Chapter Twenty-One

 

“There’s got to be a mistake. A big one. No, make that a huge one. What you’re telling us is simply not possible.”

Marilyn Kimball gave her patient a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid that it is, Angela. And I know exactly what you’re going to say next – that you’re using what’s widely considered the most reliable, foolproof method of birth control on the market today. And that according to our mutual records, the implant isn’t due to be replaced for another six months, which is very much within the normal time frame. But despite all of that, there is no denying the fact that you are definitely pregnant. I would estimate around six weeks at this point, but we’ll need to do further tests and procedures to determine the exact stage.”

“Before we even start discussing any of that,” growled Nick, who was visibly struggling to remain calm, “why don’t you tell us how the hell this could have happened?”

Doctor Kimball arched a brow at him, clearly annoyed by the arrogant attitude he’d been displaying since the beginning of this appointment. “The usual way, I would imagine, Mr. Manning,” she replied sarcastically. “I assume your parents taught you about the birds and the bees quite a few years ago. Oh, my mistake. I expect you mean how could Angela fall pregnant while her implant was still supposed to be effective.”

“Nick,” admonished Angela, giving him a jab in the ribs when his eyes darkened angrily at her OB/GYN’s coy response. “Behave, okay? Dr. Kimball, I have to admit I’m wondering the exact same thing.”

Doctor Kimball nodded. “So am I, to be honest. And I would have to do some research, call the manufacturer to see if there have been other reports of the implants expiring early. It’s certainly not unheard of, though. And before you leave today, we should plan on removing that implant. We wouldn’t want it to have any adverse effects on the embryo.”

“Embryo?” repeated Angela, sounding shell-shocked even to her own ears. “Oh. You mean the baby. Sorry, I’m really out of it at the moment.”

“That makes two of us,” muttered Nick beneath his breath. “To say the least.”

Doctor Kimball ignored the glowering, noticeably tense Nick and focused her attention on her patient instead. “I realize that this is a shock to both of you, and that you’re going to need some time to process the news. But sooner than later, we’ll need to discuss your prenatal care, Angela. As well as schedule an ultrasound so we can determine exactly how far along you are.”

Angela blinked, staring at her doctor numbly. “Um, that - that might not be, well, necessary. I mean, obviously Nick and I need to discuss this, given that it’s so unexpected, but I’m not sure what we, well, plan to do about this.”

“Of course.” Doctor Kimball gave a brief, noncommittal nod. “Well, the two of you are certainly old enough to know what your options are in this situation. And whatever decision you make, it shouldn’t be made lightly.”

Angela’s stomach was churning in agitation now, partly from the almost constant nausea she’d been experiencing lately, but mostly from nerves. “How - how long before we have to make a decision?” she asked in a small voice. “Before it’s no longer safe to - well, you know.”

Silently, Nick slid his hand over her tightly clenched ones, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“You can safely terminate the pregnancy up through the sixteenth week, and beyond that under certain conditions,” advised Doctor Kimball. “Though of course the earlier the better in terms of medical risks. So you have some time yet. And once again, the two of you should discuss this thoroughly, don’t feel that you have to rush into a decision overnight. Think about it for several days, then call my office with your decision and we’ll go from there. Now, unless you have any other questions, why don’t we go ahead and remove that implant? I’ll just call a nurse in to assist me. Nick, you’re welcome to remain in the exam room during the procedure if you’d like.”

Nick shook his head, surging to his intimidating height of six foot six. “I’ll pass, thanks. Believe it or not, that sort of thing makes me a little squeamish. I’ll be outside in the waiting room.”

He bent to press a kiss to Angela’s forehead before exiting the exam room, followed by the doctor as she went to summon one of the nurses. Angela was left alone in the stark white, sterile room filled with posters that depicted how to do a breast self-exam, illustrated common gynecological disorders, another about understanding menopause, and the last one that was a chart on prenatal development. She shuddered as her gaze fell on that one, and quickly looked away.

