Page 98 of Together

“Do you? I don’t know that you do. You act like because Nik works his ass off for a living and didn’t spend years in college that he’s not worthy of even knowing you. Hell, you said we couldn’t be good parents!”

Grace hiccups through a cry. “I was terrible.”

“You’re right. You were. It was bad enough to hear it from you, Grace, but, Lucy,” I turn to my other sister, “you sat there and said nothing. You never stood up for me or told her to shut up. I was ambushed. Don’t you think I’m scared enough about becoming a mother without my family treating me like I’m incompetent?”

Lucy sniffles and nods. “I know. It was awful of me.”

Our parents have been completely silent through the conversation which makes me think that they’ve already said their piece to Lucy and Grace. I know Nik said something to Grace at the hospital and my parents were there, so I’m sure they talked things over already.

“To answer your question about why. I’m not blaming Samuel, but about a year ago, he told me that I wasn’t worth much to him if I couldn’t get pregnant. Of course, that’s just the CliffNotes version of what he said. And then I found out about the affair. I had suspected, but having it confirmed really shook me up.”

“Tell her the rest,” my mom says gently.

“He got her pregnant. I found out last week. He said he was going to leave me if I couldn’t give him the same.”

“What? I’m so confused. He never seemed to mind the fact that you didn’t have kids. Weren’t you actually not planning to have children?”

“Yeah, we were, but he changed his mind. Which is, I don’t know what. I mean, none of it is okay and my guess is he just wasn’t happy with me anymore. But the kicker, that I luckily figured out, is that it all came down to money and ultimatums. His ultimatum, if that’s even the right word for it, was give him a baby or he was going to leave me for this woman who was already pregnant with his baby.”

“I’ve got to be honest here, Grace. None of this makes sense or is a reason to offer me money for my baby or to treat your own sister like you did.”

“You’re right. It isn’t. Like I said, I went a little crazy and lost control of my emotions. None of what I said is true. You’re going to be a great mother. You and Nik are so perfect together, and I think that’s part of what had me all out of control, too. Here was this guy who you literally stumbled upon and he’s so great to you and completely into you. Anyone can see it,” she says.

I look at Nik and he shrugs. “I’m not denying it.”

I feel my cheeks heat.

“See? He’s not ashamed to show you how he feels and he’s willing to stand up for you to me when I had only just met him. He could have sucked up to me in hopes of getting on my good side, but he didn’t. And that shows a lot of character, of which Samuel has none. Obviously. I was jealous. Still am, but I have the jealousy under control now.”

I blow out a breath and feel the heat from Nik’s hand against my leg. I can’t easily forget the words that she spoke to me, but I can make the decision to not let it control me or fester.

“What’s done is done, right? You said what you said and it’ll take me a while to get over it. That’s not me being petty, that’s me reminding you that what you said was supremely shitty. Not just about me not being Nik might not care because, well, quite honestly, your opinion of him doesn’t matter. Not really, anyway. The only reason he cares about your opinion of him is because of your connection to me but he’s made it clear I’m his priority, not you.” Nik’s hand flexes against my thigh and I know it’s his way of offering his support. “I’m not saying I forgive you both or that I’ll forget about it but if the accident yesterday taught me anything, it’s that life is too short to dwell on anything of the past. We’re moving on, right?”

Grace nods. “I’m so sorry, though. Please believe that.”

“I know you are. I can see it in your face. You might be an excellent lawyer, but you’re a terrible liar. At least to me.”

She laughs a little through her tears, wiping under her nose with her hand then wiping the mascara that’s started to run under her eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, but you’re not in the clear yet. Actions speak louder than words usually, but in this case, your words were really loud. Those words were not just mean, they werereallymean. To some people, they’d be unforgivable. I said this already, but you acted like a snotty bitch.”

“I know. I deserve that and I’ll give you whatever time you need to be able to forgive me. I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared when I found out about the accident.”

“She’s not just okay. She’s perfect,” Nik says. “And so is our little guy.”

Just as soon as Nik’s hand is on my stomach, our son lays out a big kick. Nik jerks back in shock at the power behind the kick.

“Whoa. That was crazy!”

“He’s been really active today. Must be trying to remind me that he’s healthy in there.”

“Maybe he’s trying to tell his mama thank you for keeping him safe.”

“Maybe,” I agree with my dad.

My dad’s eyes widen. “Wait. Did you say little guy? As in it’s a boy?”

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