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”
I wave him off and rest my head in my hand against the window. The cloudy gray haze reflects the storm in my head. “I already had a cup of coffee.”
Nathan taps the brakes and cuts me a glance. “You can’t have coffee.” The chiding tone makes me bristle.
“I can’t? I didn’t know that.”
“Please tell me it was at least decaf.”
“Why would anyone drink coffee if not for the caffeine? That’s crazy talk.”
“You need to do a better job of taking care of yourself.” He jerks the wheel to merge onto the highway.
My spine bows like a twig about to snap. “Whoa, you need to seriously watch it. I didn’t know one cup was a big deal.”
He flexes his fingers on the wheel. “Today? One cup today or every day? Because there’s a big difference. There are risks linked to high caffeine consumption in pregnancy. Low birthweight not to mention preterm labor.”
“Well, I didn’t know, so chill. Yelling at me about it now isn’t going to change the past.”
“I’m not yelling!” he yells. A bubble of incredulous laughter bursts from me. “I’m just saying there are things you can’t do now, and some aren’t as obvious as the others. You should do some research.”
This is the longest car ride of my life. On a good day, it lasts around two hours, but at the rate we’re going, it already feels like we’ve been stuck together for twice that long.
My heart bangs beneath my ribs. A million questions rise to the surface, not one of them an end to the bickering. If anything, they’ll increase it. What I want to know is why he’s acting like this? Taking care of me is a surprise, but not out of his nature. The distressed concern bordering on panic is new for my levelheaded paramedic.
“It sounds like you’ve done enough research for us both,” I mutter beneath my breath.
“Real mature.”
To silence the retort clawing up my throat, I snatch the smoothie he brought me. Catching the straw between my lips, I suck back a greedy gulp. The taste of fruit and berries explodes like fireworks on my tongue, and I return for another drink.
“Do you like it?”
“This is really good. Thank you.”
A pleased smirk dances on the corner of his mouth as his concentration remains on the highway.
“You’re just waiting to say I told you so, aren’t you?”
He cocks his head slightly. “I didn’t say a thing.”
The rest of the ride passes uneventfully, and before long, we’re parking at the curb of my parents’ two-story townhome. Anxiety riddles my insides at the mere sight of the place where I grew up. The gray siding is new to match the white windows my dad proudly installed last summer. I hope he asked for help or used a contractor this time. Thinking of my sixty-year-old father standing on tall ladders by himself makes me nauseous. Or maybe that’s residual from the drive here; I can’t be sure.
The house is the same one I grew up in, and over the years, it has received a facelift. Other than the trim and windows, I know my dad installed a new roof when theirs started to leak. My mother finally planted flower beds out front—a project she’d wistfully dreamed about since I was a kid.
The front door opens, and my parents step onto the wraparound white porch. Nathan gathers our bags, and together, we walk up the steps. Mom gets my first hug, and then Dad claims his turn to wrap me in a warm embrace.
“Nice shutters, Dad. They look great by the white windows.”
He beams with pride and releases me. “Good to see you, sweetheart. I see you brought company.”
I turn woodenly to Mom. “Didn’t you tell him I was bringing Nathan?”
“It may have slipped my mind,” she says with an evasive shrug. The woman’s a dreamer and always too busy for her own good. Intentional or not, she forgot. At this point, it’s a permanent personality trait.
“Did you at least remember to invite Grandma and Grandpa to dinner? We’re here for the night before we have to get back.”
Mom hooks me around the neck and drags me inside. “Now that I did remember to do. They’re waiting in the living room.”