To say that she was in a state of shocked disbelief at this moment would be a gross understatement of fact. All of this had unfolded so rapidly over the course of the last twenty four hours that her head was spinning, and she felt overwhelmed by it all, despite the fact that Nick had been unwavering in his support thus far.

She hadn’t felt well for close to two weeks now, being plagued with nausea, dizziness, and an overall feeling of lethargy. She’d convinced herself that all she was suffering from was the same tummy bug her nephew had picked up, even though he’d evidently felt much better within a day or two while hers continued to linger. Next, Angela had tried unsuccessfully to assure Nick that she was simply rundown and overtired, probably from overtraining for the mountainous marathon she’d competed in last month.

But when she’d spent the better part of yesterday morning heaving into the toilet, shuddered at the very thought of food, and fainted dead away, he’d promptly bundled her into the car and whisked her off to her internist’s office where he had bullied his way into an appointment. The doctor had given her a brief exam, asked a few general questions, and then handed her a specimen cup so that she could provide a urine sample.

And when the sample had revealed that she was indeed pregnant, the doctor had drawn blood so that a more accurate lab test could be done, and also advised her to get in touch with her OB/GYN. Nick had hovered over her while she’d dialed that number, not making even the slightest attempt to give her privacy, or disguise the fact that he was blatantly eavesdropping.

Doctor Kimball had been able to squeeze her in this afternoon, by which time the positive results from the blood test had come back. A brief pelvic exam had further confirmed the accuracy of the diagnosis. Why Angela’s previously foolproof method of birth control had suddenly failed still remained to be seen - just like the final outcome to this fiasco was anything but certain.

Nick had remained silent and brooding throughout, but then he often exhibited such behavior so she wasn’t too surprised at his reaction thus far. And he’d been remarkably supportive in his own bossy way, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze or offering to bring her tea and saltine crackers or simply holding her close. But he had yet to offer up an opinion - something that was almost unheard of for him - and Angela truthfully had no idea of what was going on in that handsome but stubborn head of his right now. When she’d tentatively broached the subject after leaving the internist’s yesterday, he had forestalled her and merely said they should wait until after today’s appointment before jumping to any conclusions.

Now that her pregnancy had been confirmed by both blood, urine, and physical tests, however, the moment of reckoning had definitely arrived. Like it or not, she and Nick were going to have to talk about this whole mess rationally - something that wasn’t always easy for the two of them - and come to the right decision.

She had never experienced an overwhelming desire to be a mother, probably because her own mother had done such a lackluster job in being a good role model. She’d liked spending time with her various nieces and nephews, and had even babysat them from time to time. And when her closest friends - Lauren and Julia, the McKinnon twins, whom she’d grown up with - had both given birth to twins earlier this year, Angela had felt the stirring of some very subtle maternal urgings. She was godmother to one of Lauren’s little girls – Daisy - and made it a point to visit her and her twin Summer whenever she was down in the Carmel area. They were admittedly gorgeous babies, unsurprising since both Lauren and her hunky husband Ben were so attractive. The twins were also sweet-tempered, placid, and rarely if ever fussed - traits that Angela surmised they’d received from their laidback father rather than their confrontational mother.

But motherhood had changed Lauren, too, had smoothed out a lot of her rough edges, and brought out a softer, more mellow side of her that Angela would have never imagined existed. It made her wonder now if by some miracle she, too, had some hidden maternal instincts that she would have previously denied existed.

The nurse bustled cheerily into the exam room then, running a disinfectant swab over Angela’s upper arm before injecting her with a numbing agent. It was on the tip of Angela’s tongue to tell the nurse not to bother with the shot, since her entire body was basically numb right now. She barely felt the prick of the needle, just like she didn’t even flinch when the doctor arrived a few minutes later to extract the tiny implant that had failed Angela so miserably.

“We’ll save this in case the manufacturer wants to analyze it,” explained Doctor Kimball as she dropped the device inside a specimen bag. “Your arm will probably feel a little sore for a day or so, but nothing major.”

