Chapter Twenty-Two – Lilibeth
Lilibeth
It had been a month since I’d moved in with Caden, and things were better than I thought they’d be.
He was usually up and gone by the time I woke, and by the time we both got home, we were exhausted, and one, or both of us, would head to bed early.
I’d hardly even seen him the last three weeks.
It was both a blessing and a curse. There were days when I longed to see him, but we could only exchange a quick hello and goodbye.
Today was one of those days when I didn’t get to see Caden.
He’d gotten up early and left before I was out of bed.
I was beginning to think he was afraid to see me.
Rather than sit around an empty house, I’d decided to head into the store a bit earlier than normal.
After a quick stop at the bakery for a very unhealthy breakfast and a cup of chai, I made my way to the shop.
A light snow was falling, giving the outside a very romantic, yet chilly feel.
In fact, early March in River Falls, Colorado, brought more snow than I’d seen all winter.
Or at least, it felt that way. I was over winter and beginning to wish I lived in the deep south, where it was seventy degrees today and not thirty-one.
The bell above the door rang as I stepped into Wonderland Whimsy.
“Morning, Moreen!” I called out, as I headed toward the back to my office. The store was due to open in about thirty minutes, and I had someone booked first thing for the perfumery. So I wanted to dive into my cherry danish and orange cinnamon roll before the day started.
Moreen appeared in front of me, a stricken look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately asked. A million things raced through my head that could be wrong with the store, making Moreen look the way she did.
“Is everything okay with the store?” I asked, spinning in a circle.
I was still wearing my hat, scarf, and gloves, and it was apparent in that moment that the heat was working, at least.
“Everything’s fine with the store. I take it you haven’t seen the paper this morning. To be exact, The Daily Dirt column?”
Taking off my scarf and gloves, I stepped into the office and tossed them onto the chair in the corner, then removed my coat and hung it up.
My stomach dropped a little, even as I felt relief that the store was okay.
There was a time when I’d actually wanted to see my name in the local gossip column, thinking it would be fun.
But since getting pregnant, it was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
“I haven’t seen it. Is it good gossip, at least?” I asked, hopeful.
Moreen crinkled her nose and shook her head. Then she held it up, and I drew in a sharp breath.
“Oh. My. God.”
“Honestly,” Moreen stated, “I’m surprised it took Janet this long to figure it out.”
I took the paper from her and stared at the picture of Caden and me. “How? Who? Why?”
It was a picture of us outside my OB’s office. I was leaning against my car as Caden looked down at me. It was an innocent photo, but the headline was the attention-getter.
“Is River Falls’s Most Eligible Bachelor Off the Market?”
The first few sentences of the article nearly had me dropping to the floor. I looked up at Moreen, then back down, and read it out loud.
“River Falls’s most eligible bachelor is off the market, ladies. Or so it appears. I just confirmed yesterday that Lilibeth Asher, owner of Wonderland Whimsy, is pregnant and expecting her first child. The father, you ask? Our very own Caden Wilde!
“I haven’t been able to confirm whether they’re dating, but I’ve learned that Lilibeth is currently living with Caden. This can only mean one thing—Caden has finally gotten over his first love, Rachel Hunter, and has decided to start a family with…”
My voice trailed off as I stared at the paper.
“It’s really not that bad,” Moreen said softly.
“She called me a hippie?” I jerked my head up and looked at Moreen. “A hippie.”
Plastering on a smile, she replied, “Not just a hippie, but ‘a flower-loving, carefree hippie.’”
I glared at her. “Because that makes it better.”
Moreen shrugged. “She could have called you something worse.”
Sighing, I walked over, sat in my desk chair, and kept reading.
“Has decided to start a family with our town’s flower-loving, carefree hippie.
Everyone adores Lilibeth and, of course, her little store.
We wish the happy couple all the best and look forward to getting an invitation to the…
” I started to laugh before finishing, “…the baby shower!” Looking up at Moreen again, I asked, “Is she serious right now?”
“You have to understand, Janet is the town’s gossip queen, and if it isn’t her writing the column, it’s her daughter.
They both have a beef with the Wildes, which I think you learned with Emeline.
Janet actually thinks she can strong-arm people into doing things, or she’ll put them in the gossip column. ”
I leaned back. “You’re right. I’m also surprised she didn’t find out sooner.”
“I think maybe she knew, and someone asked her to wait to print it.”
