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“Can I get you some coffee or tea? Hot chocolate?” Shell asked over her shoulder as she stowed Cassie’s coat in the front closet.
“Oooh, I’d love some tea if you’ll join me. Warm me from the inside out.”
Shell smiled. “Sounds perfect to me. Just pretend you don’t notice the state my kitchen is in.”
As they entered Shell’s kitchen, Cassie let out a laugh. “I see you two were engaged in your traditional Christmas kitchen destroying.”
“Hey, I told you to ignore that!” Shell filled the red tea kettle then set it on the burner.
“Sorry, Shell, I refuse to ignore the state of your kitchen. This is exactly how a kitchen should look at Christmas time.” Cassie’s tone grew serious as she met Shell’s gaze across the kitchen island. “Have I ever told you what a wonderful mother I think you are, Shell?”
“Aww, Cass, thank you. And yes, you have. More times than you probably should.”
She reached across the island and grabbed Shell’s hand. “No, honey, I’m serious. You’ve never once let the circumstances of her conception color your treatment of her. Not everyone could do that.” With a soft smile, Cassie looked around the house. “The home you’ve created here with Copper is perfect. I’m so happy you two found your way to each other. I’ve always loved you, Shell. From the first moment your mama let me hold you. You were two days old, chubby-cheeked, and bald as a cue ball. And for such a tiny thing, you sure could scream.”
Both women laughed. “You’re sentimental today.”
Some unreadable emotion crossed Cassie’s face before she shrugged. “Must just be the season. You’ve been through some shit, Shell. But none of it prevented you from being the sweet, loving mother you were always meant to be.”
“Cassie…” Shell’s voice thickened with emotion as she blinked back unshed tears. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Beth’s a lucky girl. As any other kids you have will be.”
Shell’s face fell, and she lost the battle she’d been so fiercely fighting since the day Copper dropped his bomb. Tears exploded from her eyes.
“Shell? What’s wrong, sweetie?” Cassie’s eyes widened.
God, she must look like a crazy woman, bursting into random hysterics.
The tea kettle chose that moment to let out its ear-piercing whistle.
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry,” Shell said as she dashed at her eyes while turning toward the stove. The gesture was useless. Now that she’d started, she couldn’t seem to stem the flow of tears.
Cassie rounded the island then batted Shell’s hands away from the stove. “I got the tea,” she said as she turned the knobs to off. “You go sit.”
With a heavy pit in her stomach, Shell did as instructed and made her way to the kitchen table littered with trays of cooling cookies. There was barely enough room for the two steaming mugs Cassie arrived with only a few seconds later.
Shell’s tears still hadn’t begun to abate by then.
After placing a mug in front of Shell, Cassie sat next to her but didn’t say a word. She had that way about her. A quiet, calming presence that always had Shell unburdening her soul to the older woman.
“Copper wants a vasectomy,” Shell said.
“And?” Cassie blew on her tea before taking a sip.
“And what?” Shell asked with a shake of her head.
“And tell me the rest.”
With a humorless laugh, Shell said. “Are you a mind reader or something?”
“Nah, just old women’s intuition.” Another sip of her tea. “And…”
Shell played with her teabag, watching it swirl the liquid in the cup. Then she raised her head and gave voice to the words she’d yet to say out loud. “And I’m pregnant.”
Cassie’s softly spoken, “Congratulations, sweetie,” and genuinely happy smile had the crying kicking up all over again.
“What am I gonna do, Mama V?” She shook her head. “This isn’t what he wants.”
“Oh, honey.” Cassie scooted her chair closer and gathered Shell in a motherly hug
Once again, she had the feeling Cassie had lost weight. What once was a soft embrace felt much bonier than usual.
“He wants a baby, Shell. He’s just scared.”
Shell pulled back. “I don’t know. He was pretty adamant about it.”
“How far along are you?”
“Nine weeks,” she said, then winced at Cassie’s widened eyes. “I know. I’m running out of time. Second baby, I’m already starting to show.”
One of Cassie’s eyebrows journeyed upwards. “With as much as that man is on you, how has he not noticed?”
That finally had a real laugh bubbling out of Shell as her face heated. “I’m not sure. You know men can be pretty oblivious. But I won’t get away with it for much longer.”
“How are you feeling about having another child?”
She couldn’t stop the slow grin from spreading across her face as her hand automatically went to her stomach. “It’s like a dream come true,” she whispered. “Having Copper’s baby growing inside me. It’s something I never thought I’d have. I wanted him for so long. And now, I not only have him, but we made a baby. I can’t even describe how amazing it feels. But the timing…it’s all off.”