Angela nodded, too dazed by everything that had happened to think of a reply.

The doctor placed a light hand on Angela’s shoulder, and when she spoke her voice was kind. “It’s going to be okay,” she assured. “Whatever you decide, you’ll be fine either way. I’ve had any number of patients who’ve had to deal with an unexpected pregnancy on their own, with no partner and no financial means of supporting a baby. Now, I don’t presume to know anything about the size of your bank account, but I’d guess raising a child wouldn’t be a problem for you in that respect. As for the other, well, your partner isn’t a warm and fuzzy one, is he? But he does seem to care about you a great deal, Angela, and I’m confident Nick will do the right thing by you. Give me a call when the two of you have made a decision and we’ll figure out the next steps. Until then, get as much rest as possible, and read over that booklet I gave you, at least the part about dealing with the nausea.”

Doctor Kimball exited the room then, leaving Angela to slowly pull on her clothes, and to ponder on one thing in particular that the doctor had just said - about Nick doing the right thing by her. Angela didn’t doubt that fact, didn’t believe for a minute that Nick would wash his hands of this whole mess and leave her to make all the decisions. This was Nick, after all, aka Mr. Control Freak, so there was no doubt whatsoever that he would definitely have some very strong opinions about the situation. And she could more or less guess what his solution was going to be.

If she had never envisioned herself as the motherly type, then there was no way in hell she could ever see Nick in the role of attentive father. He was gruff and temperamental, stubborn and arrogant, and had been used to doing things his way for most of his life. Living with him continued to be a learning experience - for both of them, if she was being totally fair - and try as she might, Angela simply couldn’t envision how either of them would handle raising a baby. They had both come a long ways in their relationship, and in learning to trust not only each other but family members and friends as well, but the issues the two of them still had to deal with weren’t the sort that just went away overnight. How in the world could they bring a child into such an unstable environment, at least without screwing the kid up big time?

Nick was silent as he drove out of the medical building’s parking lot, and Angela was too tired to strike up a conversation right now. She didn’t want to talk about the baby, about the decision they needed to make concerning this unexpected hand fate had dealt them. All she wanted right now was to change into her rattiest sweats, curl up in their oversized bed, and sleep for about eighteen hours.

But then it dawned on her that Nick wasn’t headed to the home they shared high up in the hills of Sausalito. In fact, he was driving in the exact opposite direction of the Golden Gate Bridge that they would need to cross in order to reach their house.

“Where are we going?” she asked crossly. “It’s too early for dinner, and I doubt I could eat a thing anyway.”

He shot her a sideways glare. “You’re going to have to start eating, Angel. It’s morning sickness, after all, not afternoon and evening sickness. The doctor said she could prescribe something for the nausea, so take her up on it. And we’re not going to a restaurant, at least not yet. Ah, here we are. And thank fuck there’s actually a parking space for once.”

Before she had a chance to protest, Nick was parking the Jaguar, inserting his credit card in the meter, and then tugging her out of the car.

Angela’s heart started beating double time as she recognized the store he was propelling her into. “Nick, why in the world are we here of all places? The last thing I need right now is..”

“Is to argue with me,” he finished commandingly. “Come on, Angel. We’re expected.”

The store he practically dragged her into was a very high end, very exclusive jewelers, and Nick had become one of their best customers since meeting Angela. Despite her protests that she really wasn’t a jewelry person, he continued to surprise her on a regular basis with a new bracelet or pendant or a pair of earrings. He had brought her with him a few times, mostly to help him choose a gift for one of their mothers for some occasion, but also so that she could actually select something for herself for once without Nick arrogantly doing it for her.

They bypassed the usual display cases of necklaces and shockingly expensive watches, however, as Nick all but dragged her towards the back of the store to where a smiling salesman was waiting for them.

“You got what I wanted, Milo?” asked Nick gruffly.

The slender, meticulously groomed older man gave a brief nod. “Of course, Mr. Manning. I’ve had it set aside since you looked at it yesterday. Here you are, sir.”

