Page 33 of Through the Fire

It warmed my heart to know my daughter now had extended family that cared for her as deeply as I did.

“Okay. You having fun?”

She nodded happily.

“Give me a kiss and go on back to playing. I’m going to go check on Mama Island.”

Rushing toward me, she pecked my cheek then took off without a second glance.

It didn’t even bother me as I stood and headed inside to check on my big baby. I was going to head toward the bathroom when I heard cabinets slamming in the kitchen. Peeking around the corner, I saw it was Island. She was so distracted that she didn’t see me watching her. She was completely spaced out as she looked for something unsuccessfully.

“Ugh.” She grunted in frustration.

Walking quickly, I eased behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“What’s wrong, Izzy?”

Her head fell backward on my chest. “I can’t find the to-go plates.”

I smiled. “That’s because your mama already took them outside.”

“Oh.” She sighed and kept quiet.

Spinning her around so she was facing me, I noticed how she was avoiding eye contact.

“Is that all that’s bothering you?” When she refused to respond, I spoke in a softer voice. “Talk to me, baby. I’m here.”

She sighed then crossed her arms over her chest.

“I just…”

Without another word, she marched over to her purse. I waited patiently while she dug around inside. She came back with a card with Shy Shy’s name written across the front. I picked it up and raised an eyebrow. She huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

“It’s tickets to Disney World for her birthday.”

I smiled because she loved spoiling my baby. Island’s business was still very lucrative, and no matter how many times I told her I could take care of us, she was adamant about contributing to our wealth. So, most of her income went into investments for us and spoiling our daughter, me, or herself. Shy Shy had so many gadgets we were running out of space to store it all. Hunting for a bigger house was on our list of tasks because we needed it.

“So, you’re upset that you brought her tickets to Disney World?”

She shook her head.

“No. I’m upset because I just splurged on a shopping cart. I’m going to be too fat to wear.” Her bottom lip poked out as she began to cry. “My inner child was looking forward to that trip.”

I was so confused, but I placed the card down then took Island’s hands in mine.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not understanding, baby. Fill in the blanks for me. You want to cancel the trip because of what now?”

Her shoulders tensed when she inhaled and held her breath. Eventually, she released it and a confession at the same time.

“I’m pregnant,” she murmured.

“Huh?” I asked to be sure I heard her correctly.

She walked over to the trash can and picked up a box on the top. Inside was a pregnancy test that she handed to me. I froze seeing the pregnant results on the cheap stick.

“Why’d you put it in the trash?”

“Because I thought it was broken.”

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