced over at him. “She’s really kicking like a wild thing.”
Evan’s eyes went wide. “Yeah?”
“Por supuesto.” She grabbed his hand and stuck it on her belly, and Evan’s lips parted.
“Oh, Jesus. Wow.”
“Yeah, she’s a kicker. She’s going to be amazing.”
Evan winked at Hil. “She’s probably punching. She’s gonna be a hockey player like her Grandpa Bobby and her… What do you think of Papa Evan.”
She shook her head. “No, that’s what I call my dad.” Before Evan’s face could fall, she said, “How about Pappy?”
“Err…that’s a little… Well, I could be a PawPaw.”
Both Hil and Evan wrinkled their noses, so Sam stepped in.
“What about Vovo?”
Evan blinked at him. “‘Vovo’?”
“Yeah. It’s Brazilian. I know a lot of them folks, and it sort of sounds like your name.”
Evan tilted his head, blinked. “Okay, what do you think, Hil?”
“I think Vovo is absolutely perfect. She’ll have her ‘uelito, her Vovo, and her Grandpa Bobby.” She smiled, then the expression faded and she glanced at Evan. “Have you heard from Max? He’s not at home at all. Is he coming to Thanksgiving?”
Evan’s expression was mild as milk. “I know that he just finished his midterms, and he’s heading over to the house, I think, tomorrow. He had a couple of things he had to do there.”
“Cool, cool, cool. I’m looking forward to seeing him so that he can see pictures of Natasha and everything.”
Sam thought it was so weird that the kids hadn’t even talked.
It wasn’t all on Max by any means. It wasn’t like Hil was spending hours mourning for him or calling him or actually involving him in the situation at all.
She was kind of letting his parents deal with all of it.
It felt odd to him. When Valerie was pregnant with Hil, he’d called her at least every other day to see if she needed anything, see what the baby was doing.
He and Evan had talked about it, and Evan felt the same way. He thought Max was really falling down on the job, but they couldn’t just blame Max. Sam wasn’t ashamed or anything, more worried.
They explored a shopping district not far from Evan’s house called Newberry Street.
They’d had lunch there the other day, but now they were wandering around waiting to meet Bobby and Annette, who were driving in from whatever suburb they lived in.
They were all going to meet and go to some seafood place after that.
He was eating his weight in fish and chips, and he loved it. Hillary had tried everything from a beef sandwich to fried haddock to some kind of chowder that didn’t actually have shellfish in it, but she was really, really jealous of anybody who could eat a lobster roll.
“Next time,” Evan promised her every time she cried over it when she looked at a menu.
“I know. I’ll come visit over here again, right?”
“Sure. You’ll have to bring the baby for the summers to begin with and what-not. It’ll be great.”
“Oh, Papa!” Hillary held up a little onesie that said Beantown Brawlers on it. Look how cute this is!”
Evan chuckled, holding out his hand. “Give it to me. I’ll get it. That’ll be my first present for the little girl, because I didn’t get anything for the shower.”
Sam gave him the side eye. “I know what you did for the baby.”
Evan shrugged at him. “What can I say? I’m a giver.”
He had to laugh at that, because Evan really was a giver and it wasn’t really sarcasm, but at the same time he knew Evan was kind of embarrassed to admit the things he did sometimes.
So, he let that go. Hillary was having a ball spending Evan’s money, though.
He wanted to tell him he needed to put a cap on that, or she would just go crazy.
Finally, when Hillary was flagging, Evan shot a text off to Bobby and Annette, who were late, and told them they would meet at the restaurant. That way Hillary could take a load off and they wouldn’t have to stand around or try to find a place to sit that was only temporary.
“Sorry, babe.” Evan rubbed the back of his neck. “I know this kind of sucks. I’m sure they got hung up somehow. It can be a bitch.”
“I’m not worried, guapo. They’ve been really responsive and happy to talk about everything, so I don’t think they’re dissing us.”
Seeming relieved, Evan led them back to the SUV so they could drive.
“As the crow flies it’s only about half a mile, but when it comes right down to walking it’s probably closer to a mile and a half, considering where I’m parked.
” Evan put a hand on Hillary’s lower back to rub.
“I figured you’d rather put your feet up and ride. ”
“My chariot awaits.” Hillary grinned at Evan, then she kissed him on the cheek.
They got her settled in the car. Her baby belly was about the size of a suitcase, and she rubbed it, obviously stretching and trying to get comfortable.
“You doing all right?” Evan asked.
She nodded. “I’m fine. Very pregnant, but fine.”
Evan got them going, pulling into traffic as if it were nothing, and Sam turned to look at her, one arm around the back of the seat. “You sure you’re doing all right, mi’ja?”
“Oh yeah, I’m just…” She shrugged. “I’m a little nervous. You know? I mean…okay, I’m really nervous. What if they don’t like me? What if they’re mean to me?”