Confused, I regarded her. “You think she knew I was pregnant before this was taken?”
She nodded. “It’s a small town, Lilibeth.
Janet and her family know everything that happens.
The fact that your OB is in Granby means nothing.
Janet has family and friends everywhere, and they keep her informed.
Plus, add in Caden Wilde and…yeah. She knew, but for some reason sat on the information. ”
Leaning forward, I asked, “Do you think Caden’s the reason she hasn’t posted until now?”
“I think either him or Vivianne.”
“Vivianne?” I said, with a disbelieving laugh.
“Think about it. You said Caden told you that people already knew he’d stayed with you on Christmas night. Nothing was ever said or written about it. Why do you think that is? Someone got Janet to hold off on this. The question becomes who and why?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know. But it’s out there now and there’s nothing I can do about it. I knew people would find out sooner or later.”
“Are you okay?” Moreen asked with a caring smile.
“I’m fine. My mother’s probably going to freak when she sees it.”
At that very moment, my phone rang. I glanced down at my desk and groaned.
“I’ll let you get that. Twenty minutes until we open.”
“Thanks, Moreen.”
Taking a deep breath, I answered. “Morning, Mom.”
“Good morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”
“Better. The morning sickness seems to be going away slowly.”
“Are you at Caden’s?”
“No, I’m not home. I’m at the store.”
“You haven’t, by chance, seen the paper this morning, have you?”
I closed my eyes. What was she going to say about this? My mother hated drama even more than I did. “Yes, I’ve seen it.”
“I don’t know why that woman has to post such personal information. It’s just a daily rag.”
“And she knows that, Mom. The whole point of her article is to report town gossip.”
“Yes, but this isn’t about someone’s chickens being stolen. This is a person’s life. What if you weren’t ready for people to know you were pregnant? This makes me so angry, I have a mind to go down to her store and tell her what I think about her Daily Dirt garbage!”
I laughed. “Mom, you’ve always loved reading the gossip column.”
“That was before my daughter was in it!”
“It wasn’t that bad, Mom.”
“No, but don’t you think you should be the one who decides when to tell everyone you’re pregnant? Now the whole town knows, and they also know you and Caden are living together. I knew we should have just purchased that house down the street. There’s still time. No one has put an offer in yet.”
“Mom, please don’t do this to me. I’ve already moved in with Caden and I’m comfortable there. We have a good routine down.”
“Well,” she sighed. “I guess once the baby comes, he’ll be there to help.”
I didn’t dare tell my mother I thought Caden was avoiding me.
“Yes, he will. Mom, I’ve got to run. I’ve got someone scheduled as soon as we open. Talk soon?”
“Yes, of course. I love you. Don’t work too hard!”
Smiling, I replied, “I won’t. Love you too.”
I quickly ate my sugary breakfast and headed out to get ready for my first customers of the morning.
Leaning down, I carefully pulled the pan of lasagna out of the oven and set it on the stove. I drew in a deep breath and smiled.
“What smells so good?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Caden, who was looking as handsome as ever as he stood there, leaning against the doorframe, a baseball cap on and dressed in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt that had the ranch logo on the upper chest.
Looking away before I started to drool, I replied, “I got Nellie’s lasagna recipe.”
“My grandmother gave you her lasagna recipe? Willingly?”
“Of course,” I said. “I mentioned I was craving it, so she wrote it down for me. But she also made me promise not to share it with anyone.”
His brows lifted. “She hasn’t even told my mother how she makes her lasagna. You must have won her over.”
“Well, if I’m being honest, she gave it to Emeline, as well. She said since we’re bearing the first grandbabies, we could have it.”
“Definitely don’t tell my mom.”
He moved into the kitchen and leaned down to smell the fresh loaf of sourdough bread I’d made. “What’s with the cooking and baking?”
I shrugged. “I had a long day at the store. Then I stopped by your mom and dad’s earlier.”
“What for?”
There was a hint of coldness in his voice. I looked at him and asked, “Does it bother you that I stopped by?”
“Not at all. I was just curious.”
I went to the cabinet and pulled out two plates. “You’re hungry, right?”
“I’m starved.” He intercepted me and took over setting out the plates and silverware.
“We have salad, too, so we’ll need bowls.”
“On it,” he replied, as he reached up and grabbed two bowls. “Here or in the dining room?”
“I’m okay eating here on the island.”
“You were saying why you stopped by my folks’ place.”