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“No, of course not,” he replied. It was plain that he’d upset her even though she’d denied it.
“I’ve read that people react the way we react. You could see that in Maggie and Justin’s response. You came off as the proud, excited father and they picked up on that. There wasn’t a pink elephant in the room.”
“When can we tell my father?”
Katrina’s heart sunk. Telling Vic meant telling Rose, Val, Aunt Elizabeth, Gus the dockmaster which meant telling his wife, Grace, which meant telling Amber.
“Ugh.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Tell him if you must,” she said, knowing she was bordering on unreasonable. “You have to have some freedom in all of this. Just remember what I said. People will react the way you react. Keep letting your love shine through and it should be okay.”
She put her head back on the headrest. “Why am I making such a big deal about it? Who cares if Amber talks trash about my baby?”
Unable to help himself, Dave chuckled. “She’s a little unhinged, but she’s not mean.”
“Okay, Maggie and Justin said the same thing. Our conversation ends when you defend Amber.”
Taking her hand, Dave let her have the last word. They’d be landing in San Francisco in one hour. It was the first time he’d flown in a jet since he was a kid flying to Disney World with his family. The view out the window was breathtaking, but it didn’t mask reality. He spent the next moments wondering how they were going to navigate the time before she had the baby, how she’d cope with the worry and the stress.
“Everything is going to be okay. I promise you,” he said.
Turning to him, she reached up and stroked his cheek. “If you say so. Right now, I feel like a stiff breeze will blow me away. Like I have no substance. Seven months ago, it was the opposite. I was so sure of myself. Meeting you, having you love me was like a movie, it was so intense, so passionate. We were like the backwoods power couple.”
He barked out a laugh. “We still are.”
But he stopped when he saw her lip tremble. “It’s the scourge of the selfish, single professional. I was perfect. I had the perfect job, the perfect house, and then the perfect boyfriend,” she replied. “I can only say this to you, and maybe I shouldn’t even say it to you, but I was self-absorbed enough to think we’d have the perfect baby, too.”
Gathering her in his arms as much as the seat belt would allow, he fought back tears, petting her, smoothing her hair away from her face. “Heisperfect,” Dave whispered. “He’s exactly what we were supposed to have. Why shouldn’t we have a kid like our baby? Just like Justin said the day we told him, baby Chastain will have every advantage. Nothing will be too good for him. Why shouldn’t he have the perfect parents?”
She closed her eyes, brushing a tear off her cheek. “I keep seeing you unfolding your body out of that squad car the first night we were really together.” A body rush went through her. “Dave, I knew before the night was over, I wanted you to be mine.”
“I felt the same way,” he said. “It’s okay, Katrina. We’re together, okay? I’m yours and you’re mine. And now we’re going to have a baby to raise. It won’t be a no-brainer, either. It’ll be work. I mean all kids are gonna be work, right?”
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Right. All kids are work. Why am I freaking out?”
“Maybe because you have to get your kicks from another place?”
“What do you mean?” She looked at him quizzically.
“Before you got satisfaction from your important job and your income, and to use your words, ‘your perfect boyfriend,’ and now you have a higher calling. Mommy. And not to just any kid, either.”
She looked away again, turning to the window. “Mommy. I hope he’ll be aware that I’m his mommy.”
“Yes, the unknown. Whatever limitations he has, or gifts, we’ll adapt.”
“There aren’t any special needs kids around Cypress Cove. I’m worried he won’t be accepted.”
“Who said there aren’t? I’m the sheriff and I can tell you he won’t be the only one.”
“That makes me feel better.”
“Finally,” he said, chuckling. “I’m ready to go home and we haven’t even arrived yet.”
“I’m sorry. I hate being high maintenance.”
“You’re fine. We just need to keep rolling with the punches. They are bound to come up from time to time.”
