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“Shh.” Her softly hushing me makes me feel awful. I start sniffling to stem back the tears that’s suddenly stinging my eyes. I know she’s disappointed and as I try to imagine the expression on her face, I feel even worse. Before I know it, I’m quietly sobbing into her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry,” I cry.
“Hey.” She lifts my head off her shoulder and gently wipes away my tears. “A baby isn’t something to be sorry about. DoI think there could’ve been better timing? Yes, being pregnant at twenty-three is hardly what any mother would dream for her child, but it has happened, and we’re charging on. I’m going to be a grandmother.”
She gives me a soft smile.
My bottom lip shoots out, “Mooommm!” I throw myself into her arms and she chuckles, patting my back gently. She lets me cry myself out; when I’m done she gets up to put the kettle on. I follow her into the large room that houses the kitchen and our dining room, settling into one of the dining chairs.
“I know there’s an herbal tea here somewhere to soothe your upset stomach and relax your muscles,” she explains as she rummages through the cabinet. “I gave Ella some a few weeks ago. I’m sure that girl hasn’t even opened the box…here it is!” She holds it up triumphantly, and I smile at her.
“Now, tell me, how far along are you?” She settles into a chair across from me, while we wait for the water to boil.
“Twelve weeks. Twins.”
“Twins, my God!” She’s beside me in a second, her hand going up to my belly. “If you’re anything like me, you won’t really show until you’re about twenty weeks. It will be as if the bump just magically shows up overnight. Then, trust me, there will be no hiding it after that!.”
“Really? I think I might have a little bump already.”
She shakes her head like I said something funny, “You’re carrying two babies, my sweet child. You’ll know when you’re showing, the whole world will.”
I expected as much, but my jaw still drops as I glance down at my stomach. Mom gets to her feet, but instead of going across the table, she takes the chair next to me. “What about the father? Do you know who it is?”
“Mom! Of course I do. I don’t just sleep around, you know?”
“Well, what am I supposed to think? You’re twelve weeks pregnant with no boyfriend. I thought it might have been a one-night stand with someone you met at a club or something.”
“You know what a one-night stand is?” I ask in shock and she gives me a pointed look. I shake my head quickly, not wanting to think of my mother in that light.
“I’m only forty-five, Charlotte. It wasn’t that long ago that I was your age. And youknowI love a good romance novel.”
I shake my head frantically, not needing to know. “It’s Ezra. Ezra Beaufort.”
Her lips part in surprise, “Ezra? Wow. I always thought there was something between you two, but you were both so young when you got engaged.”
“Well, now there’s going to be two babies between us.”
“Have you told him? How did he take it?” The kettle lets out a whistle, and she gets up to turn off the gas. Mom makes two cups of tea and brings them over to the table. I tell her about how my meeting with Ezra went. She’s impressed and wants to meet him again. I tell her I’ll talk to him. Then I give her a copy of the babies’ scan and show her the video on my phone. She wipes at her eyes while watching the video numerous times. Nothing beats this feeling; bringing so much joy to the people I love.
CHAPTER 17
EZRA
Ipull my car to a stop in front of the address Charlie sent me, my brows rising in surprise at the tall building. I unlock my phone to check if I’m at the right place, and yup, this is it, alright. I don’t know what I had pictured, but this isn’t it. An apartment building right in the thick of downtown.
I text her to let her know that I’m outside. I’m early, and I don’t know how she’ll take that, but I’ve been really anxious for this doctor’s visit. My phone chimes with her response. She asks me to come right in; she’ll page down so they’ll let me in. I react to the message with a thumbs up and get out of my car.
The doorman gets the door for me with a polite smile, and I give him a curt nod. I walk to the reception desk and utter, “I’m here for Charlotte Square.”
The woman smiles at me. “Yes, you’re approved to go up.” She hands me a card and points at an elevator, separate from the other two in one corner. “It will take you right up to the penthouse.”
Penthouse huh. I thank the woman and make my way to the elevator. I tap my toes on the floor nervously during the steadyclimb up. Fuck. I tug at my tie, the material suddenly cutting off my air flow.
The elevator doors slide open to a small hallway that leads into a foyer. As soon as I step inside, Charlie comes over–no, not Charlie. I frown as she approaches. I tilt my head to the side, my confusion growing. Fuck she looks so much like Charlie. Her hair is also dyed at the front and she has one blue, one brown eye, but that’s not my Charlie.
“Daniella?” I don’t remember her having heterochromia. The woman stops walking, her jaw dropping, surprise written all over her face.
“What? I’m Charlie.” She quickly schools her face, but she isn’t fooling me. My lips press together, not impressed with this prank.
