Grace
After dropping Natalie off, Grace drove home in tears. She was supposed to stop at the grocery store, but couldn’t cut the tears off long enough to get the shopping done. Instead, she went to the Wendy’s drive thru. Brayden loved their chicken sandwich and Mikey would eat anything from there.
She grabbed the bags of food and the drink carrier from the passenger seat. Mikey opened the door to the garage off the kitchen. “I heard you pull in. Oh, you got food. Cool.” His smile usually brought one to her face. Not this evening. She perked one corner of her mouth for a split second and brushed past him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Grace didn’t answer Mikey. “Bray, dinner,” she called from the kitchen. He came sliding across the tiled floor in his socks.
“Oooh, Wendy’s!” Brayden sat down at the table.
“Take your food and eat in front of the TV, kid,” Mikey said.
Suspicion washed over his son’s face. “O-kay. Are you feeling all right?”
“I want to talk to your mo—to Grace alone.”
Brayden snatched his bag and drink and scooted out of the room. He seemed unfazed by Mikey almost calling her his mom, which was a good thing. Grace’s heart had fluttered though. She didn’t think of herself as a mother, even though she was the closest thing he had to one after his own mother’s death.
Mikey came up behind her and massaged her shoulders. “Why does it look like you’ve been crying?”
“I went to Natalie’s doctor appointment with her.”
“Oh, shit, I forgot you mentioned that was today. How bad is it? Should I be sitting down for this?”
Grace faced him. More tears leaked down her face. “She’s not sick, thank God, I don’t think my dad could handle that.”
“Well, that’s goo—”
“She’s pregnant.”
Mikey chuckled in a short burst. “I wasn’t expecting that. Man, they’ve been busy, haven’t they?”
She made a face. “Ew. I don’t wanna think about that.”
“It’s just sex.”
Frantically, she waved her hands. “Stop it. I don’t care how old I am, I can’t, just can’t.”
Now he laughed full on and she joined him for a minute.
“How far along is she?” he asked.
“I don’t know, she has another appointment with her gyno in a few days.” Her expression became somber. “She asked the doctor about options. I know it’s none of my business.”
“Options, as in she might not have the baby?”
“Yes.”
He rubbed his jawline. “Wow. It is her body.”
“I know. It’s just that the baby is my little brother or sister. Why can’t I have a say?”
“Because you don’t. Did you tell her how you feel?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And nothing.”
He smiled tightly. “Whatever she decides she’ll need your support.”
“I know, and she’ll get it.” Grace pulled the chair out and sat down at the table.
Mikey rubbed his palms together. “All right, what did you bring me?” He tore one of the bags open and dug into the food. After munching on some fries, he asked, “How do you think Harry took the news?”
Sighing into her burger, she shrugged. “Hard to say. I know he had wanted another kid with my mom. She had a hysterectomy in her mid-twenties so that wasn’t going to happen.”
“Fifty-five really isn’t that old to have one.”
“She’s fifty though. So I guess I don’t blame her for asking about alternatives.”
“I think she was shocked because this wasn’t planned. Freaked her out. It’ll be all right.” Mikey leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“What’s going to be all right?” Brayden asked from the doorway.
“Natalie’s pregnant,” Mikey blurted. Grace wanted to kick him for it, and gave him a dirty look instead.
“What? It’s not a secret, is it?”
“No, but what if you know happens?”
“It won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do know.”
Grace rolled her eyes.
“You do too,” he said.
“Can people still have babies that old?” Brayden asked, sliding into the kitchen and sidling up to the table. Mikey mussed his hair. “I think we should get a dog.”
“No, that’s a huge commitment.” Mikey said.
“So was having me.”
Grace giggled under her breath, Brayden’s random thoughts always cheered her up even if it wasn’t on purpose. Her phone rang in her purse. “Hand me my phone, will you?” Mikey fished it out and handed it to her. “Hello?”
“It’s me,” Natalie said grimly.
“Hi, is everything all right?”
Her father’s girlfriend sighed heavily into the phone. “Your dad just left.”
Grace worried about how her father took the news. Would he be as happy as she wanted him to? “Did you tell him?”
“Yes. And he left.”
“Did he say anything or just—”
“Work called. Do you think you can go with me to the gynecologist Friday afternoon?”
“Don’t you think my dad should go with you, not me?”
“I’m afraid he’s not being objective.”
