Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth wandered through the house that Kevin insisted was now hers too. He’d told her to make herself at home, and that he had no secrets from her.
She couldn’t help but wonder if that was true, but she wandered from room to room thinking about it. Since she was going to be living here, and he’d told her to change whatever she wanted, what did she want?
Elizabeth moved from room to room noticing that Kevin’s furniture might not be what she would have chosen, but it looked good in the space. And who knows? If she’d been there, this might have been what she would have gotten. The sofa was comfortable and dark colored.
Mama had always had pale or white furniture.
Elizabeth had hated it growing up because you couldn’t just LIVE on it.
Even as a small child she’d been constantly reminded not put her feet on the couch, not to eat on the couch, to be careful with every drink she’d ever had so she didn’t stain the couch.
As a teenager she’d sworn to herself that she would never be like that.
Mama could have her show place of a home, always ready just in case Dolly Parton or Paula Deen happened to knock on the front door.
Elizabeth wanted a home that was comfortable.
That she could feel at home padding around barefoot or in her socks, that she wouldn’t panic if she spilled a few drops of her morning coffee.
Looking around the room, at the Harley Davidson and musician posters, there were a few things she might change, but Kevin had managed to make the place feel homey and comfortable.
She would likely add a few things rather than change a lot, she didn’t want Kevin to feel like she was taking over and changing his whole world, though, now that she thought about it, she guessed she was.
She rubbed one hand over her still flat belly and knew that this baby would change both of their lives, forever. But somehow, she knew it would be for the better. They just had to get through the drama she’d created with Michael.
Deciding she needed to at least see the room that would become the baby’s room she wandered down the hall and started opening doors. She found the bedroom Kevin had been using for storage on the first try and understood why he’d suggested this room for the baby.
This room was the closest to their bedroom. It would be easiest to come and go in the middle of the night. And later, if they wanted more privacy, they could move them to a bedroom farther away when the kid was older.
That reminded her, she needed to schedule an appointment. She’d taken a home test and she had no doubt she was pregnant, but she knew there were tests her doctor would want to run.
She found her purse where she’d set it on the table beside the door when she’d come in and dug out her phone. She powered it on for the first time since she’d shut it off at the hotel the night before.
Knowing it would take a moment to boot and connect to a tower, she headed for the kitchen. Did Kevin have any tea bags? A glass of sweet tea sounded like heaven right now. Setting her phone on the counter, she started going through cabinets.
Elizabeth hadn’t made it halfway through the first cabinet when her phone chirping and vibrating like crazy drew her attention.
She couldn’t help but shake her head. She’d known Mama would try to get ahold of her, but she’d warned her she was turning off her phone so who else were the messages from?
The notifications still hadn’t stopped. With a shake of her head, she went back to looking for tea bags. Those messages had waited this long, they would wait for the five minutes it took for her to get tea started.
It took her a little longer than she anticipated to find the tea bags and get the tea started, but it was no surprise when she picked up her phone and found that there were over fifty text messages waiting for her.
She shook her head and opened the app to see who all they were from and what they had to say.
Mama had sent five, the little number across from Michael’s name was almost thirty, and the rest were one or two messages each from different members of her friends and family. She started with those first. She typed up a generic message.
##Elizabeth: Thank you for reaching out. I’m well. I’m not sick or hurt and I walked into and out of the wedding under my own free will. There is a lot to be handled right now and I’m not sure when I’ll be in touch, but thank you for your patience.
She copied it and sent it out to nearly all of the single message friends. A couple got that and a little more, but only that she would be in touch soon.
With that done, she stared at the screen showing Michael’s twenty-eight messages and Mama’s five, debating which she wanted to deal with first. It only took her a moment to decide not Michael and open the messages from her mother.
##Mama: You have a lot to answer for young lady. How dare you do this to me? Can you imagine what is being said?
##Mama: Call me as soon as you get this. We have to talk. What are we going to do to salvage our reputation?
##Mama: I’m glad your safe but we need to talk about this. Call me when you get this.
##Mama: It’s morning, have you turned on your phone yet? Call me.
##Mama: It’s been nearly a full day. I’m starting to get worried about you. Please call.
Elizabeth stared at her mother’s messages wondering what to say and if she was ready to deal with all of this.
After a moment she decided it wouldn’t get any easier by waiting.
She hit the button to dial Mama and then speaker, and set the phone on the counter before propping her head in her hands and staring down at the screen while she waited for Mama to answer.
“Elizabeth?” Mama’s voice sounded stressed. “Thank God! I was so worried. I was ready to call the police.”
“I told you I was fine. I just turned my phone back on.” Elizabeth tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling as she struggled with patience.
“How could you do that to me? To Michael? How will we ever recover?” As usual, Mama was worried more about appearances than facts.
“I had a lot of reasons for walking away yesterday,” Elizabeth kept her voice soft and her tone even. “You know I didn’t love him.”
“I told you that would come with time. Is that why you threw away your future?” Mama sounded exasperated that Elizabeth wasn’t falling into step with her plans.
“I didn’t throw away my future, and it was part of it, but not even the biggest reason. And given what I’ve learned since then, I’m glad I walked out. If I’d known then what I know now, I never would have accepted Michael’s proposal, and that’s before we even get to the reason I walked out.”
Elizabeth heard Mama take a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if she was trying to calm down and not anger Elizabeth more than she already had.
“First, tell me why you left. What was so important that you had to walk out then and there.”
Elizabeth stared at the phone screen for a moment as she tried find the best way to say what she had to say. Did she blurt out that she’s pregnant? No, Mama would assume it was Michael’s and that would just strengthen her determination that Elizabeth should have married him.
“Did you know that despite being engaged for most of the last year, Michael insisted that we wait until after the wedding to sleep together?”
“So what? He’s a gentleman.”
Elizabeth forced herself to take a slow deep breath and tried not to lose her temper.
“I could see that if either of us were virgins, but we’re not Mama. Anyway, I thought it was weird, but went along with it. There were a lot of little things that felt off, but not enough to make me run.”
“Then what was it? I wish you would just spit it out, Elizabeth and stop with all this dithering.”
“Are you home? Can I come see you?”
“No, I’m not home. I’m not going back to my apartment right now. Michael has a key and I don’t want to deal with him yet. I’m going to stay where I am for now.”
“Where are you? Do you need anything? Can I bring you anything?”
“I’m not ready to tell anyone where I am yet, Mama.
I need a few more days I’ll tell you everything soon.
I’ve got everything I need, but thank you for offering.
” Part of what she wasn’t telling Mama was about moving.
She couldn’t because how could she be moving in with Kevin if she didn’t know where he was and hadn’t told him about the baby yet?
She settled on the sofa as she finished the conversation.
It took her a few more minutes of talking to Mama to get her off the phone, then she sat on the sofa and stared at the device in her hand, the screen dark and showing her only a dark reflection of herself.
Elizabeth stared at that reflection wondering what she was doing with her life.
Was she screwing everything up beyond repair?
Tears pooled in her eyes, she ignored them and soon they streamed unchecked down her cheeks.
That was where she was when Kevin walked in the door.