Page 84 of Love By The Falls

Closing my eyes, I wait for their response.

But I only hear the pounding of my heart in my chest. I take a shaky breath and open my eyes. My mother’s mouth hangs slightly open while my father’s is so wide he could fit his fist in it. I close my eyes, my heart hurting that I caused this reaction.

“What?” my mother whispers.

“I’m pregnant,” I say again. Louder this time. They may need to hear it a few more times before it sinks in. It took me weeks to believe it.

“How?” my mother asks. “Who… oh my gosh, it’s Jason’s baby, isn’t it? Are you two back together?”

“What? No.” I shake my head and swallow the bile that statement produced in the pit of my stomach. “It’s not Jason’s baby.”

“Then whose baby is it?” my father asks. I can’t read his face. I can’t tell if he’s angry or disappointed. I am thirty years old, and I still hate the feeling of disappointing my parents.

“His name is Caleb Consuelos, and he lives in Queens. I met him while on vacation in St. Kitts.”

My father leans back in his chair while my mother puts a hand to her heart. “A stranger? You slept with a stranger?”

Oh, God. “I’m a grown woman. I can sleep with whomever I wish.”

My mother presses her lips together and crosses her arms.

“I thought,” starts my father, and wets his dry lips. “I thought you couldn’t get pregnant again. That’s what you told us.”

“I really thought I couldn’t. It should have been nearly impossible.”

My father presses his lips together while my mom stares down at the tablecloth. Several minutes go by before either of them moves.

Then, my mother’s eyes soften, and she inhales sharply. “Well, we should be grateful that you can have another.”

I narrow my eyes as I stare at my mother. “Really? Are you okay with this?”

She exhales loudly. “Well, you’re not a child, Charlotte. You’re thirty years old. I would have preferred that you settled down with a good man before having another baby, but… Charlie is a blessing and this child will be, too.”

My eyes water, and I close them before any tears could fall. Darn pregnancy hormones. My lip trembles and my mother pulls me into her arms. “Don’t cry, Charlotte. Everything is going to be fine.”

“I know,” I say. “I just hate disappointing you both.”

“We’re not disappointed,” says my father. “Shocked, yes. But not disappointed. Your mother’s right. Charlie is the best thing that happened to this family. This new baby will only make us stronger.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. “I know it won’t be easy dealing with the gossip in town.”

“Hush, now,” my mother waves me off. “I’d like to see them try. I’ll teach them a thing or two about turning gossip into grace. This baby is our little miracle.”

I inhale deeply, filling my lungs until they feel like they’ll explode. “I’m so glad you feel this way because Caleb is coming on Friday.”

“Here? At Cedar Brook Falls.”

I nod.

“Mmm. He’s coming all the way from the city to Cedar Brook Falls?”

“We’ve been talking a lot on the phone lately and I’ve convinced him it’s worth a visit. Do you mind watching Charlie while I show him around?”

“Of course, we’ll watch Charlie,” says my father. “I’ve got some tomato seeds that need harvesting. He can help.”

“Where’s Caleb staying?” my mother asks.

“At Mrs. Cook’s Bed and breakfast. I recommended it.”

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