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“Are you for real?”
Glendy laughed. “I am. You’d be in good hands here. Even out in the human world, if you saw a specialist for a higher risk pregnancy, you’d still be in good hands. The pregnancy can be rocky and the birth more difficult, longer, more painful, sometimes more complicated, but I did it the first time with just a regular doctor and I was okay.”
“Tavish told me about how Greenacre used to get their young.” January knew this didn’t happen anymore, but she wanted to hear Glendy’s take on it.
“Yes, it was awful.” Glendy’s expression was truly grief stricken. “I’ve talked to Thaddius about it. He only remembers his dad. He never knew his mom. I’m not sure what Tavish’s history is, but you should try to ask him too. He probably never knew his mom either. Most people here don’t know their mothers. It must be hard for them, even if they don’t say so. They all grow up with the support of the community, it really is like a family here, and it gives new meaning to the it takes a village expression. I would say that if Tavish’s father isn’t alive and he never knew his mother, he’d take his responsibility as a father extra seriously. He’d want to experience every single minute of it.”
“So, do you think he’ll want me to stay here?”
“No. Sorry. That’s not what I meant.” Glendy glided through the store, adjusting a few hangers and pieces of clothing on the racks. “Obviously he’d love it if you wanted to stay here, but Seattle, across the country, or wherever, I think Tavish would be a great dad. That’s all I meant, that he’d want to take an active role, however you guys plan on doing things.”
“Did he call you ahead of time and put you up to this?”
“No.”
“Did anyone else?” She didn’t know why she was trying to find a reason not to trust Tavish and his motives. So far, he’d shown himself to be trustworthy. Maybe it was a mix of pregnancy hormones and the whole shock of finding out about Greenacre. She just had this feeling like something bad was going to happen and take away any chance of happiness. Right now, her baby was the most important thing in her life.
“Nope. No one. I’m saying that because I mean it. I don’t know everyone all that well yet because we’re still new here, but I do know Sam and Lily, and Tavish and Sam are extremely close friends. Trace and Kier too, and, of course, Josephine. But no. None of them put me up to saying things about Tavish that aren’t true. Everything I’m telling you is true, which is why I also told you the less pleasant things. Because they’re true too, and you need to hear them in order to make the right decision. That’s only fair, and everyone here would agree with me.”
“That makes sense.” She wasn’t trying to take January down a notch. Glendy was being gentle.
All the same, January thought about Tavish. About him not having had a mother. Maybe not a father, or at least not anymore. Were they both dead? Had he ever wondered about his mom? Had he ever wanted to find her? What did that make him feel, not knowing the woman who had given him life?
January had only been thinking about herself in all of this. About her need to get away, to maintain an independent life, about her future. When she was in Greenacre, she’d made her wishes clear that she’d wanted to go back to Phoenix, but as soon as she arrived back home, she wished she was here. Now that she was back, why was she trying to find a reason to leave? What were her fears really and how deep did they go? Was she trying to put distance between herself and Tavish in order to save herself from losing who she was, or was she just afraid that if she let her guard down and gave in completely, she’d find everything she truly needed?
Her last marriage had been the safe option. She hadn’t had to risk much. Maybe she was a coward when it came to putting her heart out there. It was a scary thing, giving someone else the power to wound you deeply, maybe even beyond repair.
“January?”
“Sorry.” She found Glendy standing in front of her with a small bundle in her hands.
“This is for you.”
“Oh!” She accepted the package. It was put in a nice little reusable bag made of burlap.
“I packed that up for you ahead of time. It’s got some jams in it, some pickles. A bar of soap. I hope you like everything.”
“Oh my gosh! You didn’t have to!”
“It’s a welcome gift. Even if you don’t end up living here, you’ll be connected to here through your child. I’m always here if you need to talk.”
“Thank you. And thank you for today. For everything you said.”
Glendy walked her to the door with a big smile. “I hope that you do stay, or that you come back eventually. Not that Josephine and Lily aren’t enough, but there’s always room for one more female friend. And one more and one more and one more. It’s an exciting time here now.”
January couldn’t promise that she’d be here to be a part of it, but she didn’t say she wouldn’t be either. She hadn’t made up her mind. It was going to be a process. She wasn’t sure how long that would take, but it wouldn’t happen overnight. She gave Glendy a hug and thanked her again for the package before walking back to the clinic.
Tavish had asked if she could meet him there, since it wasn’t very far from Glendy’s shop. He’d walked her there, and she’d told them that she’d be okay walking back to the clinic to find him afterwards.
He had a job that he was doing, hours that he had to work, people he had to help. He had duties here, and what she wanted to talk to him about could wait, even if those minutes would feel like hours. She should have thought to ask him about himself earlier. About his life, his past, his family, his wants and needs. She’d been selfish instead.
When Tavish was off work, they wouldn’t talk about Greenacre. They wouldn’t talk about her doubts and fears or anything else about her. Tonight, they’d just talk about him.
Chapter 19
Tavish
He’d never believed that Greenacre was a dangerous place, but maybe January’s questions had unsettled him slightly, because he’d been worried about her ever since he’d left her with Glendy. She was more than okay there. He wasn’t worried about what Glendy would say or about losing January because of it. He was just worried. She might not be his in every sense of the word, but she was carrying his child. The thought of anything happening to her or the baby made him feel weak and nauseated. He tried to stop thinking about all the hypotheticals, but how did anyone do it? How did Trace, Thaddius, and Sam get through it?
