Page 48 of Imperfections Seduced
“Mom, you called me today, and Itold you I was coming over.”
“The only son I gave birth to has decided to come visit his dear mother.”
“Mom, are you okay? Is it time for me to make that call to admit you?”
“You would do that to your own mother, the woman who gave birth to you, gave you life, brought you into this world after twenty hours of hard labor, refusing any kind of pain medication for fear my child would be somehow affected by it?”
“In the blink of an eye.”
“That’s what I get for being a loving and supportive mother. An ungrateful child.”
A crooked smile on my face, I walk across the kitchen, where my mother is sitting at the table flipping through a magazine. I lean down and plant a kiss on her cheek. “What’s this all about, Mother?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You, acting like you didn’t know I was coming over here. What’s going on?”
“I received an interesting yet strange call the other day from Chris’s mother.”
“And what was that call about?” I take a seat across from her watching her flip through her magazine.
“Go ahead, take a wild guess.”
“The annual charity Christmas ball.”
“No.”
“Then I’m out of guesses, Mother, why don’t you just tell me.” She puts the magazine down, folding her hands on top of it, looking me in the eyes.
“She wanted to know when would be a good time for us to have lunch to discuss the upcoming nuptials of our children.”
“Hmmm.” Shaking my head, I pull my lips together.
“Hmmm, is that all you have to say?”
“For now. What else did she say?”
“I thought maybe she was on some kind of hallucinogenic medication. Because my son, my one and only son, wouldn’t be engaged and not have the common courtesy to tell his own mother. Would he?”
I open my mouth, and she holds up one finger to silence me. She hasn’t done that in a while, which tells me she’s not happy. “Don’t answer that. You’re engaged to a girl I’ve never actually met. I’ve met her parents, her brother, and her sister, but not this supposed fiancée. If I recall, I’ve seen pictures of her, and I’ve also seen her at various functions. She’s very lovely to look at, but I haven’t been formally introduced to her. I’m going to ask you, which I shouldn’t have to, if it’s true—are you engaged to Kaitlin Reed?”
“No, Mother, I am not.”
“That’s good to know. Not good for her mother. She needs to lay off the meds.” She unfolds her hands, relaxing in the chair. “Where would she get the idea you and her daughter were getting married?”
“She’s pregnant.” Her eyes open a little wider as she taps her fingers on the table.
“Candice? It’s worse than I thought. Isn’t she a little long in the tooth to be pregnant? I mean, really? If she is pregnant, I hope you’re not going to tell me you got her pregnant.”
“Don’t even go there, Mom.” I don’t want that thought in my head. “Kaitlin’s pregnant, and the baby might be mine.”
“She’s pregnant but you’re not marrying her? You need to start explaining now, give me the short version.”
“After she told me, she brought up the possibility of marriage if the baby is mine. Kate decided to skip over getting the paternity test and told her family we wereengaged. I was upset and told her to find a way for everyone to keep their mouths shut about the fake engagement. There will not be a wedding, even if this is my baby, and no one knows about her being pregnant.”
“This is something I would expect to hear from your father. Are you taking a play from his play book?”
“God, no.”
