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When he reached the clearing, Beth already had Midnight tied off to her regular tree, the blanket spread out on the grass, and… His brow furrowed. Was that a bottle of champagne?
He hopped off of Holiday, got her tied off and situated with a few snacks, and then made his way nervously to where Beth waited for him, two plastic flutes already filled.
“What is all this?” he asked, still confused as she handed one of the flutes to him. Only then did he notice the bottle lying against the trunk of the tree.
Sparkling Grape Juice.
He stumbled backward a couple of steps before righting himself again. And for more than the first time since his mighty dancer came into his life, Eli Murphy was speechless.
“So here’s the thing,” Beth began. She stepped toward him, hooking her finger into the belt loop of his jeans. “It would seem that the Spence women are immune to contraception.” She laughed as she referred to Delaney and Sam’s surprise pregnancy with Nolan.
“But we used…” he stammered.
“I know,” she replied.
“And we were so…” Eli added.
“We were,” Beth continued.
“The new season.” His heart sank. “You auditioned for a principal role in the company.” And she’d made it too. In only three weeks, she’d be heading back for six weeks of rehearsal before the holiday show season began in November.
She nodded. “Now hear me out, okay? Another dancer in the company found herself in a similar situation a few years ago, except it was twins. And she was able to dance through her fifth month, which meant she made it through the whole holiday season. She even came back the next season, but I don’t know. Maybe two is enough for me.” Eli’s mouth fell open, and Beth laughed. “It’s not going to be twins for us,” she continued. “I mean, it could be, but what are the odds, right?” She laughed again, but this time he heard a tremble, as if she wasn’t as steady in her resolve as she’d thought.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, finally remembering how to speak. “Do you feel okay? Do you need to sit down? Should you even be riding in this heat?”
“Aside from throwing up three times already today, I feel great!” She sniffled. “But I probably should have asked if you even want to be a father before popping the cork on the sparkling grape juice.”
Did he want this? Did he want this?
“You’re telling me that not only was I somehow lucky enough for you to fall in love with me, but now I also get to be a father?”
He’d been forced into the role of caretaker for his two younger brothers long before he was ready and able to understand the privilege of being anyone’s actual father. When he lost Tess, Eli thought he’d also lost that part of his future as well. But Beth continued to give him gift after amazing gift, and she wasn’t sure if he wanted this.
“Hold this?” he asked gently, handing her back the plastic flute of sparkling juice.
She let go of his belt loop and accepted his offering.
Then Eli dropped to his knees, slid her T-shirt up from where it rested on the hem of her jeans, and pressed his lips to her not-yet-swollen belly.
“I want everything with you,” he said, looking up at her through glassy eyes.
She sniffed back her own tears, then looked from her right hand to her left.
“Dammit!” she cried. “Why did I pour the juice before I told you? I don’t even think I can drink it. The smell is making me nauseous.”
Eli laughed, rose to his feet, and grabbed his flute, tossing back the contents in one swift gulp. Then he grabbed Beth’s and did the same before tossing both empty glasses onto the picnic blanket.
“A baby?” he asked, wrapping his arms gently around her.
She nodded. “A baby. And, Eli?”
“Yeah?”
“I want everything with you too, just in case that wasn’t clear.”
“I know,” he told her. And he did. It might have taken him some time to realize he deserved a second chance like this, but now that he had it, he was grabbing on tight and holding on for as long as he could. “But…” he added, “I don’t want you quitting your dream for this. As much as I’d love you home for good, I’m not asking you to give it up. We’ll make it work.” He knew now that this was true.
She nodded, the tears falling freely now. “I want to make it through this second season, and then I want to move on to my new dream.”
