AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lucy's brows furrowed. "Really?"
Taylor snorted. "Gotcha, didn't I? Helen dropped breakfast off. Apparently Mason called them this morning to check on you."
Lucy groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. "I don't want to talk about him," she said.
Taylor chuckled and pulled the pillow off. Lucy leaned against the headboard, and Taylor put the tray across her lap. A knock on her bedroom door had her glancing up.
Helen stood in the door with freshly cut roses and a smile. "Hello, sweet pea. Are you up yet?"
Lucy's eyes teared again, and she wiped furiously at them with a laugh. "I'm up. Sorry, I'm not really presentable yet."
Helen waved to her food. "Is the food ok? I wasn't sure what your stomach was tolerating these days or if you were out of the morning sickness phase."
Lucy's hand froze with her fork half-way to her mouth. She met Taylor's surprised eyes, then looked at Helen. "You know?" she asked.
Helen smirked and sat in the corner reading chair, crossing her arms.
"Of course, dear. I'm old, not blind. I'm still a mother, you know."
Taylor chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. "Nothing gets by you, does it, Helen?"
Helen smiled, pleased with herself. "Never. That's what made me such a great teacher."
"But how did you know? I was so careful," Lucy blurted. Her cheeks heated, and she looked down at her food, scarfing in another bite. She was famished.
"You've been having cravings for months. I'll stop by in the afternoons and find you taking a nap on the couch. You've always had boundless energy, even as a kid, so napping is definitely out of the ordinary. And let's not forget how you're suddenly not wanting to wear a bathing suit when we go fishing. Yet somehow you had no problem doing so last year."
Lucy winced even as she swiped a finger in the blueberry syrup leftover from her pancake. Taylor handed her a bottle of water, and she guzzled half of it before she came up for air.
Helen chuckled. "I see your appetite is back, so that's good news."
Lucy took a deep breath and nodded, putting a hand on her stomach with a frown. "I—I haven't had a chance to talk to Mason about it. Last night—was hard, but we didn't get a spare moment to talk about this."
She looked up and met her grandmother's clear brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Nana. I wanted to tell you so much, but I felt like I needed to tell Mason first. And Taylor only knows because she was there when I found out."
Taylor twisted her lips. "Girl please, you wouldn't have kept this from me in a million years. Don't even try to pretend otherwise."
Lucy giggled and nodded, handing her the now empty tray back. "Fine, you caught me."
Helen nodded and stood, taking the tray. "Let me, dear. Are you going fishing with us today?"
Taylor shook her head. "No, I'm about to get ready for work. I've got the north branch library today."
Helen nodded and the two went out the door talking books and what was new in the library world. Since Helen had retired from teaching high school English, she'd started volunteering at the Crimson Creek library. She and Taylor had always got along.
Lucy pushed back the covers and grabbed clothes to take a shower. She had felt so drained last night that she hadn't wanted to move any more than she had to drag herself to bed.
Yes, she'd get stinky, sweaty, and would swim in the river, but she needed to start the day fresh. Her stomach was settled from breakfast, but there was still a knot of fear and nerves.
She would probably see Mason today. She stepped out of the shower and looked at her body. Her baby bump was pretty obvious now, but she'd been trying to hide it. Baggy tank tops and stretchy loose fitting shorts had made that pretty easy.
She thought back to all she'd said to Mason and winced. She didn't like yelling and screaming, but it'd felt cathartic to finally get all that off her chest. She put her clothes on and brushed her hair, braiding it into one thick braid.
She grabbed her phone and went downstairs but paused when she saw a message from Mason from last night.
I hope you made it home safely.
I'm sorry about tonight.
