Page 77 of Protect My Heart
‘Oh, sorry,’ the waitress says with a laugh. She leaves, along with the other two women.
‘Who were they?’ I ask Jason.
‘Sorry, I should’ve introduced you. They’re teachers at the high school.’
‘Mia loved teaching,’ my mom says to Jason as she pourssyrup on her pancakes. ‘I think she’s going to miss it in her new job.’
‘You got a job?’ Jason asks me.
‘No. She means when I get one. But Mom, I’ll still be working with students, just in a different way.’
‘This food isn’t too bad,’ my dad mutters, stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth.
‘It’s wonderful,’ my mom says. ‘These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had.’
‘We eat well in Haydon Falls,’ Jason jokes.
‘Hey, I didn’t know you’d be here,’ I hear someone say.
I look back and see Brody and Sawyer walking up to our table. Oh, no. This isn’t good. This is bad. Very, very bad.
‘Hey,’ Jason says to his brothers. ‘We’re having breakfast. I’ll talk to you guys later.’
‘Are you two Jason’s brothers?’ my mom asks. ‘Because you sure look like him.’
‘I like to think I’m better looking,’ Sawyer kids. ‘But yeah, that’s us. I’m Sawyer and this idiot is Brody.’ He points to him.
‘Are Gina and Kate with you?’ I ask.
‘No, they wanted to sleep in,’ Brody says. ‘We wanted to eat and neither of us has food at our place.’
‘We’re Mia’s parents,’ my mom says to them. ‘Mia and Jason just told us their news. It was certainly a surprise, but we’re beyond thrilled!’
‘Our parents are too,’ Sawyer says. ‘This will be their first grandchild.’
I freeze, my fork held over my plate. My parents weren’t supposed to know about the baby yet. I was going to let the engagement news sink in before I told them.
‘Grandchild?’ my mom says, sounding confused.
I feel Jason staring at me. He’s waiting for me to say something, but I can’t come up with any words.
‘You didn’t know?’ Sawyer says. ‘Shit.’
Brody shoves him. ‘Now who’s the idiot?’
Sawyer turns to Brody. ‘How was I supposed to know what she’s talking about? She said they told them the news.’
‘I was referring to their engagement,’ my mom says. ‘Mia, are you having a baby?’
I slowly lift my eyes to hers. ‘Yes.’
‘Wait—you guys are engaged?’ Brody says. ‘When did that happen?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Jason says. ‘Would you guys get out of here?’
My dad points to Jason. ‘I knew you were trouble! Getting my daughter pregnant before you’ve even married her?’ He huffs. ‘It’s a disgrace!’
‘Oh, Walter, calm down.’ My mom pats his hand. ‘You know these things happen. It’s not like back in our day.’ She gives me a weak smile, which tells me she feels the same way as my dad but is trying to be okay with it. ‘It’s wonderful news. I assume you’ll get married before the baby arrives?’
