Page 32 of Shining Pearls
Still staring at the gray floor, Josie nodded briskly. With that simple gesture, the decision was made and our fate was sealed. I couldn’t help but wonder what this newly-prescribed destiny would mean for my family.
29
Josie
Dean was sitting on Aunt Mimi’s porch swing, but I couldn’t stop pacing long enough to sit down beside him. My entire body was vibrating with nervous energy. I was afraid I would get sick if I paused in my movement long enough for the nausea that had been creeping in to escalate.
My hope was that the constant walking would be enough of a distraction for my body to keep the overwhelming fear and overall dizzy feeling at bay. So far, it wasn’t working very well.
The tone of panic escalated in my voice as I asked, “What was I thinking? Why did I agree to this meeting? There’s no way revealing the truth to Alex can possibly work out well, is there? What if they try to take my baby away from me?”
Since I had rapid-fired the questions at Dean without giving him a chance to respond, he seemed surprised when I stopped mid-step and stared at him while waiting for a response to that last one.
“Oh,” Dean blinked a few times as if processing which one of my frantic questions to answer. Choosing the right one, he finally said, “They wouldn’t take the baby away from you. Even if they did try it, the law is always on the mother’s side in these types of cases.”
He looked intelligent behind his glasses, and he sounded confident in his answer, but I still wasn’t sure if he was right. Voicing my greatest fears, I said, “They have more resources than I do if this comes to a court battle. Besides, Alex’s sister is a legal professional. She probably knows all of the ins and outs to make things work out in their favor.”
Stepping smoothly into his role as ‘voice of reason,’ Dean spoke in a calm, reassuring tone. “Avery used to be a paralegal, but she is currently unemployed.”
Rather than allowing his words to soothe my raw nerves, I became even more agitated. Flinging my hands in the air, I said, “So that means she has the knowledgeandthe time to fight on their behalf.”
“It’s not going to come to that,” Dean assured me with so much confidence in his voice that I almost believed him… almost.
When I finally sat down on the swing beside him, Dean took my clammy hand within his big soothing one. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he was so warm, despite how cold it was outside, but it did. His next words proved to be just as comforting as his touch. “This meeting is a good thing, and I’ll be by your side the entire time.”
I looked to him then before whispering, “You’re my rock.”
He gave me a soft gaze before admitting, “Well, I should be there, since I’m the one who blurted out the lie about me being the father of the baby. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. It’s better to have the truth out there, though. It was bound to come out eventually, anyway.”
I nodded, before quipping, “Yeah, if the baby comes out and wants to sit down at a keyboard and write a steamy romance novel, it would become obvious really quickly who the father is.”
After chuckling at my own lame joke, I noticed Dean’s wide-eyed stare. When he repeated one of my words, I instantly realized my mistake. “Romance?!?”
Lifting my palm to my mouth as if I could contain what I had already revealed, I stared over it at my friend. With my hand still over my mouth muffling my words, I said, “You can’t tell anyone or say anything to Alex about it.” Finally lowering my hand, I added, “I can’t believe I told you that. You must have some kind of mystical power over me that makes any secret I know just fall out of my mouth when you’re around.”
I smacked playfully at his chest, silently blaming him for my slip-up. After an over-exaggerated grimace, he leaned in and said, “That’s my superpower––getting beautiful women to overshare.”
The laughter bubbled out of me before I could contain it. Shaking my head at the silly man, I said, “No, I think your superpower is somehow making me feel better, no matter what horrible circumstances I’ve managed to get myself into.”
Dean leaned down to press a sweet kiss onto the side of my forehead. “That’s always my goal… to make you happy.”
I nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder seeking the heat of his skin, feeling protected and cared for, despite the dread churning in my stomach. He smelled like home––a delicious mixture of fabric softener, cinnamon toast, and a uniquely-Dean, masculine scent. Wanting to convey the warmth I felt in that moment, I whispered, “Thank you,” before turning my head to graze my lips along his neck.
His spine immediately stiffened, and I knew that I had made a mistake. While his peck on my forehead had been sweet and friendly, my kiss was too intimate of a move to make with a friend. As the regret began to overwhelm my senses, I lifted my head to sit up straight beside him before mumbling, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Dean merely nodded, staring blankly out towards the lighthouse. Just as I was chastising myself for making things impossibly awkward between us, he let me off the hook when he shook his head and asked, “Alex writes romance? Really??”
In his easy, natural way, Dean helped us move beyond thinking about my inappropriate kiss and seemingly effortlessly lifted the tension crackling in the air between us.
I turned to grin up at him. “You really can’t say anything about it.”
“I won’t,” he promised, before giving me a sly grin and adding, “But I’ll sure be thinking about it.”
30
Claire
I’d been debating ever since we decided to meet, whether I should give Alex a heads-up that Josie’s baby is his. On the one hand, I didn’t want to spring it on him, but on the other, I wanted to see his honest reaction to the news.
