Chapter Eight

Jade

On Saturday, I arrived at my parents’ party earlier than needed so I could spend more time with them.

Because I was always so busy with work, my sister Sapphire did a great job pulling together the modest party. She’d reserved a small room in our parents’ favorite restaurant for twenty or so of their closest friends and family to celebrate.

An impressive buffet was ready to be consumed. And a son of a neighbor worked a wireless speaker, acting as a DJ.

I wasn’t ready to share my baby news yet, but I was glad I came. I needed their unconditional love to comfort me, especially now. Truth be told, the reality that I couldn’t get good and drunk to escape my new reality sucked a little. At least the cake was yummy and turned out to be the best part of the night.

That was until my dad came to stand beside me and asked, “Can I have this dance, beautiful girl?” Holding out a hand, he waited for me to accept.

His eyes crinkled with his smile as he led me to the dance floor. “How is my Jadie?” The use of my nickname caused a lump of emotion to form in my throat.

“Good,” I said, forcing a smile. “Busy. Same old, same old.”

“You look tired. Still kicking the asses of those stuffed suits you work for?” When his statement failed to humor me, his eyes settled on mine. I felt so young under his gaze, so exposed. “You okay, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Unconvinced, he kissed the top of my head. “I know you are. You’ve always been tough as nails, a fighter, master of your own destiny.”

I held my dad’s gaze and gave him an unwavering, “I get that from you.”

As we danced, he made me laugh with stories of things I missed in our small town. I couldn’t help but wonder how my parents were going to react to my news. My family was always very supportive, and I had no doubt they would be so in my situation, but they were extremely traditional. No matter how I tried to spin it, the truth would always be my child was conceived with a stranger.

With each slow sway to the music, my mind drifted to all the monumental things I’d have to do in the next few weeks: telling my family I was pregnant, introducing them to the father, formulating a game plan on how I would raise a child while juggling a very demanding job.

That’s what I needed, a plan. Once I laid out all I needed to do and scheduled it into my life, I’d be fine. I was still wobbling a bit on unstable ground, from the initial shock of the positive test and the emotional exhaustion from having to tell Max. But now…now I had to take back the control I lost and create my own solid ground to stand on. I didn’t have the luxury of time. The baby would be born in March whether I was ready or not.

When the song ended, my father wrapped his arms around me in a strong hug. “Jade, I’m very proud of you. You’ve accomplished amazing things in your work, but work can’t be the only thing in your life. I’ll be happy once you meet a wonderful man, settle down, have a family. You deserve all of it, my sweet girl. Please, don’t let life pass you by without living it.”

And what if all that he wanted for me came out of order? Would he still be proud?

Nothing I could do to change that now. One step at a time. I mustered a smile and kissed my father’s cheek before watching him joyfully saunter over to a group of friends. I hated disappointing him, and now was no different. He loved me. He’d get over it…I hoped.

Planning to escape to the ladies’ room, just as I plucked my purse off the table, Sapphire walked toward me.

“You look awful,” my sister said before plopping down on a chair at our table while holding her daughter, Everly.

My eyes traveled down the front of my pale blue dress. “Gee, thanks.”

“I don’t mean how you’re dressed. You’re pale, and all night it looked as if you were about to throw up at any moment.” Choosing to ignore that truth, I sat beside her and reached for my niece. Sapphire blocked me with a hand. “Are you still sick?” she asked. Oh, right. The lie I fed her when she called and discovered I’d been home and not at work. “I don’t need the flu in my house.”

“Very sick, but only to you. Maybe you should go sit over there.” Sapphire smacked my arm, although I was dead serious. “Relax,” I said. “I’m not contagious. Give me her.” I snatched my favorite toddler and buried my face in her hair, getting a good whiff of that intoxicating scent of baby shampoo that seemed to instantly calm me. “God, I love her smell.” Having my niece in my arms seemed a validation that soon enough I would revel in that wonderful smell with my own child.

“Me, too. I told Greg I’d keep having babies just because of their smell,” she said wistfully. “Although they don’t always smell so good.”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering if she was hiding something. “Are you trying?” My sister had always wanted three kids, maybe four. And based on how quickly they started after they were married, I suspected once Everly turned two, she’d be announcing she was pregnant any day. Which could mean we’d be pregnant at the same time.

“No.” She stroked a hand over her daughter’s chestnut curls. “We’re discussing it. Part of me feels I’m not done yet. Then there are days when I’m so exhausted because Kenner and Everly are fighting, the house is a mess, and all I can think about is lying on a beach with a good book. Can you move along, meet Mr. Wonderful, and get married so I can enjoy more babies through your offspring?”

I deflected her question and pointed the conversation back to her. “I gather the discussing isn’t going well?”

“Greg wants us to be done.” We both glanced at her husband, who was busy chasing my nephew. “Do you know what Kenner said this morning?”

“The F-word again?” The kid was like a parrot.

“No, thank God. He said he wanted to sell Everly and use the money to buy a puppy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and the way Sapphire glared at me only made me laugh harder. “What? That doesn’t surprise me. He’s four, and she’s an annoying toddler that gets into his stuff.”

Before she could respond, a piercing wail echoed through the party room. Greg held a red-faced Kenner, attempting to console him.

“Now what?” Sapphire muttered and left me without a “see ya later.”

Watching as she stalked toward the scene of the crime, her body type was so similar to mine I wondered if I could borrow her maternity clothes.

Everly was still on my lap, absentmindedly playing with my necklace, pulling my attention back to her. I tried to imagine my own child. Would it be a boy, a girl?

I would find out soon enough. The truth hit me hard again. I’m going to be a mom…

But this time, instead of fear, a tiny flutter of excitement coursed through me. I could do this. It would be a challenge, for sure, but when have I ever been one to back down from a challenge?