Chapter Fifteen
“Are you really waiting to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?
” Marit asked Britt as they sat outside on the deck at Lobster Cove.
Evelyn was in town with a friend, having lunch.
Kash was at school, and Harper had the day off, after working four ten-hour shifts in a row.
She was more than ready to put her feet up and relax for a hot second.
Linc had asked if she wanted to go with him to Lobster Cove, as he had something he needed to do.
She’d agreed immediately. It was the last week of March, and they had a fluke “warm”-weather day in the upper forties.
This weekend it would get cold again, back down below freezing, as was the norm for this time of year.
Kash had his robotics competition in Portland, and Harper was looking forward to snuggling in the house with Linc.
She worked Saturday morning but had Sunday off.
So while Linc did whatever it was he came over here to do, she, Britt, and Marit, who’d also come over to visit—claiming Zach was working like a maniac in their kitchen and she needed a break from his grumpiness as he perfected a new recipe—sat on the deck in the sun and enjoyed each other’s company.
Britt was due to give birth in another month, and claimed she was more than ready. Marit wasn’t as far along, about four months behind Britt, but she looked just as pregnant, probably because of her small size.
“Yeah, we decided it would be fun to be surprised on his or her birthday.”
“How’s Evelyn feel about that?” Harper asked.
Britt chuckled. “She’s not thrilled. But honestly, that’s kind of why we’re waiting. Not to torture Chad’s mom, but because we know if she finds out, she’ll go overboard buying all blue or pink stuff for the baby. As it is, our baby room is already full of green and yellow.”
Both Marit and Harper laughed.
“Yeah, she’s a little excited,” Marit said with a knowing nod.
“She keeps asking Zach and me if we know the gender of our little one yet.” She had one hand on her belly and a soft smile on her face.
“I keep putting her off, but the truth is . . .” She leaned forward and looked right, then left, before whispering, “We already know.”
“You do?” Harper asked with wide eyes.
“Yup. My ob-gyn gave it away accidentally during a routine sonogram. She felt awful afterward, but Zach and I wanted to know anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.”
“And?” Britt asked with a huge grin.
“You want to know?” Marit asked.
“Duh!” Harper exclaimed. “Yes!”
“Promise not to spill the beans to Evelyn?”
Harper and Britt both crossed their hearts and hoped to die.
“It’s a boy,” Marit said, with a happy grin on her face.
“A boy!” Britt exclaimed. “I bet Zach is thrilled!”
“He is, but I don’t think it mattered if we were having a boy or a girl. He just wants kids.”
“I get that. Chad’s the same way. He’s already talking about our next one . . . how long we want to wait and all that,” Britt agreed.
“What about you? Is Linc baby-crazy too? You should know the Young brothers apparently have very potent sperm,” Marit warned Harper with a grin.
Harper knew the topic was going to come up at some point.
But honestly, she’d expected it to come from Evelyn first. The woman was positively giddy that she was getting two grandbabies so close together.
She couldn’t wait to spoil them rotten. And when she’d found out that Linc and Harper were officially dating, she’d been beside herself.
Harper could practically see the baby question in her eyes every time she saw her and Linc together.
She hated to disappoint anyone, but there would be no babies in her future.
“Uh . . . about that,” she hedged, not wanting to bring down the conversation.
“What? Did I say something wrong? Shoot, I’m so sorry.” Marit bit her lip in consternation.
“No. You didn’t say anything wrong at all.
It’s just . . . Linc and I . . . we don’t want kids.
Any more, that is. Kash wasn’t planned, and raising him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
He’s finally at an age where I can breathe again.
And being here in Maine has helped tremendously too.
It’s not as dangerous as New York City was.
We just . . . we don’t want kids,” Harper repeated lamely.
Britt leaned over and grabbed Harper’s hand. “I think that’s awesome.”
“You do?”
“Yes. That you and Linc know what you want and what you don’t. That you’ve been able to talk about things like children now, before things get too deep and you find out you’re on different pages.”
“I agree,” Marit said with a nod. “And I can see Linc not wanting kids. Not because he isn’t great with Kash, and he’d be an amazing dad to a baby. But he probably had to look after Zach a lot when he was young, because they’re ten years apart.”
“He’s okay with you having Kash though, right?” Britt asked with concern.
“Yes! Oh yes.” Harper was quick to defend Linc. “He’s amazing. He loves him so much, and he’s great with him.”
“Of course he is. He’s Linc,” Marit said simply.
