CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Leanne
Jenna
I’m really sorry about Friday.
I talked to Mom and Dad and we’d really love it if you came to dinner tonight. Please?
I know I need to talk to them—clear the air—but even after two days, I feel raw and exposed after running into Jenna at the baby store. I feel raw after everything I shared with Bryce too. I just feel raw all over. But avoiding this isn’t going to fix anything.
Me
Okay.
No red meat, please.
When I pull up outside my parents’ house several hours later, my dread has dissipated and a reluctant optimism has taken root.
The news is out there now, and I can only hope my family will choose to be supportive—like I’ve always supported them.
Or I’ll be inundated by judgmental questions and disappointed looks for getting pregnant from a one-night stand.
Did Jenna tell them about Bryce? Probably.
My jeans are just this side of too tight around my stomach and I’m already planning to unbutton them the moment we sit down for dinner. I’m counting on the cozy purple sweater I pulled on to cover it so no one’s the wiser.
I focus on my feet as I make my way up the steps, not bothering to note which cars are parked around Mom and Dad’s. I assume everyone is already waiting for me inside.
Blowing out a heavy breath, I scrub my boots on the outdoor mat and let myself into the house. Voices carry down the hall, but they instantly quiet as I close the door behind me.
“Annie!” Mom walks around the wall that blocks my view of the kitchen, and her beaming smile takes me by surprise. The awkwardness I was expecting after our last interaction isn’t there. This is just my mom. She pulls me into a hug, squeezing me tight. “Let me take your coat. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Yeah, I’m starving,” I say, a hint of uncertainty under the words as she takes my arm and leads me toward the kitchen without even a glance toward my stomach or acknowledgement of the elephant in the room.
Comforting smells surround me, a mixture of pine fresh furniture polish, fresh flowers, and a fresh laundry–scented candle Mom loves. I’m cautious with my first inhale as we reach the kitchen, wondering if I should’ve been more specific about the menu.
“What’s for—” Before I can finish my sentence or allow the familiar aromas to fully register, my sisters part and I see… Bryce.
He’s standing in the kitchen, chatting with my sisters and Eric. Bryce is here, and everything I was anticipating about tonight goes out the window.
“Bryce?” I croak. He looks at me, wearing a smile I’ve never seen before; a slightly mischievous one that makes him look almost boyish. “What’re you doing here?”
“Surprise,” he says, excusing himself from the group and prowling toward me with that confident swagger of his.
My brain can’t compute this turn of events.
“Um, yeah, surprise. What are you doing here?” I repeat, pulling my hair over one shoulder and fiddling with the ends.
He leans in and lowers his voice so it’s just us. “Think you can play along for me?” His lips brush close to my ear and it makes my cheeks flush in a completely different way than the pregnancy hot flashes I’ve been dealing with this week.
I shake my head and my brow pulls tight as I try to make sense of this. “But…”
“Come on, blondie. I’ve got a plan. Help me out?” he asks devilishly with a tilt of his head toward my family. This side of him goes with the smile, and I’m surprised to find I like it, even if I have no idea what’s going on.
Pretending my stomach doesn’t flutter now every time he calls me that, I shoot him a scowl, but it only makes him smile wider. My whole family is watching us with curious looks, and I wonder what on earth they make of all this. How much do they know? What do they think is going on?
“Well, here goes,” he says and turns to the group, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Leanne and I have something to tell you.”
“We do?” I hiss under my breath, and he chuckles.
“Yes, we do. Would you like to do the honors? They’re waiting…” He arches a brow, darting his eyes toward my family—who are waiting… like they have no idea what’s going on either, but…
It dawns on me as I look into his face what he’s done. He smiles more broadly as he sees the understanding revealed in my features, and then he nods.
I can’t believe this.
I shift my focus to my family, to the anticipation written all over their faces. Last weekend I was here, alone, and I felt completely out of control. But I’m not alone tonight, and I’ve been given back a precious gift.
A genuine smile widens across my face. “I’m pregnant.”
The whole room erupts. Jenna and Evelyn jump up and down with excitement, holding hands before rushing over to give me a hug. Mom and Dad stand with their arms locked around each other, effusive with joy and with tears in their eyes.
Jenna exclaims, “I’m going to be an auntie!
” while Evelyn squeezes me too tightly and says, “I can’t wait to spoil this little one all the time!
