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“Talk to you then,” Elle said, releasing him.
Reluctantly he stepped back and watched her get into her car. If she lived here, he thought, he would have been able to drag her upstairs like he wanted to. Hopefully she’d come around.
He watched her drive away, then moved back inside. He found his father taking a litany of medications in the kitchen. Somewhat alarmed, he asked, “What are all those for?”
“Let’s see. Blood pressure, cholesterol, multivitamins, and headache medicine. I’ve had a small one brewing all day,” his father said as he swallowed a pill.
“Seeing all that at once made me a little nervous. You’re okay, right?”
“Fine, son. Your old man just needs to maintain all of this,” he joked as he gestured to his slight paunch.
Jim couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his father this relaxed. It was kind of nice.
His father finished taking his pills and said, “I like Elle. She seems like a sweet girl. You planning on marrying her?”
“She’s a little skittish, I think, about marrying just for the sake of the baby. We’ll take our time, but I’d like us to get there eventually. I’m pretty sure she’s it for me, though,” Jim admitted.
“I can tell by the way that you look at each other. I hope you’re able to work things out. She seems like a nice person. There really aren’t too many of those in the world. I imagine that would be even more true out here.”
“Yeah,” Jim agreed with a smile. “She’s a rare thing.”
Clearing his throat, he said, “I know I’ve been hard on you about your life choices. I’m still a little disappointed you didn’t do something in the medical field. It’s not for everyone, though. You’ve done incredibly well for yourself. I’m proud of you, son.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Jim said. “That means a lot to hear you say that.”
Finishing the last of his water, his father said, “I’m going to head to bed now. It’s been a long day.”
“Night, Dad.”
Jim took the glass from his father and put it in the dishwasher, then watched as he headed upstairs. Well, he thought, that had been unexpected. Nice, though. Pouring himself a glass of water, he headed upstairs to read a little bit while he waited for Elle’s call.
Setting the water and his phone on the nightstand, he stretched out on his bed. He reached into his nightstand and pulled out the book about pregnancy he’d been reading. The other night he’d had to put it down because it was going into some really graphic descriptions of the actual birth process. He figured if she had to go through it, he should at least have to read about it.
He’d only flinched a couple of times, but he’d gotten through the rest of the chapter by the time Elle called.
“Hey, beautiful. You made it home okay?” he said, answering his phone.
“Yep. Traffic was really light. Your parents both seem really nice, Jim.”
“Yeah,” he said. “They were on their best behavior for sure. My dad even told me he was proud of me after you left. It was like an alternate universe, bab
e.”
“I’m glad, then. You’ve accomplished a lot. They should be proud of you,” Elle said.
“Thank you, honey,” he said on a sigh. “I really wish you’d stayed.”
“Me too.”
“Ya know, if you lived here…” he gently reminded her.
There was silence on the line and then she said, “I’m thinking it over.”
They talked for a few more minutes before he heard her yawn.
“Aww. Are you tired?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I tossed and turned last night.”
