Page 106 of Pregnant in Pennsylvania

19

Ikeep the news of my pregnancy to myself for a few days. Jamie and I don’t get any more time to ourselves in those couple of days—and the night we spent together wasn’t anywhere near enough to sate us. But it would have to make do.

The weekend comes, finally—after a week spent on the phone with insurance and car shopping. I know I have to have a family meeting with Mom, Dad, and Cora. I’m not entirely certain how I’m going to handle Aiden—I’ll have to talk to Jamie more about it, I just know I’m not quite ready yet. I arranged for him to spend the afternoon on Saturday with a couple of friends from football so I could have some time alone with my parents and Cora.

Jamie called me as I was on the way from dropping Aiden off at my parents’ house. We’d snatched a few kisses last night after Aiden went to bed, but I wasn’t comfortable having Jamie stay over just yet, so a couple of stolen kisses was all we were going to get for the moment.

“Hey, Elyse,” he says, when I answer. “What’s up with your Saturday? I thought you and Aiden and I could go for a ride into Hanover and have some fun.”

“I, um—he’s with some friends. Jake and Jimmy. I’m headed to my parents’ house.”

Something in my voice must have given me away—I wasn’t excited about the upcoming talk. In fact, I was nervous as hell. But I was also pretty certain it was too soon to involve Jamie in this kind of thing.

Or rather, I was scared he wouldn’t go with me, and so didn’t invite him.

“To your parents’, huh?”

“Yeah. Cora will be there too.”

He lets silence build for a moment. “Wait. You’re telling them?”

I hesitate. “Um. Yeah. I hate secrets, and they’re my support system. They need and deserve to know.”

“Without me? That’s a conversation I need to be a part of, Elyse. We’re a couple now, remember?” His voice is firm. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“I know, Jamie, but you don’t have to—”

“Elyse?” he interrupts, his voice—well, not quite hard, but authoritative. “We’re in this together.”

“I know, but…I guess I figured it was a little too soon for this, with us.”

“It’s not.” He sighs. “You’re looking at this wrong, Elyse. I don’thaveto be there with you holding your hand whilewetell your parents and Cora—Igetto.”

I breathe out a shuddery breath. “They’re my parents.”

“Yeah, but this isus, Elyse. You can’t cut me out of things anymore. I’m in this with you, start to finish, no matter what. I’m your support system too, now.” His voice goes tender. “I get that you’re used to be independent, doing things on your own. But you don’t have to, okay? I don’t want to uproot or change your life or Aiden’s—I want to make it better. That means letting me. Letting me be part of things like this. All right?”

I nod, but he can’t see me. I have to actually respond verbally. “Okay,” I whisper. “Thank you.”

“Thankyoufor letting me be part of your life.”

I arrive at my parents’ house, and Cora is already there, sitting on the porch with Mom and Dad, drinking iced tea and chatting.

I exit my car and head up to the porch, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. I know they can’t, but it feels like they’d be able to tell I’m pregnant just by looking at me.

I take one of the rocking chairs on the other side of Cora and accept a glass of tea from Mom.

“So,” Mom says, her voice bright and chipper. “Is this a social call, girls? It’s nice, the four of us sitting here together. Reminds me of when you girls were in high school. You’d sit out here on the porch doing homework and cackling about boys.”

“Coracackled about boys,” I clarify. “I donotcackle.”

“No, you sound more like a hyena,” Cora teases.

“If I sound like a hyena, then I’m not sure I can come up with a metaphor for whatyousound like.” I grin at her, falling back into old rhythms. “Krusty the Clown on helium?”

“Yeah, well—” Cora starts.

“Girls, girls,” Mom soothes, laughing. “Sometimes I swear you two haven’t grown up a bit.”