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“Really well,” I say. “I’ve been practicing on these silicone mats, but Raven’s going to let me practice on her pretty soon. Just simple stuff at first, outlines and blocks of color, but it’s something.”
“That’s awesome,” Mary says. “Maybe Jonah will volunteer to be your first victim.”
He flashes me a knowing smile. “I’d be honored.”
We all head outside. Mary’s husband Kurt waves to us from behind the grill. Their youngest daughter, Poppy, squeals and scurries up to Jonah, who spins her in the air a few times before setting her back down. She pushes him with all her might toward the pool. He pretends to teeter off balance and then jumps in, making a huge splash that Poppy finds very entertaining.
“He’s going to be the world’s best dad someday,” Mary says.
My hand instinctively rubs my stomach. I nod, stealing glances at Jonah over the rim of my glass of lemonade. Mary’s right, of course. Sometimes I still can’t believe this big, strong papa bear is going to be my baby’s father. He or she is going to be the luckiest kid in the world.
Half an hour later, we all sit down at the patio table for a dinner of hot dogs and cheeseburgers with oven-baked fries. Just like at Jonah’s barbecue a few weeks back, I’m struck by how readily Mary’s family has accepted me as one of their own.
“Let me help you with that,” Jonah says, taking the pan from Mary that recently held a mountain of burgers and dogs. I grab the salad bowls as Sienna and Poppy take care of the individual plates and silverware. Kurt gets to work cleaning the grill, while the rest of us file into the kitchen to begin packing away leftovers.
“It physically pains me the way your husband overcooks hot dogs,” Jonah grumbles.
“He got food poisoning from a bad bratwurst in college,” Mary says. “It scarred him for life.”
I chuckle to myself. I’m just about to close the container on the fruit salad when a wave of nausea rolls through me. I sway in place, gripping the edge of the counter, and force myself to breathe through my nose.
“Teagan, are you all right?” Mary asks.
Jonah rushes to my side.
“You good?” he asks. I nod. Before either of us has even registered his hand pressed to my belly, Mary clears her throat.
“Girls,” she says, not taking her eyes off the two of us. “Go outside and help your dad with the grill.”
Poppy and Sienna share loaded glances before heading out to the patio. Jonah drapes his arm around my shoulder and stands up straight.
This is it. It’s time to tell her.
Mary points to the kitchen table. “Sit down.”
The three of us take our seats, Jonah and I on one side, and Mary seated across from us. The look on her face is a mashup of fear and suspicion.
“What’s going on here?” she asks.
Jonah takes my hand in plain view of his sister. “Teagan and I are together.”
“Together,” she echoes. “As in...”
“We’re engaged,” he says. “I love her, Mare. I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her.”
“You mean the moment I brought her to your house a few weeks ago?”
“I know it’s fast, but that’s just how it all played out.”
“Fast is an understatement.” She glances at me, then fixes her stare back on her brother. “Is she pregnant?”
He takes a breath. “She is.”
Mary balks, pushing up from the table. She paces, shaking her head. “I can’t believe this. I thought Teagan would be safe with you.”
“Teagan is safe with me. She’s safer with me than she is anywhere else.”
“You call thissafe?Jesus, I trusted you, Jonah. Of all the men I thought would have a hard time keeping their dicks in their pants, I never suspected you were one of them.”