“And you know what? It doesn’t matter if you want babies or not, because you’ve already given Evelyn her first grandchild.
You and Linc being together means Kash is officially a Lobsterite!
I know Chad already told him that he was, but now that you’re dating Linc, it’s official official,” Britt said.
Harper chuckled. “I know what you mean.”
“I think you need to make it clear to Evelyn that you and Linc love each other. That you’re together in a long-term kind of way. You are, aren’t you?” Britt asked.
“Yes,” Harper confirmed.
“Right. Then I think Linc should make sure his mom knows that Kash is now her grandson too. For real. I mean, I know she already sees him as part of the family, the whole handprint thing at Thanksgiving is proof of that. But I also think she’s so caught up in her baby frenzy, she’s missing the obvious fact that Kash is, in actuality, her first true grandchild. Not the baby I’m carrying,” Britt said.
“It’s not a big deal,” Harper said with a shrug.
“Are you kidding? Yes, it is!” Britt countered. “It’ll take some of the pressure off of me!”
They all laughed hard at that.
“Will she be disappointed, do you think?” Harper asked.
“No,” both Marit and Britt said at the same time.
“He has an appointment to get a vasectomy,” Harper blurted. She usually wasn’t one to talk about such personal things with others, but she’d been worrying about this ever since Linc told her it was a done deal. That the operation was planned for a few weeks from now.
“That’s probably smart if neither of you want kids,” Britt said.
“And you won’t have to take the pill or deal with messy condoms. Bonus!” Marit agreed.
“You don’t think it’s . . . extreme? What if he changes his mind? Or we break up?”
“First of all, this is Lincoln Young we’re talking about. He’s one of the most decisive men I’ve ever met,” Britt started. “If he says he doesn’t want children, he’s not going to change his mind.”
“And you aren’t breaking up,” Marit said.
Harper couldn’t help it, she chuckled. “You don’t know that.”
“Well, I’m married to his brother, and I know the way the Young men work. Like Britt said, once a Young makes up his mind, it’s seriously made up. And Linc has definitely decided you’re it for him. So I don’t think you have to worry about breaking up.”
Both their comments eased Harper’s worries a little more.
Then she realized what Marit just said. “Wait—you’re married to Zach?”
To her amazement, Marit’s cheeks turned bright red.
“Oh my God! Really?” Britt asked, gaping at Marit.
She shrugged. “We really didn’t want a whole shindig like you and Chad.
It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.
We applied for the license with the intent to decide later when to have a ceremony, and when we went to the courthouse to pick it up .
. . decided to just do it. We made the appointment that day, and now we’re married. ”
“Holy crap, that’s awesome! Congratulations!” Harper told her.
“Thanks. We’re both super happy and relieved we don’t have to worry about all the stuff that comes with a ceremony, particularly the cost. Zach can use that money toward expanding The Lobster Buoy, and we’ll also need it for the baby, especially since I’ll have to take some time off in the height of lobster season.
Eliot has been awesome about it, but I hate thinking about the money we’ll be losing. ”
“I’m happy to babysit when I’m not working,” Harper volunteered.
“Me too. Might as well have your son and our baby get close from the start. And you know Evelyn will be itching to spoil him.”
“Yeah. I keep forgetting that I actually have a whole support system now,” Marit said with a shrug. “I want to stay home with him for a while, but I’m sure I’ll be back on the Wave Rider before Zach thinks I should be.”
“Do you have a name picked out?” Britt asked.
Harper was relieved the spotlight was off her. Honestly, she’d expected her announcement that she and Linc wouldn’t be having babies to be a much bigger deal. But she should’ve known better. Marit and Britt were extremely easygoing and kind.
“Mark Austin,” Marit said.
“Oh my God, Evelyn is going to lose it when she hears that,” Britt said.
Harper agreed. Zach and Marit giving their baby his late father’s name as his middle name was a huge honor.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Marit asked Britt. “I mean, were you going to use Austin’s name?”
Britt shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. We haven’t fully decided on names, but Austin isn’t in the running. But you know what is?”
“What?” Harper and Marit asked at the same time.
“Evelyn . . . as a middle name, if it’s a girl.”
“Is it bad of me to hope it’s a girl?” Harper blurted. “I would love for Evelyn to have a namesake. And for there to be more girls around here. Boys certainly have the upper hand. With the four Young brothers, Kash, and your little one, Marit. We need a girl.”