Page 43 of Lone Star Longing
“Are they going to do a sonogram every time?”
“I don't know. Maybe.”
“Well, call me back when you have one of those that I can actually see.”
“If you let me know when you’re going to be here, maybe you can go to the doctor with me.”
“I won’t have time for that.”
Okay, she was starting to get pissed. “Why can’t you be happy? Or a little bit excited?”
“You don't know what my life is like over here. I’m going to need a lot of down time. Time with my guys.”
“Don't you have enough time with your guys?”
He scowled at the screen. “Are you turning into that woman? Now that you’re pregnant, you’re just going to nag me?”
Taken aback, she squared her shoulders. Was she? “No. That is absolutely not what I’m going to be.”
“Good.”
“I just want you to want to spend time with me and your baby when you’re here.”
“My baby. It’s not even alive yet.”
She drew in a breath between her teeth. “It is. I heard its heartbeat.”
“You know what I mean. It’s not even outside your body. How can I spent time with it?”
“You know what I mean. I’m asking you to spend time with me and think about what our future is going to be like with this baby.” She didn't want to ask him more than that. She didn't want to push him into proposing, because honestly? She didn't know what her answer would be.
“We’ll, ah, talk about it when the time gets closer. All right? I need to go, but I’ll talk to you soon.”
He disconnected the call without a word of affection.
Well. Why was she putting up with this? She could do this on her own. She needed to make sure, though. She needed to see him in person.
But since she was biting the bullet here, she figured it was time to tell her mother.
Lacey looked at her phone for a long time before she got up the nerve to dial. This wasn't the sort of news one delivered over text message. She was going to have to call her mother and tell her she was pregnant. She couldn't imagine what her mother’s reaction would be.
She couldn't remember the last time she’d heard her mother’s voice, to be honest. The two of them texted at least once a week, but rarely spoke.
Why oh why couldn't she text this news? Her mom would know something was up as soon as she saw the number on her screen. But Lacey couldn't tell her sister until she told her mother, so she needed to call.
“Lacey? What happened? Is it your dad?”
The question surprised Lacey. Did her mom still have feelings about her dad? Of course, she probably would. They had four children together.
“No, Mom, Dad’s fine. It’s, well, I have some news.”
“Are you getting married? To Jesse? How long have you been dating? It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for this forever. I already have my dress.”
Why did her mother insert her own ideas? Why didn't she just listen? Or was that the problem all along? “Mom, no. I’m not getting married. Not to Jesse. Not...no. I have different news. I’m going to have a baby.”
A beat of silence. A beat that stretched. And stretched.
“But you’re not getting married?”