Angela watched the scene unfolding in front of her as though she was in some sort of bizarre dream sequence. Milo the jeweler placed a small, square box of dark gray velvet in Nick’s outstretched palm before discreetly disappearing into a back room. Nick opened the box and withdrew whatever was inside before he turned and picked up her left hand.

“Don’t say a word until I’m finished, okay?” he warned her. “And I’m going to tell you right now, Angel - I won’t take no for an answer. I swear to Christ I would never in a billion years have envisioned myself doing something like this, but then I would never have been able to see myself as a prospective father, either. You and I both had fucked up childhoods, and I’ve rarely seen two people who have as many different issues as you and I do. God help this poor kid of ours, and let’s hope we don’t mess this whole parenting thing up big time. I know neither of us planned for this to happen – ever - but the fact of the matter is that’s my baby growing inside of you, Angel. And there’s no way in hell you’re going to quote unquote terminate it. What you are going to do is marry me, and then somehow, someway help me figure out how to actually raise this kid. Got it? Oh, and I picked this one out yesterday after we first got the news. It’s perfect for you, but I guess if you really don’t like it we can look at some others.”

She felt as though she was floating out in some other dimension as she watched Nick slide a ring onto the third finger of her left hand, and had just enough presence of mind remaining to feel grateful that the ring was both discreet and gorgeous – a platinum band encrusted with diamonds that framed the exquisite, square cut solitaire. It was, in fact, the perfect size and shape for her long, slender fingers, and to ask to look at anything else would have only been out of spite on her part.

“Nick.” Her voice was hoarse, and she squeezed his hand for support. “You - God, Nick. You don’t have to do this. Marry me, that is. I know how you feel about marriage, how you’ve always sworn it wasn’t for you. And just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean you have to feel obligated to go that far.”

He snorted. “Who says I feel obligated? Angel, you know me well enough by now to realize that no one makes me do something I don’t want to do - even you, the only woman I’ve ever been in love with. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, especially with you, and it’s time for me to do the right thing for once. And forget all that bullshit about making an honest woman out of you or doing this out of obligation. This is just the right thing to do. Period. For you, for me, for our kid. For the family we’re going to be. Okay?”

Tears were trickling down her cheeks, and she could only nod in agreement. “Okay.”

Nick chuckled and enfolded her in his arms. “For maybe the first time since we got back together, you aren’t being a pain in the ass about doing what I say. If this is what it takes to render you speechless, I should have asked you to marry me months ago.”

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his shoulder. “Uh, uh. It wouldn’t have been the right time. And I probably would have said no.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “Yeah, most likely. But like it or not, Angel, you’re going to have to do a lot of things I tell you from now on. Like eating more. And getting a lot of rest. And you’d better put those goddamn running shoes of yours away for a few months, because if you think I’m letting you compete in some insane trail race while you’re pregnant, then guess again.”

Angela laughed. “No trail races, I promise. But lots of pregnant women still do some running. We’ll ask Doctor Kimball, okay? And I promise to follow whatever advice she gives.”

“We’ll see,” grumbled Nick. “That OB/GYN of yours is kind of a smart-ass. I’m not sure I like her attitude.”

She rolled her eyes. “Funny. I was just going to say she probably has the same opinion about you.”

“Whatever. Look, let me round up Milo and pay for this ring, and then we’ll go out to dinner to celebrate. And,” he warned, waggling a finger, “you will eat. A lot. But alcohol is out until after the baby is born. Unless you decide to breastfeed, that is, because I understand that booze isn’t good for the kid, which means you’ll need to stay on the wagon that much longer.”

“Fine.” Angela sighed, then grinned at him mischievously. “Hey, at least with me being pregnant I’m sure to gain those last fifteen pounds you keep insisting I need to put on.”

Nick arched a brow. “Fifteen? That’s just for starters, Angel. You’ve got to put on a minimum of thirty. Oh, and one other thing.”

She shook her head. “Why do I have the feeling this is going to be a very long pregnancy with you calling all the shots? What’s the other thing?”

