AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Max let her into the house. He was ready to go but Molly wasn’t yet. Elizabeth nearly laughed out loud as the little boy impatiently tapped his foot at his sister’s lack of readiness. Finally, he bent down and pulled her boots onto her feet.
Joe bounded into the room, presents in hand. He hurriedly greeted her, and then scooted everyone out the door, and to his truck. He helped his daughter buckle in as Elizabeth and Max entered the truck from the passenger side.
“Oops, almost forgot the cake,” Joe said as he jumped back out of the truck and ran back into the house. He surfaced a moment later with a cake box in his hands, and handed it to her to hold on to while he drove to Chuck E. Cheese’s.
He dropped her and the kids off at the front door, and parked the truck as they went inside.
The second Elizabeth opened the front door, she was bombarded with a noise level she could have never imagined.
What did I get myself into? She thought to herself as she followed Max, who appeared to know where he was going.
He wound his way through an area filled with children’s rides, and then he waved to his extended family as he spotted them sitting at a table. They smiled and waved back. Molly ran to Angelina with her arms in the air. Her aunt scooped her up and gave her a hug and then set her on a chair next to her cousin, Isabella, who was about the same age as Molly. The girls entertained Violet, who was seated in a highchair, while they waited for everyone else to arrive. Baby Jeffrey fussed on Jim’s lap until Angelina gave him her full attention. A few minutes later, Joe, Nick and Maria, and the boys arrived and took their seats at the table.
First things first, Max opened his presents, which consisted of Transformers, more Transformers, and a noisy cop car. He was excited about his gifts, all of them, even the Transformer pajamas she’d given him. A strange sense of relief floated over her, at Max’s approval. She felt like she’d just received an ‘A’ on an exam.
“I’m going to wear these tonight,” he belted proudly as he held up the pajamas.
The kids quickly ate their cheese pizza and birthday cake so they could go play some games. The guys took off with the older kids, leaving Violet and Jeffrey behind with Angelina, Maria, and Elizabeth.
Angelina focused her soft, caring gaze on her. “So, Elizabeth, how are you doing? Everything going okay at work?”
Finding it easy to talk to the woman, Elizabeth unloaded. It was like her mouth had a mind of its own and just wouldn’t stop. She told Angelina and Maria everything that had transpired since Christmas, including the part about how it was Mr. James that assaulted her, not Patrick, and that she was now about a week late with her period.
Judging from the surprised looks that crossed their faces as Elizabeth updated them on her situation, it became evident to her that neither of them was fully prepared for what they heard.
“Does Joe know?” Angelina asked.
“Know which part?” Elizabeth asked.
“Both. About Mr. James and about being late.”
“No. He doesn’t know either part. I’ve wanted to tell him, but I don’t know how. This has turned out to be such a mess,” she said as she dropped her head into her hands.
Angelina handed Jeffrey off to Maria and placed her arms around her. “It’s okay, Elizabeth. We’ll figure it out. But first things first, you need to make a doctor appointment and find out if you’re pregnant.”
She glanced up at the kindhearted woman. “I know. I guess I’ve just been avoiding it so I didn’t have to deal with it. I just can’t bear the thought of...” A lump swelled in her throat, trapping her words inside.
“The thought of what?”
Elizabeth swallowed hard. “The thought of losing Joe if I turn out to be pregnant.”
“Well, you don’t know anything yet, so you shouldn’t get worked up over it. If you want, I’ll go to the doctor with you,” Angelina offered. “And I don’t think I need to tell you this because you should already know, but I’m going to anyway. My brother cares deeply for you. Don’t shut him out. He only wants to help you.”
Catching a glimpse of Joe, Jim, and the girls approaching, she pulled away from Angelina’s hold and fought to tamp down her nervousness. She rested her shaky, sweaty hands on her lap in hopes that Joe wouldn’t tune in to her edginess.
Joe stepped up to the table and looked back in the direction of Nick and the boys, and then glanced at Maria as he let out a chuckle. “I don’t know who’s more excited to play the games, Nick or the boys.”
Maria shook her head. “I know—he’s just a big kid.”
Joe reached over and snatched Jeffrey out of Maria’s arms.
“And how’s my little nephew doing?” he asked as he bounced Jeffrey up and down on his lap. He jiggled him around until he giggled so hard he got the hiccups.
Elizabeth watched them. Joe looked so at ease with Jeffrey. She wished she could be that at ease with little children. He bounced Jeffrey from his lap to hers, forcing her to take hold of him. Jeffrey’s smile disappeared in a flash, and his bottom lip stuck out and began to quiver. She looked to Joe for support.
“Just talk to him and bounce him around a bit. He’ll love you for it.”
Though feeling kind of foolish, she took his advice, and just in the nick of time, as she could see the tears forming in the baby’s eyes. “Hey there, Jeffrey. Don’t you have the coolest uncle in the world?” she said as she bounced him up and down.
