AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, that was his childhood nickname! He never told you?” Mrs. Steele replied, clearly taken aback.
“No, he never said anything. I thought you called him Sebastian his whole life,” I admitted.
Mrs. Steele shook his head. “He was probably embarrassed to tell you; he’s so sensitive about these things. He’d kill me if he knew I was showing you his baby photos but look at him! I think I still have those overalls in a box somewhere if you want them for my future grandchildren,” Mrs. Steele noted.
“Actually, we might need them a little sooner; I’m pregnant,” I admitted. Mrs. Steele’s jaw dropped to the floor. She crouched down on the floor and pulled me into a fierce hug. She smelled like fresh flowers and freshly cut grass. Her skin was soft against my cheek, nothing like my mother’s tepid hugs.
“Oh, Rebecca! How wonderful! Congratulations. I’m sorry, I—" she wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye, “I’m so excited! There is no greater joy in life than being a grandmother! And Joey will have a cousin!” She was talking a mile a minute; her excitement was palpable. It made me feel much better. Maybe it was due to my upbringing, but part of me thought she would be mad or try to blame me for tempting her only son or some other antiquated bullshit. I was used to being disappointed by parental figures; I’d forgotten it was possible for parental figures to be excited for or even proud of me.
“Joey’s going to have some cousins, actually. It’s twins,” I added with a grin.
“Twins!” Mrs. Steele hooted in delight. “That’s absolutely wonderful! Oh, what a blessing. I can’t wait to tell Alan; wait, can I?” she asked, glancing over at me.
“I’m right at sixteen weeks, so you can go ahead and tell him. But I wouldn’t say anything to my parents if that’s okay. I’m trying to figure out the right time,” I was trying my best to be diplomatic.
“Of course, dear, and you let me know if you need anything at all, okay? How are you feeling?”
“Better now, but the first trimester was rough,” I said.
“I bet. Twins are no joke. Do you need anything now? Are either of you hungry? I made a Caprese salad with some basil and tomatoes from my garden.”
“That sounds lovely. What do you say, Olivia?”
“I’m good to stay for dinner if you are,” Olivia said.
We made our way to the kitchen, a cozy room with buttery yellow walls and red and white gingham curtains. I sat at a round wooden table while Olivia strapped Joey into his highchair.
Mrs. Steele scooped two generous portions of Caprese salad onto porcelain plates and placed one in front of me. I ate a forkful; the tomatoes were ripened to perfection.
“I can’t believe you grew these in your garden!”
“Don’t be fooled. Tomato season was mild this year; it was a luck of the draw kind of thing. I’m nowhere near as talented as the vendors at the Farmer’s Market. Olivia told me you have a stall there?”
“Yes! The Cookie Cove, you should visit sometime. I even made Sebastian work a shift a couple of weeks ago!”
“Did you now? Look at you go. I keep telling him that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and this proves it. The last time he did me a favor was when he was in high school and helped me plant some cucumbers.”
“I’ll make him come over and help you garden sometime; I think spending time outdoors would do him good,” I said.
Mrs. Steele laughed. “I’ll hold you to that,” she said.
Olivia and I finished our salads, and Mrs. Steele made Olivia and herself a mint mojito. She made me a mocktail with lemonade and seltzer water, garnished with fresh mint and a wedge of cucumber. It was refreshing and delicious.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Steele, for everything, really,” I said.
“Oh, honey, call me Lorraine!” She insisted, squeezing my wrist. Joey fell asleep in his playpen and tuckered out from playing with his grandma all day. Olivia grabbed a baby monitor, and we took our drinks outside to a massive deck that looked out onto rolling hills. The sun was starting to set. I was starting to see the appeal of living outside of Boston. It was so spacious here. I felt like I could walk for miles without seeing anyone I knew. It was freeing.
Olivia, Lorraine, and I talked late into the night. I expressed some insecurities I had about motherhood. They immediately reassured me that no one feels like they have it all figured out when it comes to raising kids. I was starting to be able to picture my future more clearly. I could see Sebastian and me with the twins in tow, working the farmers market or going to the beach. At the end of the night, Lorraine gave me a bear hug. I wished Olivia and Joey safe travels, then I drove back to my apartment.
I decided that I officially needed to move the rest of my clothes into Sebastian’s place. I was spending five nights out of the week there anyway. It made no sense for me to keep going back and forth, especially now that I had a key to his place. I had picked up some extra cardboard boxes from work to pack them. I set one on my bedroom floor and started sifting through my dresser, deciding what to keep and toss. My phone rang. It was Sebastian. How odd, I wondered, that now we barely went a day without speaking to each other when we once could barely stand to be in the same room.
“Hey! What’s up?” I asked.
“Nothing; I’m finally home from my investor’s dinner.”
“How’d it go?” I asked, tossing some of my T-shirts into a box.
“Boring and boozy, as those things typically are. What about you? Did you have fun with Liv and Joey? She called me on her drive home,” he explained.
