Page 73 of SEAL'S Baby Surprise
“I cut my hair with the sewing scissors, and I guess I was talking kind of wild. Anyway, he was worried that I might hurt myself or maybe even someone else, so he just locked up everything that was sharp and waited for me to come to my senses.”
“Did you?” Rosalee asked. “Come to your senses, I mean.”
I think about it for a minute. “Yes,” I say. “I think I did. In fact, I think I’m better than I have been for a long, long time. Maybe ever. Austin is amazing.”
Rosalee laughs. “I’ve noticed that you certainly think so. And you do seem better. More solid, less scattered. And that Austin is a hunk, but so polite.”
I nod. “I learned to paddleboard, and I might have learned to ride a bike if I hadn’t turned up pregnant.”
“Are you sorry?” she asks.
I cradle my belly which is becoming as round as a watermelon. “No,” I say. “I’m looking forward to this baby. Our little bean has a wonderful dad, and I’m going to do my best to learn to be a good mom.”
“But you are going to live in an old Airstream travel trailer!” Rosalee exclaims. “How can that be good for any of you?”
“Austin is rebuilding it,” I say. “It is going to be marvelous. Meanwhile, Richard’s grandparents-in-law have offered us theuse of one of the cottages designed for their workers, and we can stay there as long as we like. Anyway, we’ll live on the beach most of the time. Good fresh air, playing in the water . . . “
“Eating sand, risk of drowning, to say nothing of maybe getting eaten by that giant dog,” Rosalee points out. “Is that really a good environment for a baby? You must love Austin a lot.”
“Our baby will have one of us at all times,” I say firmly. “No nannies, no daycare. And Ark is the gentlest, most protective dog in all the world. We are all absolutely safe in his care.”
“What about a jealous big sister?” she asks.
“Julia? She is so excited to be a big sister! We’re already a family, we’re just adding one more.”
Rosalee throws up her hands. “All right! I guess you know what you are doing. I will say you seem happier than you ever have, and I’ve not seen a single panic attack – even though you’ve connected with your brother.”
“Oh, that part is easy to explain,” I say. “It’s Kandis. And Charlie. Richard has always cared; he just didn’t know how to care.”
Rosalee turns her attention back to the gaudy skirt in her hands. “So what are you going to do with this?”
“Sell it,” I say. “Richard has found a buyer for it, the top, and the design. It will fund Julia’s and Little Bean’s college tuition, and maybe some left over.”
“That’s good,” she says. “Especially since it wouldn’t fit now.”
“Not in any way,” I confirm. “I’ve got a different design started. You are going to just die when you see it.”
“Can’t wait,” Rosalee says. “I’ll just box this thing up and get it out of the way. Clear the decks, as it were. We are doing invitations today?”
“Yep,” I say. “Richard is sending some of his secretarial staff to help.”
“So,” she says, eyeing the stack of blank cards dubiously, “Why are you inviting all these people? And why is Dr. Artie going to be one of your bridesmaids?”
“Because,” I explain patiently, “Artie was there for me when I was scared and alone. Kandis is the glue that is holding my family together, and you … well, you’ve been my bestie since our freshman year in college. Who else would I have?”
She gives me a side hug and says, “I’m so glad you are safe and that running away wound up to be running toward something good. And it is amazing that your new fiancée is so handy. I just can’t imagine living in something as tiny as an Airstream.”
“It’s bigger than the van,” I remind her. “It will do to keep the rain off. Besides, we’ll find the perfect house or the perfect place to build a house one of these days. I don’t want to wait much longer to have the wedding, and the Airstream will give us a place to live right away.”
“I kind of get that,” Rosalee says. “And Valentine’s day is a wonderful time for a wedding. I just hope the weather holds. You know that February in California…well, sometimes it just pours rain.”
I laugh. “I know,” I say. “That’s why we talked to the Farmer’s Market carnival people, and we are going to borrow their big pavilion tent. The garden club is going to decorate it, and so are the guys from the village pawn shop.”
“Aren’t they the ones who wouldn’t buy your pearls and diamonds?” Rosalee asks.
“Yep,” I say. “I was upset at the time, but really, they did me a big favor. I would never have been desperate enough to do odd jobs for Austin if they had bought them, and those pretties would probably have led Richard right to me. They almost did anyway.”
“It would have saved the rest of us three months of worry,” Rosalee says, a little crossly.
