AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He waves his hand dismissively and walks in the door. “I’ll leave it to you. The doorman has your name.”
As if I were just unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Jesus, Dare really knows how to make me feel small.
Rushing over to the car, I give Aunt Minnie a wave. Opening the door, I pluck several balled up pieces of paper off the front seat, gently tossing them behind the front seat. Then I crawl in and shut the door. She gives me several hard hugs, as if she sensed that what I needed most from her right now was some affection. I hug her for a solid minute and then release her with a sigh.
She looks at me quite seriously, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Well, what happened? All you said on the phone was that you had to go out of town. I don’t understand? Where did you go?"
Taking a huge breath. "Okay. I have to tell you something, Aunt Minnie. But I want you to promise me that you’ll try not to freak out about it."
She straightens up, patting her wild, frizzy mane of gray hair. She looks more confused than anything.
"Well, I’ll try. Where have you been? You’re not in trouble, are you?"
“Nothing like that,” I assure her.
“Is it Olivia? Did something happen to her?”
“No. Olivia has nothing to do with it.” I purse my lips. “Actually, I’ve been calling her a lot, but I am not getting through. It just goes to voicemail.”
“Isn’t she at a biology conference this whole week?” Minnie asks.
“Oh. Yeah, of course. I am just caught up in my own drama.” I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. "Okay. The truth is that I am engaged. I spent the weekend with my fiancé at his beach house in Maine."
Minnie looks completely and utterly shocked. "Who are you engaged to? Oh my God, is it Olivia?"
I shake my head and squeeze her hand. "No. Thank you, though, for being supportive of whomever I choose. But I’m afraid it’s someone that you don’t know. His name is Dare Morgan."
She looks like I hit her with a shovel. "Dare Morgan? As in Remy Morgan?"
I gulp and nod. "That’s the one. He…" What I’m about to say twists my stomach into knots. "He swept me off my feet. We’ve only known each other for a short time, but we decided to try to get married," I mumble. "Within the month, actually."
Minnie frowns. "My dear, I don’t care who you marry. But are you sure that you want to marry someone so…" Her eyes narrow and I can see that she is trying to choose her words carefully. "Flashy, I guess? You could live in a shoe for all I care."
I grip her hand again and give her a tight smile. "I know it seems random. But he will provide for us in a way that we haven’t been able to do for ourselves. And he…" I swallow. "He loves me. You’ll see, we are very compatible."
Aunt Minnie looks at me with open skepticism. "Very compatible? I’ve never heard anyone who was in love with anyone else use that particular word. Is there something I don’t know?"
Hesitating, I hold my breath for a long second. But then I nod slowly. "I am carrying his child."
Aunt Minnie stares at me, her hands clasping around her heart. "You are? I must say, Talia I had no idea that you were…" She blushes faintly. "That you… I had no idea about the pregnancy,” she finishes at last. "You know, it’s perfectly acceptable to have a baby without having a father or having to marry him."
"I think you know why I feel differently than you on that matter. I grew up without a father, and I felt like there was a huge chunk missing from my life for so many years. I want my baby to have all the things I didn’t have."
Aunt Minnie wells up, blotting at her eyes. "I tried my best, Talia. Really, I did."
I grab her by the shoulders and pull her close, giving her another quick hug. "You did so well. I couldn’t wish for a better person to grow up with. Honestly. But by agreeing to the marriage, I am not just taking care of my baby's future. I’m going to take care of you. And what about all the repairs that Hope House requires? They’ll just be done without any more fuss. No more government red tape, no more town hall meetings. No more shady men paying off your debts."
A look of horror crosses her face. “Talia! You can’t sacrifice your future for me!”
“I’m not. Really Aunt Minnie, I… I love him.” I flinch. “I’m doing the best thing for everybody, including my unborn baby.”
I pull back and look at her.
She is openly crying right now. "What about the bookstore? Are you still going to work there with me?"
"Once the baby comes, I think it will be difficult. But we will see what we can work out. You can afford to hire whoever you want to work there now. It’ll be better than just hiring your niece, right?"
Minnie starts bawling.
