“You saw the doctor today,” he said.
“Dr. Valentine. That’s right.”
“And?”
“She called the pregnancy a miracle. Everything appears normal.” The smile Lana had worn since that moment deepened.
Sly’s relieved exhale told her he’d been wondering and maybe worrying, a hopeful sign he might have some feelings for their baby.
“How’s the morning sickness?” he asked.
“The same. I’ve been eating crackers between meals, but Dr. Valentine suggested I also keep a supply by the bed to eat before I get up in the morning. I’ll try that tomorrow. According to her, the second trimester of pregnancy—when I’m about four months along—the morning sickness should disappear. So, in another five or six weeks, I’ll be fine.”
“That’s a long time to feel nauseated.”
A small price to pay for the gift of life inside her. “I’ll survive. By the way, my due date is January second next year.”
His reply was more a gruff sound than a word. Her heart sank. He wasn’t on board about this baby after all. Not yet anyway. She bit her lip. “I know you’re not pleased about this, Sly, but I’m thrilled. And I want to reassure you that I don’texpect anything from you. But if you want to be a part of the baby’s life...” She let the words trail off.
“I’m not sure what I want yet, but I do know I’m not going to abandon my own kid.”
He sounded surly and overburdened. Lana closed her eyes against a wave of sadness. “Have you thought about how you want to be involved?”
“Like I said, I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“There’s no rush. The baby isn’t due for another seven-and-a-half months, which gives you plenty of time to figure out what you want to do.”
“Those months will go by fast. We need to talk more about this, a lot more.”
She agreed. “Tell me when and where.”
“It’ll be a while—it’s real busy around here right now.”
“Got it.” In the meantime, she’d continue to fix up the nursery, read the baby books, and shop for infant supplies.
“Have you told anyone?” he asked.
“Only my bestie, Kate. You met her at the Bitter & Sweet. She was here when I took the pregnancy test. She promised not to say anything, and I’m positive I can trust her.”
“No one in your family knows?”
“Not yet. When the time comes, I’ll do it the same way I did when I decided to adopt—tell my sister and her husband first, then my parents.” She dreaded that, even more than when she’d explained her decision to adopt. “They’ll be surprised and happy that I’m able to conceive when we all were convinced I couldn’t. They won’t be pleased about the way it happened, though. They’re kind of old-fashioned and think marriage should come before starting a family.”
“So, I should expect your dad to come after me with a shotgun?” he said, dead serious.
Under different circumstances, the question would’ve been funny. “He’s not that bad, but it’ll take a while for him and my mom to get used to the idea.”
“Tell me about it,” he muttered. “Do you think two people should get married before they have a baby?”
“In a perfect world, yes.”
“What about us?”
She wasn’t about to lie. “I’m not ready for marriage.”
His loud exhale made his relief clear. “Me either. Wait’ll your folks find out I’m the baby’s father.”
“There’s that too.” Imagining their reaction, Lana shuddered. A root canal would be more pleasant.