Evan frowned. “Hil, you’ve met them. They’re not going to hate you.”
Sam agreed, one hundred percent. “You’ve been on Zoom calls with them and everything.”
“Yeah,” she said, “but, Papa, you can just turn off a Zoom call if somebody’s ugly. What if they’re ugly to me? What if they hate me for ruining their son’s life?”
Evan snorted and shook his head, deftly pulling in front of another car and flipping them off as they honked. “They do not hate you, Hillary. Do they wish that no one had decided to have a baby at eighteen? Sure, but it is what it is.”
Hillary sniffled. “Yeah, I wish that there hadn’t been a baby, but there is, and I love her, and I’m going to be fine. I can do this. I’m brave.”
“Hey, you’re gonna be fine.” He smiled at her. “Now, eyes wide. You’ll mess up your mascara.”
“You’re such a girl dad.” Evan was laughing at him.
“You know it. I was in charge of all that stuff.”
Hillary gave a little watery giggle. “Waterproof mascara irritates my eyes, so I always have to wear the other kind. Papa has to remind me to keep my eyes wide open so that I don’t get it running all down my cheeks.”
Evan gave her a gallant smile in the rearview mirror. “Well, you are beautiful no matter what, baby girl, and they’re going to love you. How can they not love you? You’re amazing.”
Sam felt happiness swell in his chest because Evan was telling his little girl exactly what he would tell her, and he knew the man loved Hillary already in a way that Sam could totally get behind.
They pulled up in a parking structure, locking into a parking space right near the first-floor entrance door, so Sam felt pretty good about that. The less walking Hillary had to do now the better.
Evan grinned. “I would have dropped you off out in front of the restaurant, but I really have pretty decent luck with this garage most of the time.”
“The midwife says walking is good for me. She says the more, the better. Makes everything strong and stretched out like it’s supposed to be.”
Evan kind of winced, and Hillary clamped on to that. His girl had the soul of a pitbull. “It’s because I’m having to push something the size of a cantaloupe out of my—”
Evan held up one hand. “I don’t even want to think of what you’re having to push out of where.” Evan seemed very disturbed.
“Papa was there when I was born.”
“Was he?”
She smiled. “Yeah, he was there. He was the very first person to hold me, even before Mama.”
Evan looked at him shocked, but Sam nodded. “It was tough for her, and I was right there. I held her when she was born, and I had her in my arms ten minutes later, and I never let go.”
Her chin lifted as they walked. “I’m going to be the first one who holds my baby, and then Papa.”
Evan blinked. “Not Max?”
She shook her head. “No. Max can be third or whoever in Max’s family, but it goes me and then Papa, because he’s gonna be her ‘uelito. He’s gonna love her best.”
“I already love her.” That part was easy. Loving was the easy part. It was all the rest that was hard. They had another eighteen years to go.
“Evan! Yo, hold up.” A huge man walking with a woman half his size came hurrying up, waving madly.
Sure enough, it was Max’s parents.
Evan went and gave them both a hug. “Guys, I’d like to formally introduce you. This is Bobby and Annette Biyalik.”
Sam walked right up to Bobby, took his hand, shook it. “Sam. Mucho gusto.”
Then he went to try shaking Annette’s hand, and she gave him a big hug.
“Hi, we’re family. We might as well act like it.”
“Por supuesto, it’s nice to meet you both. Hil?”
Suddenly, it was like watching Hillary try to go out on stage during her first dance recital—standing there at the edge of the stage, her eyes wide, her baby body just trembling.
Just like he had at that first dance recital, he held out one hand to her, and she took it, stepped forward.
“Hi.”
“Oh, sweetheart, hi.” Annette came and hugged her. “It’s so nice to meet you in person.”
Hillary sniffled, hugging Annette back even though her belly made things a little difficult. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry.”
Annette, who was this tiny woman with a cloud of dark hair and big brown eyes, radiated competence and sympathy. “Nope, no sorries. You didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did Max. I’m proud of both of you for dealing with this situation, and that’s my grandbaby. I’m gonna love her.”
Soon as Annette let Hillary go, the big guy Bobby gently enfolded her in a massive hug and kissed her on top of the head. “It’s good to meet you. We’re wicked happy to have you here before the baby’s born, so we can just see you in person. You get the car parked?”
That was to Evan, and Sam had to laugh at the way Bobby said “cah”. It was just like in the movies, and Evan didn’t say it that way.
“Yeah, I was lucky I got a spot. I didn’t have to just double park and come back for it.”
“Good deal. Let’s go have some lunch.” The big guy wrapped an arm around Hillary’s shoulders and steered her toward the restaurant.
Sam had to grin a little bit because that had gone well. He only hoped lunch went just as easy.
Evan’d told him this place had fish and chips so at least for his own sake he was pretty optimistic.