He scowled darkly. “I will tell you right here and now, Angel, that there is no fucking way we are calling this kid some sissy name like Giovanni. Or Donatella.”

Angela caressed his cheek tenderly. “Agreed,” she replied, laughing softly. “But we’ve got lots of time to think about baby names.”

“You’re right. Especially since we need to figure out how to break the news to your parents first. It ought to make for a hell of a Thanksgiving.”

 

 

 

Predictably, even though Angela had requested that only her mother and father be present when she and Nick arrived, both of her sisters and brothers-in-law and at least a couple of their kids were assembled in the living room of her parents’ house in Carmel when they walked inside. Nick merely shrugged as Angela fumed, murmuring under his breath that they might as well get this out of the way all at once.

All Angela had told her parents last evening was that she and Nick had some news to share with them upon their arrival the next afternoon. It was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, a holiday that she somewhat reluctantly had agreed to spend with her family. The older of her two sisters - Marisa - was cooking dinner at her home again this year, though everyone knew that their mother Rita would really be the one in charge of the meal - just like she had always attempted to control everything that went on in the family.

‘Thank God,’ thought Angela as she and Nick joined the others in the living room, ‘that we always insist on getting a hotel room whenever we come down here for a visit. And especially this time, when the sparks are sure to fly.’

She could almost predict how her mother was going to react to the dual shocks that were about to be delivered - a wedding in January, and a new grandchild next June - two life experiences no one in her family had ever expected Angela to actually have. Thankfully, she and Nick had briefly discussed the matter last night while packing for this short trip, and were in total agreement on how they wanted things to unfold.

And Nick, bless him, had volunteered to be the one to actually make the announcements, though they had hoped Angela’s parents would get to hear the news before anyone else. It figured, though, thought Angela derisively, that Rita would ignore her wishes so blatantly.

‘Story of my life,’ she told herself as she took a seat. ‘Literally and figuratively.’

Both of her brothers-in-law always gushed over Nick, in awe of his celebrity-like status as a retired NFL player, and wasted no time in asking his opinion about who was going to win the next Super Bowl.

Nick shrugged. “I haven’t watched many games this season, to be honest. But from what I have seen Arizona is looking pretty good, and of course you can never count out New England. I wouldn’t place a bet on any team right now, though.”

Angela still didn’t know how or where he found the patience to deal with all of her fawning male relatives during holidays and other family events they attended occasionally. She knew he did it for her, to try and smooth things over with the family she’d always had a contentious relationship with. She was alternately dreading and gleefully anticipating exactly how he planned to deliver the twin bombshells to everyone.

“Hey, enough about football, okay?” chided Nick. “Angela and I have something to tell all of you. Something important. Though I would have preferred to speak privately with Gino and Rita about it first.”

Marisa glanced at her younger sister Deanna guiltily before telling Nick in a simpering voice, “I had no idea the two of you were going to be here tonight, Nick. We just stopped by to pick up the pies my mother baked for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.”

“And Marco and I were just picking up the kids,” Deanna chimed in. “My parents were watching them for a couple of hours while we ran some errands.”

Nick looked neither convinced nor pacified by their hurried explanations. “Well, guess it’s a moot point now, huh? So this is our news. Angela is having a baby, due around the first of June, we’re not exactly sure yet. And we’re getting married right after the holidays. January fourteenth, to be exact. And we’ve already started on the arrangements. The ceremony will be at three o’clock at the Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, and the reception at the Gregson Hotel on Nob Hill. Small wedding, fewer than a hundred people, and Angela and I want to keep it simple. Actually, she wanted to elope but I talked her out of that idea, reminded her that Gino would have been devastated if he couldn’t walk her down the aisle. That’s all.”

Angela had never been so tempted to burst into hysterical laughter as she was at this particular moment. She wasn’t sure whose facial expression among those gathered in the living room was more comical - Nick, who looked like he needed a good stiff drink after all that; her father, who was grinning like a madman; her sisters, who had both turned white as a ghost; or her mother, whose mouth was hanging open in shock.

