Page 79 of A Baby for the Firefighter
“Why couldn't you tell us?” My father asked. “You see, that's the part I don't get. We're family. You should be able to tell us.”
Eli sneered. “You say the word family like it means something, but I told you about my pregnancy and look how that turned out for me.”
Dad looked him up and down. “Seems to me you turned out all right. You're a strong omega, just the way we raised you to be. You have two children, a good man and good career prospects. I only feel you could have had all of that a lot earlier if you'd listened to us.”
“Perhaps... but you couldn't know that. You should have simply trusted my judgment and supported me when I needed your help. That's what I'm going to do for my children when they come to me with their problems. That's what I would have wished for from you.”
Our father sighed. “Maybe you're not the only member of this family who's too damn stubborn for his own good.”
I felt my eyebrows go up, knowing this was as close as our dad was going to get to an honest apology. And maybe Eli realized it as well, because he backed off.
“Let’s just get you out of here and to the cottage,” he said.
“Great idea!” Our mother jumped on the change of topic immediately. We helped her pack everything up and carry it to the car while she supported Dad on his crutches, since he refused to be wheeled around. He reallywasstubborn.
Still…
“That was big of you,” I told my brother in a hushed voice as we walked to the car. “Letting it go.”
He gave me a half-shrug. “Honestly, I think I’m too happy with my life right now to stay bitter for long. Just doesn’t seem worth it. I want to get this over with so I can return to my husband.”
His words made me smile. I was so happy for the way things had worked out for him. I was even happier now that I knew there was going to be a little ray of sunshine in my future as well. And as if reading my thoughts, Eli asked, “Are you going to tell them?”
And just like that, my good mood took a hit. “Not today.” Yeah, I’d joked to Dean that we needed to tell my parents, but not yet. Not when things were finally going well. I didn’t want to drop this bomb on this family right now. No, my parents would only lay into me about how I needed to get married to Dean like… yesterday!
I loved him, but we hadn’t talked about that yet, and this was really something I needed to discuss with my boyfriend before inviting my parents to the conversation. Our new-found family peace was so fragile. I didn’t want to do anything that could hurt it.
34
Griffin
“Areyou really going to eat that?” Dean asked, a look somewhere between awe and disgust on his face as he watched me shove the pickles-and-mayonnaise-and-ham sandwich he’d just prepared for me into my mouth.
“Deliciousss,” I said, drawing out the “s” sound for emphasis. On a rational level I understood his disgust, but my cravings didn’t care about that. This baby had weird taste, and all I could do to stay sane was satisfy it. “I don’t think this baby is mine, you know,” I said, munching on my sandwich. “Could it have been switched before birth?”
“What makes you think that?” Dean asked, sitting beside me at the counter.
“It doesn’t like chocolate. I mean, what’s up with that? How can any child of mine not like chocolate? It’s simply not possible.” And yet the smell of a Mars bar had nearly made me throw up last night. I’d been relatively lucky in that I was now at the start of my second trimester and I hadn’t experienced any morning sickness, but the food aversions I got were fierce.
“Really? No chocolate?” Dean mimicked shock. He hadn’t been here the night before. We’d talked about moving in together when the baby was born, but hadn’t done so yet. He spent most of his free time at my place, and yet, something was still holding us back from taking that last step. I couldn’t quite put my finger onwhat, though. “I guess I’ll have to stop baking for you then,” Dean said.
I made a thoughtful noise and rested my head on his shoulder. “You’ll have to bake a huge amount and save it all up so I can eat nothing but cupcakes for a month after the birth.”
“A month? Don't you think that's a bit drastic?”
“Please, it's as if you don't understand my situation. I depend on those cupcakes! They're my life blood! And now I might not be able to eat them for nine full months! If I don't binge eat on cupcakes after the birth, I might die!” I spread my arms wide. “Do you want me to die? Is that it? I thought you loved me.” I pretended to be close to crying, taking a huge, sobbing breath.
Dean laughed, not buying the show I put on at all. “It's a good thing you chose to be a photographer rather than an actor,” he said.
I boxed his arm. “Meanie. I still want those cupcakes.”
“Okay, okay.” He leaned in to kiss my cheek. “You can have your cupcakes.”
“Yay!”
“I just hope your nephew is a better actor than you are.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. The play Jake and Conner were acting in was just a month from now. I'd gotten all the prop work done, and I knew Eli was finishing up the costumes too. They'd turned out so well. We'd both done our parts, now it was up to the kids to do theirs. I knew from Dean that Conner was still a bit scared, but that was just normal, I assumed. He was going to get through it. With Jake's moral support, if nothing else. I smiled to myself, wondering what my kid was going to be like when he or she was born. I wouldn't mind having my child be as strong-willed as Jake. God knew that was a good quality to have in the world we lived in. “I want to be mad at you, but I can't,” I told Dean. “I'm too happy.” In fact, I couldn't help but keep smiling at him. Somehow, I was in a good mood. But I'd been having a lot of mood swings lately, so I was going to enjoy this while it lasted. “I'm looking forward to the play,” I said.