“And you think I am?” Grace wasn’t capable of an objective opinion, at least right now.
“I’m scared, Grace. What if something’s wrong with the fetus?”
“What makes you think anything bad is going to happen?”
Natalie stayed mute for a full minute. “My age makes me think that.” She sniffled, which made Grace tear up again.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea—”
“You’re right it’s not a good idea to put us and a baby through such uncertainty.”
“That’s not what I was going to say. It’s not a good idea to make this decision on your own or with me. My dad has the right—”
“So you’re not going with me then?”
“No.” Grace nearly screamed, Take my dad! “You should take my dad with you.”
“Let me know if you change your mind…”
“I won’t.”
* * *
Harry
The Starbucks’ Drive-thru line wrapped almost completely around the building when Harry had arrived. His knee bounced up and down and his hands shook. He pulled up to the speaker and ordered plain black coffee.
“What size?” the perky sounding woman asked. The speaker crackled.
“The largest you got, and two please.”
“Venti or trenta?”
“Whichever is biggest?” Harry already knew the answer.
“Trenta.”
“That then.”
“Uh, trenta is only available for cold drinks.”
Then why did you mention it? He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Give me two venti coffees.”
“What kind of coffee?” She rattled off a few of their specialty drinks.
“Black coffee.” Hadn’t they already been through this?
“Just plain?”
“Yeah.”
“Pull up to the window, please.”
“Thank you,” he grumbled. Ordering a cup of coffee shouldn’t take ten minutes, should it? Harry paid and collected his large cups without further hassle.
Fifteen minutes later, he was sitting on Cedric’s plastic covered couch in the man’s living room.
His best friend stared at him. “How’s the case coming?”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that later.”
Harry took alternating swigs of coffee.
“Thanks for bringing coffee. One day you might actually let me have some.”
“Sorry, I need it.”
“How’s Grace and Mikey’s wedding planning coming? They call it off yet?” Cedric chuckled, thinking he was being funny.
“She’s pregnant.”
“Wow. You’re finally going to be a grandfather. Couldn’t wait until they got married, huh? They ain’t kids no more.”
“Not Grace. Natalie’s pregnant.”
His friend’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I heard you right.”
“You did.”
“Yours?”
“You’re hilarious.”
Cedric laughed. He stabbed his cane on the hardwood floor then sat back in his recliner and popped the footrest. “Does Grace know?”
“Yeah. She went to the appointment with her.”
“Have you spoken to your daughter?”
Harry looked away. “Nat’s not sure what she wants to do. She’s talking crazy like she might not have the baby.” He swigged some coffee.
“It’s her body.”
“Shut it. That’s not what I want to hear right now. So why did you text me anyway?”
Cedric eyed him for moment. “All right, we’ll change the subject. I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“Uh oh. Should I be scared?”
Cedric winked. “Probably, but I was thinking about the night of Brayden’s party.”
“What about it? Wait, never mind. I think I know where you’re going with this.”
“You remember how Cam and that ponytailed guy were chatting up Heidi Merlow?”
Harry pursed his lips and leaned forward. “Cam claims she gave him a hummer in the parking lot. Pfft. A judge’s daughter.”
“And your point? Don’t matter who her daddy is. The woman flirted right back at him.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Harry waved away his preconceived notion Heidi acted all innocent that night.
Clearly, she was far from it. “You think Ned was a little too preoccupied with her too?”
“Yep. Maybe you oughta check Mr. Ponytail out or something. I don’t remember seeing him leave the party but I know he was gone before we left.”
Harry set his coffee cups on the low table in front of him. Cam was still at the restaurant helping clean up when Harry and Cedric had taken off. He scrubbed his face with his palms. Christ, had he ignored the obvious signs because he wanted Cam to be guilty?
“I don’t think it was just your lack of evidence that proved Cam was not the one who ran Grace off the road.”
“His car was beat to shit, but there wasn’t any paint from her car on his.” Shit, maybe he was right and someone was framing him, but who? His uncle, his own flesh and blood? That’s nuts…or was it? Harry rubbed his jawline.
“Did you tell her how you feel?”
Harry looked up with confusion on his face for a moment. “Oh, Natalie? Yeah…I, Christ, I may not have been as adamant as I needed to be.”
“Talk to her. And congrats, man.”
“Thanks. I never thought I’d have a chance to have another kid.” Harry snorted. “Didn’t think I wanted one after all this time. But yeah, it turns out I do.”