Page 108 of Pipe Dreams
Lauren stabbed an olive with her fork and felt tears in her eyes. Damn pregnancy hormones. But today they were tears of joy.
She’d take it.
THIRTY
On his way up to Elsa’s room fifteen minutes later, he paused to grab a photo album from the bookshelf underneath the TV. Tucking it under his arm, he took the stairs two at a time and then tapped on Elsa’s door.
“Come in,” she grumbled from the bed.
He sat down beside her.Could be worse, he noticed. She wasn’t crying, but rather watching a YouTube video of bears invading someone’s backyard pool. And when she looked up at him, her expression was sheepish. “I shouldn’t have gone on that rant,” she said. “But I’m really having aday, you know?”
“I do know.” He leaned back against her headboard and opened the photo album on his lap.
“You guys never said it out loud, but everyone always whispered about Mom. That she was the pregnant girl at her high school graduation.”
“She was,” Mike admitted. “I’m sure that wasn’t easy on her. Look.” He’d opened the album to his favorite baby picture of Elsa. She was maybe six months old, and wearing a tiny hockey jersey. He was skating across a practice rinkwith her tucked under his arm. They were both smiling widely. “You were so stinkin’ cute. I loved it when you and Mom came to the rink so I could show you off.”
He flipped the pages slowly. Elsa wearing a paper birthday hat, with icing all over her face. Elsa on her mother’s lap, reading a bedtime story. The three of them smiling up at the camera from a picnic blanket, Elsa seated on Mike’s thigh, using his body like a lounge chair.
Preschool-aged Elsa, dressed up like an Ewok for Halloween, Mike as Hans Solo and Shelly as Princess Leia.
“Holy crap we look ridiculous,” Elsa said, but she was smiling.
He put an arm around her. “I love being your dad. Always have. That’s not an accident.”
She laid her cheek against his shoulder and said nothing.
He turned another page. Elsa’s first day of kindergarten, holding Mike’s hand on the way into school on Long Island. Elsa wearing tap shoes and a purple tutu for a dance recital. Elsa holding her very first violin and a stubby looking bow.
Shelly hugging Elsa, her eyes closed, a look of pure joy on her face.
Beside him, Elsa sniffled.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the baby yet,” he whispered. “We only found out six days ago.”
Elsa picked her head up. “Really?”
“Really. And Lauren is worried she’ll have a miscarriage. That happens a lot, I guess. But if Lauren lost this baby, we’d try again. It wasn’t an accident, just like you and I aren’t an accident.”
Elsa made a noise of disbelief, the sort that only a teenager can pull off.
“Your mom and I didn’t get our timing right,” he said softly. “It didn’t help things between us. But there has never been a single day when I didn’t want to be your dad. And if this baby makes its way into the world next winter, the same will be true for him.”
“Or her,” Elsa whispered.
“Or her. Or them.”
“Them?”
“It could be twins. You never know.”
“I like babies,” Elsa said, sounding teary.
“So do I.” He tucked her closer to his chest. “And grumpy teenagers. Hans put a cover over your plate so your pasta salad won’t get dried out.”
“That was nice of him.”
“Yes, it was.”