” She’s the first person to reach for my stomach, the first person aside from me and Bryce to have a hand there—and even if there’s nothing to feel yet, this is a moment I’ll never forget.
They finally release me, and then Eric, Mom, and Dad all swoop in for their chance at us. And I do mean us, because once they’re done hugging me, they move to embrace Bryce just as fervently.
“We’re going to be grandparents,” Mom says to Dad.
He looks elated and proud, and his hug is the softest one yet. He’s not apologizing out loud, but it’s there in his tender embrace.
They’re all giving me exactly what I told Jenna I wanted so badly, and Bryce helped—or coordinated it or did whatever he did to be here and make this happen.
The emotions that live at the surface these days begin to bubble over. I bite my lip and attempt to blink away the wetness fogging my vision. It’s no use though. This is too much—but in the best way.
“No crying,” Mom says, clasping my face between her hands. “This is a day for celebrating.” She swipes the tears off my cheeks with her thumbs and gives me a nod. Her tiny acknowledgement and apology too—one that says there will be time for more of them later.
Right now, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. We share a smile and I step back. A hard chest greets my body, and a sense of comfort envelops me with only his masculine scent and the knowing that he’s there.
“Okay, okay. Sorry,” I say, drying my face with my sleeve. “I wasn’t expecting… this.” I gesture around the room like it can encompass everything happening right now.
“I don’t think any of us were expecting this,” Bryce says from behind me, and the whole kitchen fills with bursts of laughter.
I turn to pin him with a glare. “Did you really just make an accidental pregnancy joke?”
“If the shoe fits…” he says with a raised brow and his signature smirk. “Come on, let’s eat.”
He leads me to the table, where takeout containers line the center. And now the smell I was too distracted to place earlier clicks into place.
“You ordered Whiskey Ditch?” I ask, turning to Mom and Dad, who are holding hands at the head of the table.
“We heard it’s been a favorite and, well…” Dad looks sheepish—clearly remembering how everything went to crap last time.
I face Jenna. “So my text asking for no red meat wasn’t necessary, was it?”
She shakes her head, biting her lip. “Bryce told me this would be the best bet for a successful night.”
Damn, he’s so thoughtful.
“Well, come on, let’s sit down before everything gets cold,” Dad pipes in, taking his usual spot.
We serve up sandwiches and soup, and I note everyone is drinking soda or water… Not a glass of wine in sight.
It’s not that we’re particularly big drinkers, but typically our family will go through a bottle or two. This is yet another thoughtful gesture of solidarity, and in comparison to how alone I felt last time I was here, it feels really good.
“How far along are you now?” Mom asks casually before slurping a spoonful of soup.
“Twelve weeks.” I blush and hope they don’t decide to do the math… although I’m sure they’ve already put two and two together.
“Have you been to the doctor yet?” Jenna inquires around a big bite of grilled cheese.
“Only once so far, but I have another appointment in two weeks. I do have an ultrasound picture I can show you on my phone though.”
“Oh, wait, that reminds me.” Bryce’s chair scrapes across the floor and he returns a moment later with a flat package in his hands. At my questioning look, he shoots me a wink before placing the gift in front of my parents. “This is for you, Mr. and Mrs. Kole.”
Mom titters. “Stop that, Bryce. We told you to call us Kimberly and Robert once already.”
“Right, sorry.” Bryce’s thigh brushes mine when he sits down and his callused palm covers mine under the table a moment later.
I’m still getting used to this casual touching.
It’s like the handholding while we walked Friday afternoon and our honest conversion pushed us into this new space where it’s okay to like each other.
Even though we aren’t together, it feels like we’re a real team tonight.
It gives me hope this can work. That we can raise this child together somehow.
The whole table watches Mom and Dad with rapt attention. Beneath the brown paper and ribbon is a frame holding a copy of the sonogram of our little gummy bear.
Mom’s eyes fill with tears, and Dad wraps his arm around her shoulders as they stare down at the photo.
“Thank you,” Dad says, looking at us both, but I can’t take even an ounce of credit for this. No, this was all Bryce.
They pass it around and everyone coos over it—except Eric, who says he doesn’t understand what he’s looking at. Jenna tries to show him, but he’s hopeless. She says it’ll be easier when it’s their baby, and he instantly pales before she can reassure him that she meant someday, not now.
Passing the frame back to my parents, I see it’s inscribed with Our First Grandbaby at the top. Bryce has really thought of everything, and I’ve never in my life felt more understood than I do in this moment.