Her father Gino recovered first, hurrying over to envelop her in a fierce hug, his lips brushing her cheek. His voice was trembling just a little as he murmured in her ear, “I’m so happy for you, my little Angie. You’ve got a good man there, and he’ll make sure you and your baby are taken care of.”

Gino turned to Nick next, clapping him on the back before shaking his hand enthusiastically. “I would tell you to look after my little girl, to make her happy, but you’ve been doing a pretty good job of that for over a year now. I’m prouder than I can say to call you my son-in-law, Nick, and happy to officially welcome you to the family. And you’re right - I would have been pretty ticked off if the two of you had eloped, so thank you for talking my Angie out of that crazy idea. Giving her away is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time.”

Rita’s reaction, however, was nowhere near as positive. She scowled darkly, first at Angela, then at Nick. “She’s pregnant and you’re still going to have a big wedding? And get married in a church? Don’t you two have any sense at all? Next thing you know Angela will tell us that she’s actually going to wear a white dress to be married in. Vergognoso!”

Gino waggled a finger in his wife’s face. “Enough, Rita. Nothing about this is shameful. It’s a happy day for our family, for our daughter, and I’m not going to let you spoil this for her.”

“Gino’s right,” retorted Nick. “Angela can wear whatever damn color dress she wants to be married in. I don’t give a rat’s ass if it’s white or pink or black for that matter. And I already told you we want to keep this small and simple, less than a hundred people. That’s not exactly a big wedding by my calculations.”

Rita sniffed, but backed down quickly when she realized she was outnumbered. “Between our family and close friends, that’s well over a hundred people already,” she declared, changing tactics. “And that’s before we add in neighbors, Nick’s family, and your friends. That’s at least two hundred people, more like two fifty. There’s no way you can plan a wedding that big in less than two months.”

Nick shook his head. “That date is set, and you’ll just need to accept it. And the guest list is going to be restricted to immediate family and a few friends and business associates. Angela and I don’t want a big lavish wedding.”

Rita was about to argue the matter further, until she saw the steely look in Nick’s eyes. “Well, all for the better, I suppose,” she sniped. “The fewer people the better, in fact. That way none of our friends have to see Angela waddle down the aisle with a big belly, and realize she had to get married.”

Nick slammed his fist down on a side table, causing precious figurines and other collectibles to rattle precariously. “That’s enough, Rita,” he hissed. “You need to realize that this isn’t about you, or your petty judgmental friends, or your gossipy family. This is strictly about Angela and me and our baby. As far as her waddling down the aisle, she’ll only be about four months along by then and barely showing, especially since she’s so tall and slim. And don’t you dare ever imply that we had to get married. We might not have planned this pregnancy, but both of us are happy about it and want to do the right thing for our child. Just like you should want to do the right thing for your own daughter.”

Rita was visibly shaken by Nick’s outburst, and looked like she was going to start crying. Impulsively, Angela turned to her mother - the woman she’d been at odds with for so much of her life - and held open her arms.

“I know it’s not ideal circumstances, Mom,” she told her quietly, “but can’t you be happy for me anyway? Please?”

Rita stared at her youngest child for long seconds before embracing her fiercely, even giving her a kiss on the cheek and tucking an errant lock of raven hair behind her ear. “Of course I can,” she whispered. “And I am happy, Angela. It - well, this is all such a shock.”

Angela nodded, smiling at her mother uncertainly. “For us, too. Nick is right. We definitely didn’t plan this, but we’re gradually getting used to the idea. And I hope you can come up to San Francisco one day next week to help me look for a wedding gown. I’m going to have to buy something off the rack since there’s no time to get a custom dress made, but Julia’s given me some ideas on that. You know what a fashionista she’s always been.”

Rita nodded. “Of course I’ll go with you. I’d be honored.”

“What about us?” whined Marisa. “Aren’t we being invited along?”

