Chapter Twenty-Eight
Elizabeth followed Mitzie into the sitting room, knowing she needed to wait until Kevin came back to share the news and not knowing what to say until then.
“How are you doing, dear?” Mitzie said as they sat. “I talked to your mother last night, she said you seemed to be doing all right, but she didn’t say anything more. Are you really okay?”
“I am.” Elizabeth smiled. They’d told Mama she’d moved in with Kevin, but not anyone else. It seemed Mama hadn’t shared that, even with her best friend. “Did she tell you I moved out of my apartment?”
“She did, but not where you went. I didn’t want to press, so I didn’t ask.”
“I was already planning to move out, obviously, but suddenly, where I was planning to go was off the table.”
Mitzie frowned, as if that hadn’t occurred to her.
“How did you find somewhere to live so quickly?”
“She didn’t find somewhere, I did,” Kevin said as he came into the room, a mug in one hand and water bottle in the other. He handed her the water, it was cold, he must have gotten it from the fridge.
“You did? What do you mean?” Mitzie looked confused.
Elizabeth looked at Kevin, wondering what was going on if Mama hadn’t told Mitzie at least this, she’d known for a week already. Was she that embarrassed by it?
“I moved in with Kevin,” Elizabeth said, turning back to look at Mitzie.
Mitzie looked back and forth between the two of them, back and forth, back and forth.
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve moved Elle into my place, Mother,” Kevin said reaching over to take her hand again.
“Into your place?” She looked back and forth between them once more then let her gaze drop to their hands. “Or into your bedroom?”
“Both,” Elizabeth said. “And that’s not all. She dropped one hand to cover her belly in what had quickly become habit every time she thought about the baby growing there.
A crease formed between Mitzie’s brows for a moment then her eyes went wide.
Elizabeth knew she’d put two and two together.
Mitzie opened her mouth as if she was going to ask something, but stopped and closed it again.
Elizabeth didn’t know if she’d thought better of what she’d been about to say or had simply changed her mind.
“Really?” Mitzie asked, her eyes still wide, disbelieving as she looked back and forth between Elizabeth and Kevin. “I’m going to be a grandmama? And Sandy too? We’ll get to share a grandbaby?”
Elizabeth could only smile and nod. Mitzie was taking this better than she’d expected. That’s when she remembered that she’d left something in the truck. Something she’d thought she might give Mitzie, if things had gone well.
“I just realized I forgot something in the truck.” Elizabeth pushed herself to her feet.
Kevin started to stand but Elizabeth waved at him to stay.
“I can get it. It will only take me a second.” She went to the front door and let herself out.
She made it across the porch and down the stairs, then there was a sharp pain on the back of her head and the world went black.