“I’ll grab you some ginger ale and crackers,” I offer. “Why don’t you sit on one of the bar stools.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t think I’mactuallygoing to puke, although I wouldn’t put it past myself. I’m just so nervous!” she grumbles. “My stomach is clear in my throat. Do wereallyhave to do this?”
Breathing out a chuckle, I walk over and place my hands on her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. “They’re your parents, Char,” I murmur as I slowly knead her shoulders, my fingers applying gentle pressure, working out the tension in her muscles. “I think they’d want to know their daughter is pregnant.”
She lets out a sigh as her shoulders relax under my touch. “Yeah, but maybe I could wait to tell them until after the baby is here. You know, like,“Surprise, you’re grandparents!”
“Probably not the best idea, considering we live in a small town and word is bound to get back to them.”
Groaning, Charley says, “I hate when you’re right.”
I laugh and continue to massage her shoulders, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. But to be fair, itdoesfeel natural. Comforting Charley has always come easy to me, and that’s only increased tenfold since finding out she’s pregnant with my child. We told my parents last weekend as planned, and just as Charley guessed, they were thrilled to be grandparents again.
Tonight, Ellie Mae is having a slumber party at Grace’s house because Charley’s parents are coming over for dinner, and we’re breaking the news to them. Charley still isn’t feeling that same excitement this go around. She’s worried it’ll put too much stress on her dad’s heart, which makes sense, considering the health issues he’s gone through as of the last year. And if I had to guess, I’d say a little bit of her nerves over telling them stems from the fact that we aren’t together and this was such a surprise. Charley hasn’t said it in so many words, but she’s definitely made comments wondering if her parents will be disappointed in her for doing this out of wedlock. As if that’s so unheard of these days.
“That smells amazing,” she murmurs. “What is it?”
“Chicken plum pie,” I say. “Think your parents will like it?”
“Oh yeah.” She snorts. “But more importantly, I think I’ll love it.”
Pride warms my chest. According to the pregnancy app I downloaded, our baby is now the size of a plum, so I wanted to make something that incorporated plums. I’ve been having fun coming up with different meals that include the fruit or veggie ofthat week. A few weeks ago, I made a raspberry mango smoothie because our little guy or girl was the size of a raspberry, which was perfect since she wasn’t keeping much food down at that time. Then the following week, baby was the size of a green olive, so I whipped up a Greek salad for lunch—with pasteurized feta, of course. Ellie Mae chowed down on that one, surprisingly, but Charley didn’t actually eat it because the smell made her nauseous, so that was kind of a fail.
Charley doesn’t know these meals are correlated to the pregnancy milestones, unless she figured it out on her own, and somehow that makes this all the more fun, especially when she ends up liking what I’ve prepared.
Clearing her throat, Charley says, “Okay, in favor of getting my mind off the fact that my parents will be here soon, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Well, that sounds ominous,” I grumble teasingly. “What’s up?”
“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” She chuckles and waves her hand in front of her. “I kind of wanted to see what you thought about…notfinding out the sex.”
My brows shoot up my forehead. “Like, at all?”
She nods. “Yeah, like waiting until the baby is born to know. If you hate the idea, I’ll understand. I’ve just been thinking about it lately, and it could be fun, and a little extra special surprise after the delivery.”
I think it over for a moment. It’s honestly not something I’ve ever considered, but I can tell it’s something she really wants, and I don’t really see a reason we shouldn’t. Plus, she’s right… It’ll make for a nice surprise once the baby is here.
“Let’s do it,” I say. “Let’s wait to find out.”
A bright smile stretches across her face as her eyes widen. “Really? You sure you’re okay with that? It’s honestly just a suggestion, so if you don’t want to, we?—”
“I’m positive,” I say, cutting her off. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Charley’s eyes get a little glossy as she nods. “Thank you.” Glancing over at the clock above the stove, she groans, all excitement from a moment ago gone. “They’ll be here any minute. Do I look okay?” she asks, turning to face me.
“You look beautiful.” The words roll off my tongue, and they’re the truest things I’ve said all day.
She swallows roughly before her lips curl into a small smile. “And you can’t see the bump, right?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.” Charley’s bump is barely noticeable, even in form-fitting clothing, but the flowy black dress she’s wearing both shows off all her sexy ink and hides any shadow of a bump. She truly looks magnificent, and I often wonder if she even realizes how utterly breathtaking she is.
Charley busies herself for a few minutes, getting the tray of freshly sliced fruits and veggies out of the fridge and placing them on the counter, but when there’s a knock at the door, she tenses all over again. “Shit, Graham, I’m not ready for this!”
“Yes, you are,” I murmur, pulling her into my chest. Her arms wrap around me, not even missing a beat, and the sweet, fruity scent of her shampoo fills my senses, making my heart race. “I’ll be right here the whole time,” I whisper before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “It’s going to be great, I know it.”
“You couldn’t possibly know that.” She huffs adorably. “But thank you. You’d think I was sixteen and telling them I’m pregnant with how nervous I am.”
I laugh as she meanders toward the front door. Given the open concept of the kitchen, I have a clear view of her parents walking in and hugging their daughter, and when I join them, her dad, Jack, shakes my hand before her mom, Alice, gives me a quick hug. Growing up down the street and seeing them around town from time to time, I know Charley’s parents decently well, but I’m not close with them the way Charley is with mine.
