Page 33 of It Happened Back Then (Nilsson Family #3)
S tepping onto the porch of my childhood home, I try the knob. It turns easily and I walk inside, knowing Mom is up. I can hear her moving around in the kitchen and then I hear the tea kettle whistle softly.
She knows.
“Mornin’, baby. I made some tea, want some?”
“Morning. Yes, please.” I sit at the kitchen table, staring at my chipped nail polish like it holds all the answers. Maybe Meadow is onto something. My mom moves around behind me, humming under her breath, like it’s just another Sunday morning.
But it’s not even close.
“You must be exhausted. Yesterday was quite a day.”
She places the cup in front of me, then takes the seat across from me with her own mug. “Everything was gorgeous; you really did an outstanding job.”
I blow on my tea. “It turned out perfectly. I hope January enjoyed it.”
“Oh, honey, of course she did. I don’t think she ever expected something so detail oriented and made with love, but that's exactly what you gave her.”
Her mom's senses must be tingling, because she leans back in her chair and studies me. “You look like you’re about to confess to a crime. Should I be worried?”
I try to smile. “Depends on your definition of a crime.”
She raises a brow, waiting for me to answer. I take a breath, then just say it. “I’m pregnant.”
Her eyes widen and she sits up straighter, her mouth parting in surprise, but the only word that comes out is, “Oh.”
I bite my bottom lip, suddenly unsure. “I took the test yesterday. Only Meadow knows.”
“Oh, Blossom.” She stands and comes around the table, wrapping me in her arms. “This is wonderful news. I’m sorry, I’m just…I’m shocked. Last I knew you two weren’t talking.” She gives me another squeeze before sitting back down. “You okay?”
I nod, eyes stinging. “I think so. And before you ask, he doesn’t know yet. I needed to talk to you first. Getting through yesterday without saying a word was a lot.”
“I wish you would have told me then. I could have covered for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I could have helped more, given you sparkling water and not champagne.”
I laugh and wave my hand in the air. “I was fine. I think the buzz of the day helped push me along, but I did crash hard last night. I told Meadow, and then we told the girls I was on antibiotics, so I wasn’t drinking. She backed up my story.”
She raises her brows. “They bought that?”
I shrug. “If they didn't, they gave me grace by not asking questions. ”
We sit in silence before she says, “Blossom, you're not eighteen anymore. You don’t have to keep this quiet, and you don’t have to protect anyone. You're both adults and are more than capable of making your own choices.”
A tear slides down my cheek. She slides her chair close to me and brushes away the tears.
“Your strength amazes me. You’ve always carried more than your share, and as the baby of the family you shouldn’t have had to.
But this baby, it’s his too. And he deserves the chance to love you through this. Both of you.”
I nod, more tears coming now. “We’re not even talking right now. I’m so afraid I’ve already ruined what we could have been. And Savannah is still here and?—”
“Honey,” she says, “you just go and talk to him. Bennett isn’t stupid. And he loves you. He’s not going to jeopardize a future with you.”
“I don’t know. Savannah is pretty convincing. She had some pretty colorful things to say to me, which had me doubting everything, too.”
Mom shakes her head. “She doesn’t know him like you do.
She can spit all the venom she wants; it doesn’t make it truth.
You know, your dad used to say there is no perfect way to do life.
We’re messy, complicated people. But the only way to get through all that mess is to just be honest about everything. Love starts with the truth.”
I wrap my hands around the tea mug, warmth seeping into my palms. I know what she’s saying.
I need to talk to Bennett.
Tell him everything.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Okay.”