CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Kelly

I hadn’t realized how easy it would be to spread the news. It was the one thing I was worried about. In the end, I only told two people: Mom and Miller. The rest of the news spreading they did all by themselves.

I invited Miller to my place for supper the week after Reese had gone home. I cooked a new recipe for salmon and then we sat on the couch with after-dinner coffee. I told her I was pregnant.

“Kelly!” she yelled. She jumped out of her seat and embraced me. I felt her squash me against her chest and laughed in protest.

“Don’t squash me!”

She let me go and put her hand on mine. “Kelly Gowan, that is the most amazing news ever!” she shook her head, seeming unable to take it in. “May I ask something?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Who’s the dad?”

I laughed. “His name is Reese. He’s amazing. Can’t wait ‘till you meet him.”

“Neither can I!” she enthused. “When’s the baby coming?”

“In March next year,” I said.

“That’s so soon!” she said. “Only…what…seven months away?”

“Seven and a half,” I grinned.

“Wow!” she clapped her hands. “Well! We’ll have to have a big party and get lots of things…do you have a registry?”

I laughed. “Miller! Slow down!”

She pulled a face at me. “Sorry. But it’s so exciting!” she paused. “It’s okay if I tell your news, is it?”

I nodded. “Sure. It would help me if you did, actually. Save me spreading it myself.”

She laughed. “Perfect. Oh! Everyone will be so excited too…”

I couldn’t have hoped for a nicer result.

The harder bit—or at least I thought it would be hard—was going to be telling my mom. Not so much because I thought she wouldn’t approve of my choices—she was good and letting me live my own life—but because it was hard to get her to sit still so one could talk to her.

In the end, I decided to visit her on a long weekend. When I was there, the first night at dinner, I cleared my throat.

“Mom,” I said carefully. “I have something I want to tell you.”

“You’re pregnant.”

I gaped at her. “Mom! How in hell…”

She laughed. “You look beautiful, Kells. You have this light on inside you that I’ve never seen before. Radiant, that’s the word. I knew it had to be something like that. Just a crazy hunch.”

I laughed and, still laughing, hugged her. When we moved back, both our cheeks were wet.

“Kelly!” she said, shaking her head. She cleared her throat. “I am so excited!”

I smiled. “I’m so glad.”

“Oh! I can’t wait to tell everyone the good news…” she was already getting her phone out of her bag, and I laughed as she frowned. “Um…who must I say is the father?”

I giggled. “Well, I hope you can meet him. His name’s Reese. Lieutenant Reese Bradford.”

“Oh!” Her brow shot up. “A military man.”

“Not anymore,” I said. “He had his term of service already. He’s a farmer.”

“Oh!” She shook her head, a big happy smile twisting her mouth. “I wouldn’t have imagined you’d end up with a soldier. Ex-soldier, whatever.”

“I wouldn’t have either,” I said. I felt a flame of pride in my chest. I loved Reese. I loved him so much. I was looking forward to showing him off, actually…I thought he was so wonderful that I just had to show everyone.

“Well,” Mom said, heading into the kitchen. “This calls for a celebration! I would take out the Champagne, but I guess that wouldn’t be fair since you probably don’t want to drink any. I have grape juice?”

I laughed as my frenetic, funny mom rummaged in the cupboard and drew out a bottle of sparkling juice. She grimaced and pulled out the cork.

“Eek!”

It was foaming everywhere and I laughed at her stricken expression and ran to her help, fetching champagne flutes out of the cupboard and pouring two glasses while she dabbed the front of her cream gauze shirt.

“Here we are,” I said, passing her one.

“Cheers! To the new baby. And happiness.”

“Cheers to that”

When we had drunk to the new baby’s health—our toast sealed in sparkling grape juice—I headed back to the table and we finished dinner. Mom had made her wonderful Thai-inspired concoction, and I leaned back, savoring the familiarity of her, the house, and her cooking. I was so happy.

“So,” she said, pausing from devouring the rice with chopsticks—a skill I rather envied—”

“You are having the baby when, exactly?”

“In March next year,” I said.

She made a mental count and nodded. “So you’re two months now?”

“Almost,” I nodded.

“Good,” she said briskly. “Are you going to have a party?”

I laughed. “Mom! You crazy woman. I do love you. I think I’m having one at work.”

She chuckled. “Good. I love you too.”

We finished the meal and as we did so we discussed plans about my delivery and my move and when Reese would stay. She took my idea of moving back to Wyoming without any surprise.

“You know, that would be perfect,” she said, swallowing the vestiges of her supper briskly. “Your grandpa always said you were happy out there. I guess I should have listened. But you know me,” she sighed. “I’m always too busy chasing something to stop and listen.”

She looked into the distance, and she seemed sad.

“Mom,” I said gently. “If you stopped being like that, you wouldn’t be you. And that would be awful. Now, maybe you can help me. Should I tell Grandpa now?”

She frowned.

“What do you think?” she asked at length. Like me, she was worried about his heart.

“Well, he seems pretty stable to me. Reese mentioned he’d seen him and he also thought he looked great.”

“Well, then,” my mother said. “I think that would be a great idea. You have no idea how excited he will be. You are special to him.”

“Thanks,” I said softly. “He’s special to me too.”

The next morning, while I was still there as Mom went through to water the extensive crop of palm trees in her garden, I called him.

“Grandpa?” I said. “It’s Kelly.”

“Kelly! Sweetheart! How are you doing?”

“I’m well, Grandpa. Yourself?”

“I’m well. Much better. It’s good to hear you. You know what?”

“What?” I asked.

“I had a visitor a couple weeks back…just after you left.”

“Oh?” I frowned.

“I remember because I think he knew you,” Grandpa said. I could almost hear the smile in his next words. “My neighbor. Reese. Nice sort of guy.”

“Oh?” I couldn’t stop smiling. “Well, I’m glad you chatted.”

“Me too,” he said thoughtfully. “Why?”

“Well…” I couldn’t keep the giggle from my voice. “Because…because I’m expecting his baby!”

“What?” Grandpa sounded surprised. I heard him cough and I glanced around for Mom, suddenly terrified that it had been a bad idea to tell him after all.

“It’s okay, Grandpa. Can you maybe sit down? Can you breathe?”

“I…” he wheezed, then I recognized the sound. He was laughing. “Kelly! You never told me!”

I blushed. “Well, it all kind of…happened, Grandpa. We would have told you, but it was all a bit busy back then.”

He laughed. “Well, bless me! I never thought I’d make being a great-grandpa! Well, well…” he sniffed. “I wish Jess could have seen it.”

I blinked, feeling my throat tight with tears. “She will, Grandpa,” I said softly. “I believe in my heart that she will.”

He sniffed. “I believe it.”

We chatted a bit longer and I told him Reese would be staying with me, and then that I would be moving to the farm. Permanently.

He was silent. I waited for a reply. When none was forthcoming, I panicked.

“Grandpa!” I yelled. “Are you okay there?”

No answer.

“Grandpa?” I really was worried now. What had happened? Was he okay?

At length I heard his voice. “It’s okay,” he said. His voice was wobbly, and I held my breath, hearing it. “It’s just that…I’m so happy.”

I was crying too. We both cried for a bit, him sniffing surreptitiously, and me outright crying. Then I cleared my throat.

“I’ll see you soon, Grandpa,” I promised.

“See you soon.”

We hung up. I stood with the phone in my hand in my mom’s elegant, minimal sitting room and felt as if a light had turned on in my heart. I was so, so happy.