“And of course we’re going to be your bridesmaids,” piped up Deanna. “You have to have your sisters in the wedding party.”

Angela regarded her two much older sisters in disbelief. “You two aren’t serious, are you? As I recall, Marisa, you refused to let me go along with you and Mom and your eight bridesmaids to try on wedding gowns because there wouldn’t be enough room. And neither of you would agree to have me in your weddings because I was too old to be the flower girl and too young to be a bridesmaid.”

Marisa’s cheeks reddened. “Well, there wasn’t enough room at the bridal salon,” she replied defensively. “And you were just a little kid, what did you care about any of that stuff? As for the other, I let you hand out the favors at my wedding, while Deanna put you in charge of the guest book at hers.”

Angela gave her sisters a not-so-nice smile. “Hey, that’s a great idea! You can both have the same jobs at my wedding. As for bridesmaids, I’m having a grand total of one, and that’s going to be Lauren. End of discussion.”

Nick draped his arm around her shoulders. “We’ll discuss some more details at Thanksgiving tomorrow. Right now, we need to go check into our hotel, and Angela needs to take a nap. She’s had a rough go of it so far with the pregnancy, so it’s important that she gets plenty of rest. And,” he added in warning tone, “it’s even more important that she isn’t stressed out. So I’m telling all of you now to lay off of her, okay? We’re doing this wedding our way. Don’t make me regret talking her out of eloping.”

He hustled her out of her parents’ house less than five minutes later, bundling her into the car and taking off before her mother or one of her sisters could start discussing bridal showers or bachelorette parties or gift registries. Angela was drooping with exhaustion by then, worn out by the early stages of her pregnancy, but mostly from the stress of being around her difficult family. But that didn’t stop her from reaching over to give Nick’s hand a grateful squeeze.

“Thank you,” she told him wearily. “I swear I don’t know how I’d deal with that bunch if you weren’t around.”

He brought her hand to his lips briefly. “It actually went better than I thought it would,” he admitted. “I knew your dad would be happy, but I figured your mother and sisters would put up more of a fuss.”

Angela grinned. “That’s because you scared them all shitless with that glare. Is that the same way you’d intimidate quarterbacks when you played football?”

Nick snorted. “Hell, no. I would just hit them as hard as I could. But I figured you wouldn’t appreciate it very much if I tried something like that on one of your sisters.”

She laughed. “If you had asked me that question when I was a teenager and hated the world, I might have told you to take them both out. Fortunately for them I’m older and wiser now. Besides, Marisa and Deanna would be way too easy of a target for you.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “As out of shape as your sisters are, I think a toddler could take them out. Thank Christ you told them no go on the bridesmaid thing. They would have looked like Cinderella’s ugly ass stepsisters walking down the aisle ahead of you.”

Angela looked pensive all of sudden. “You don’t think I’m going to look ridiculous wearing a wedding dress, do you? I mean, being pregnant and all.”

He squeezed her hand. “No,” he replied bluntly. “You’re going to look gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous. Like I told your mother, you’ll be barely four months along by then, and not even showing yet. And I wouldn’t give a shit if you did, Angel. Don’t let your mother of all people make you feel ashamed, okay?”

“Okay.” She heaved a tired sigh. “Jesus, what sort of a mother can I expect to be with her as an example? As ditzy as your mom is, I think she’d be a better role model.”

Nick shuddered. “You’d be wrong. Let’s face it - neither one of us exactly had an ideal childhood. That’s why the two of us are going to do everything in our power to make sure our kid has just the opposite. And while I know we both have a helluva lot to learn about being parents, we’ve got at least one thing on our side.”

Angela’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Enough money to hire a good nanny?”

He shook his head. “Not that. Though we might need to consider hiring one when you go back to work.”

“Then what?” she asked curiously.

He pressed a kiss to her palm. “Love, Angel. Pure and simple. And a lot of it. We might end up sucking at changing diapers or knowing the best stroller to buy or shit like that. But the way you and I love each other, and the way we’re going to love this kid – well, no one else could do it better.”