Page 85 of The Inn Dilemma

Just then, the door opens, cutting off Dad’s words. In strolls Roxy, followed by Christian.

“Am I what?” Roxy asks, setting the ornate flower arrangement on the windowsill.

Dad’s expression morphs into one of embarrassment. “Are you pregnant?”

Roxy and Chris share a look, then look at me. “Did you just ruin our surprise?” she asks, propping her hands on her hips and giving me a pointed stare.

I grimace. “Sorry! I thought you guys told him!” I lift my hand with the IV. “I blame the anesthesia still running through my veins.”

Roxy smiles when Chris wraps his arm around her waist, then looks up at him. The love radiating from both of them makes me giddy.

“Yes, we’re pregnant,” Christian finally confirms.

“I’m not far along, so we’re only telling close friends and family. We were going to tell you and Amanda at family dinner this Sunday,” Roxy tells Dad.

Dad looks between the three of us as if waiting for further explanation.

“We asked Nova to be the baby’s godmother, so she was one of the first to know.”

I can’t help but smile at the memory. Holt and I were out on his back deck with the space heater blowing on us, watching another Audrey Hepburn movie and cuddling when Chris and Roxy showed up. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen my brother smile so big. They were holdinghands, practically clinging to each other, when Roxy blurted out, “We’re pregnant!” with absolutely no preamble.

I untangled myself from Holt and sprinted to my brother and sister-in-law, wrapping them both up in a firm hug. “Congratulations!” I said as I stepped back.

Roxy’s hand hovered over her middle. “I’m only about eight weeks along, but this one”—she motioned to Christian—“told me he needed to tell his sister and best friend asap. So here we are.”

“Well, I’m honored you came to us first,” I said, looking up at Holt, who came to stand beside me.

He pulled Roxy into a hug, then Chris into a bro-hug. “Congratulations, you two.”

“Thank you,” Chris said, then looked down at Roxy. “Do you want to do the honors?”

Roxy’s smile was wide as she grabbed my hands. “Chris and I were wondering if you’d be the baby’s godmother?” My eyes filled with tears, the magnitude of that moment an additional healing balm I didn’t know I needed.

“I’d be honored,” I said, then pulled my sister-in-law into another hug.

“And there’s no other man I trust more than you.” Chris clapped Holt on the shoulder. “Will you be our baby’s godfather?”

“Of course I will.”

“Well, congratulations are in order.” Dad’s clap pulls me back into the present. He carefully stands, hobbling his way over to my brother and sister-in-law. Awkwardly, he spreads his arms open and gives them both a hug. That’s when I notice his outfit. I rarely saw him dressed down in anything other than slacks and a button-downshirt in public. Even at home he wore khakis and a polo. Today he’s in sweatpants, a T-shirt, and grippy hospital socks. He’s never looked more vulnerable, yet I’ve never respected him more or felt more close to him in all my life.

The three of us talk of baby names, nursery plans, and nausea treatments since Roxy has been battling severe morning sickness. Mom comes in and fusses over me, excited that I’m awake. She pulls out a tuna salad sandwich she must have gotten from the cafeteria, and the smell permeates the room in the way only tuna can. Roxy covers her mouth and sprints into the bathroom.

Mom looks at Dad, Chris, and me questioningly. “What’s gotten into her?”

The toilet flushes, and it’s as if the sound alone triggers Mom’s understanding. Her mouth drops open and she practically leaps on Roxy as she comes out of the bathroom looking slightly less peaked than when she ran in.

“You’re pregnant?”

Roxy tries to smile, but I can tell even from across the room that it’s forced.

“Drink some ginger ale,” I offer, pointing to the unopened bottle on the bedside table.

Chris opens it and urges her to take small sips. After a few sips, Roxy’s expression relaxes.

“Yes, I am pregnant,” she tells Mom, then opens her arms as if she fully anticipated the hug Mom then givesher.

A woman whisks into the room. “Hey there, sweetie, I’m your night nurse, Holly.” She walks over to the computer next to my bed and logs in with a beep of her hospital ID. “I heard you gave us quite a scare.”

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