Page 75 of Parentmoon

Another tear slips from the corner of my eye. My baby is having a baby.

Dallas’s hand flattens on my back, silence still weighs between us. Then he shifts. “Hey.” He tugs on my shoulder, rolls me to face him and pulls me into his chest.

I recall all the nights I silently cried beside Craig, not intending to disturb him with my tears. Craig never budged. Dallas wasn’t even facing me, yet he knew.

He whispers against my hair, “I’m sorry, Jo. I’m sorry. Their fight . . . I never . . . I didn’t think. And then it all went sideways. I had faith they’d find their way back to one another. They just needed to work through a few things. And I—I had—”

A plan? The press of my fingernails into his chest stops him short. I should ask what his illustrious plan was, but I don’t have the bandwidth for more information, more lies today.

What Dallas also is not saying is Michael and Keli needed to work out their disagreement without input from us. From me. I was the only one concerned because I’m the only one who didn’t know the truth.

“Don’t cry, darlin’. Please don’t cry.” His arm around me tightens and he grips the hand I’ve curled on his chest. His words deepen as well. He’s begging me to stop the tears, but they can’t be held back any longer.

He tugs me to his warm center, cupping a large hand around the back of my head. While I breathe in his scent—freshly-showered male and salty ocean—he presses a kiss to the top of my head and smooths his hand down my back as more tears fall, still silent but hard. “Shh, baby. It’s going to be okay. They’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”

There is no we, but I don’t argue with him. I’m mentally exhausted after internally fighting with myself all day.

As I cry, Dallas holds me, pressing me harder to him before the tears finally subside. He kisses my forehead, tipping up my chin so I look at him. The room is too dark to clearly see his eyes.

“Feel better?”

I weakly nod. He presses a light kiss to my lips and draws me back to his chest, circling me with his strong arms again. With my arms tucked between us, my hands are flat against his pecs. His heart beats steady and calm, and I take a few breaths, following his breathing pattern.

“We’re gonna make it, darlin’,” he whispers as I’m drifting off.

We? He means they—Michael and Keli—are going to make it. Whatever his crazy plans were, they are for them.

The only thing that matters is their happiness.

+ + +

In the morning, I wake alone. The sheets beside me are cool which means Dallas has been up for a while. From the loft, voices drift upward to the high ceiling, and I sit upright, stretching. My eyes are scratchy; dry, puffy, and swollen. I wish there was a bathroom up here so I didn’t have to parade before everyone before I can wash my face and brush my teeth.

All thoughts freeze when Keli’s concerned voice filters up to the loft.

“I don’t think Jo is very happy and it’s upsetting Michael.”

I can’t see Dallas and Keli from my position, but I assume Michael isn’t present.

“Gotta understand, baby girl, you sprang a lot on us yesterday. I think Jo was still trying to handle the surprise of you and Michael showing up when you told us about reuniting. We’re both very excited for you. But then announcing the baby and the house.” Dallas pauses. “Look at it from Jo’s perspective. She’s not only losing Michael in a move but she’s losing you and the baby.”

My shoulders lower and I duck my head blinking back tears that spring up because Dallas just voiced my worst fear. Dallas has read me right. I’m thrilled Michael and Keli will be a new unit. Husband and wife. But learning they’ll be a mom and dad, and baby makes three has been an adjustment. Then taking their little family away from me . . . just hurts.

I press a hand to my chest, my heart rate slow but each beat is an ache.

“But she isn’t losing us,” Keli replies, voice rising.

“I know. But it’s not like you’ll be in the same city.” Pause. “Or on the same property like us.”

The house is on his land. I hadn’t considered this fact mingled into everything else revealed yesterday Immediately, I decide to box up the information for another day. The next few days are all about an impromptu wedding. Then I go home, where I can unpack everything in private. My thoughts. My feelings. My broken heart. I can move onto the next issue.

“Daddy, if you knew it would hurt Jo, then why would you gift us a house?”

“I didn’t know how Jo would react.” He isn’t apologetic, just simply stating a fact. In giving his gift, he didn’t consider me and why would he? I was only the future mother-in-law to his daughter. I don’t have a say in where or how the newlywed couple lives. I don’t factor into anything concerning Dallas, either.

“It was hard for me when you went off to Chicago, but I knew you had to do your own thing. Prove to yourself you could do what you did. But I’ve missed having you close to me, and I want you to start working for Wind Cole.”

Wind Cole is Dallas’s energy company. Deep down, I might have always known Keli would eventually work for her father. Why wouldn’t she? It’s an amazing opportunity to work for a family company. To even have a company your family owns.