Chapter Seven

A wave of disappointment washed over Lauren as she drove back to Grams’s house.

She’d been right on that precipice of changing someone’s life forever. That was a lot of power to have. “Hey, Ethan, you’re going to be a father. Your life will never be the same again.” That’s all she had to say.

But she’d chickened out. Something had stopped her. Not just a little “something.” Kind of a big something.

Ethan didn’t want to be tied down by a woman. After hearing about his experience with his ex-wife, Lauren couldn’t really blame him. She didn’t want him to be the reason he felt—what had he said? Trapped.

She pulled into the driveway, put her car in park, and then just sat in the front seat, staring out at the gardens.

This house had been her most favorite thing growing up. She had a lot of memories of running around the yard with her sisters. They would play hide and seek throughout the three stories for hours. Or they would walk along the beach below the property.

She remembered dancing with sparklers on the Fourth of July with her sisters; making out with her high school boyfriend, Robbie, on the porch; her mother’s bell-like laugh as Lauren rode her bike up and down the driveway.

Of course, with the good memories always came the bad. Fighting with her sisters, Robbie breaking up with her right after graduation, losing her mother.

Through it all, the three-story house stood tall and proud and unwavering. It lasted through snow and hurricanes and nor’easters. It had been there for holidays and sicknesses and everything in between.

The home had been built in the 1880s and stayed in her family ever since. The long driveway curved slightly as it ascended a small hill. Lined in colonnade fashion with her grandmother’s famed hydrangea, it made for an impressive start. But honestly, that was nothing.

When you made it to the end of the driveway, the view was absolutely breathtaking. The Victorian house sat on the rocks overlooking Seaside Cove Beach. With stunning ocean views in every direction, Lauren’s fingers itched to grab her phone and start shooting.

Then there was the house itself. Muted grayish-blue cedar shingles covered the outside, which was accented by white gingerbread trim. Her favorite part of the house was the wraparound porch that Grams kept decorated with a multitude of flower boxes and wicker furniture.

Waves crashed on the shore below. There was a small lighthouse just visible to the north. Lauren remembered its guiding light that shone brightly every night.

She needed that guiding light now. She’d meant to come home a million times over the last couple years. But she’d been so busy starting her new business it had been near to impossible to find any time to visit Seaside Cove.

Now that she was here, everything felt like it had been turned upside down. She’d never dreamed she’d be pregnant. Not in this way.

But she was having a baby. And she’d decided she was definitely keeping it and raising it. If Ethan wanted to be part of the baby’s life, that was great. But if he didn’t, she was still moving forward with her plans.

Although, the idea of being a single parent definitely made her feel queasy. The memories of her mother raising her, Brooke, and Gabby were hard to ignore. Her mom’s crying spells, her depression and anxiety, the frustration, the unease.

Not that she couldn’t handle it. She totally could. Her mother was a completely different person than Lauren. Their personalities were almost completely opposite.

It was hard, though, not to think of her own upbringing. For almost seven years, she’d had a mom and a dad. Then her dad, claiming he was fed up with her mother, took off. Lauren always wondered if he’d been fed up with her, too. Brooke and Gabby had been too young to have done anything to irritate him, but Lauren was the oldest—and her existence was what had forced her parents to marry. She couldn’t help but feel that maybe her father had resented her a little for that.

After he left, she’d been with an emotionally fragile single mother. Of course, Grams had stepped in and done her best. Just as her mom started to get back to her usual sweet and kind self, they found the cancer.

Lauren went from a life with a mom and a dad to a life without either.

Her mom hadn’t had a choice in the matter. The cancer had the final say. But her dad stepping out of her life? Well, that had been his decision, and Ellie Wallace had paid for that choice.

There was the distinct possibility that Ethan wouldn’t want to be part of their child’s life. Or, as she’d learned today, he may just pick up and go at any moment.

Like her dad.

Could she expose her child to that kind of upheaval and heartbreak?

Of course, she’d already come up with several lists. There was going to be a lot to prepare in the next nine months. All of the Ethan stuff aside, if she stayed organized, she would be fine. Just fine.

She didn’t need a partner to raise a child. She could do this on her own. Anyway, what did it matter? She lived in a different state. Even if Ethan wanted to be part of the baby’s life, he wouldn’t be seeing it that much.

“Ugh,” she said, her shoulders drooping with what felt like the weight of the world on them.

Maybe she needed a new list for possibly staying in Maine. She quickly grabbed her phone and typed in the notes section. After a few items, she decided to finish that list later.

Finally getting out of the car, she walked toward the porch. Grams was sitting on one of the rockers. There was a book in her lap, but her head was tilted back, her eyes closed. She looked really peaceful.

Grams’s eyes flew open and her loud, gravelly voice cut through the silence of the air. “About time!”

Lauren jumped a mile as she placed a hand over her heart.

“You forget how to get out of a car or something?” Grams asked with an arched eyebrow.

Lauren sighed. “No, Grams. I was just…” What had she been doing?

While she tried to figure it out, Grams placed her book on the table next to the rocking chair. She clasped her fingers together and looked directly at Lauren. “Something’s going on.”

Lauren took a step backward, running into one of the porch railings, hard. What? How? How did she know?

Lauren peered at the house. Even though they didn’t always get along, she knew neither Brooke nor Gabby would have revealed this news. It was too big.

Grams arched an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Well, what?” Lauren said, her throat suddenly very dry.

“You’re not ignorant, so don’t act like it. I know something is up with you.”

Lauren rolled her eyes in an attempt to throw Grams off. “Nothing is—”

Grams waved a hand in the air. “Don’t even finish that sentence. I know you like the back of my own hand. And I know when you’re acting differently. I’m not ignorant, either.” Grams gave a definitive nod.

She hadn’t lived with Grams since she was eighteen years old, so how was it that her grandmother could still stare her down and evoke that feeling of fear? Lauren averted her eyes as her brain went into overdrive, desperately trying to think of something to say. Instead, all she could do was stutter. “But…but…”

“But, but,” Grams echoed back. “A mother knows.”

“You’re not my mother,” she whispered, not meeting Grams’s eyes.

“I’m as good as. Besides, I was your mother’s mother. You can bet your tight little jeans that I knew when something was up with her, too. You’ve been acting weird the last week or so. Your appetite is different. You’re exhausted all the time.”

Lauren fell into the chair next to Grams. She was going to have to try a different tactic, because denial seemed to have no effect. “I have been really tired,” Lauren admitted.

Grams sat back in her chair, rocking, waiting.

“That conference really wiped me out. I know you have no idea what I do, but trust me when I tell you that I was up late every night, working.”

As Grams opened her mouth, Lauren quickly jumped in. “And I think I may be warding off a cold or something. Maybe a little bug.”

“Perhaps you got something from that Ethan boy. Your little escapade with him has consequences.”

Lauren almost choked. Grams had no idea.

“You need to take care of yourself, Lauren Rose.” Grams’s voice was still stern, but she placed a hand over Lauren’s.

Sometimes Grams really surprised her. Maybe she should just tell her the news. Maybe she would be happy or supportive.

On the one hand, she was a thirty-three-year-old woman who was handling a delicate situation. But this was still her grandmother. She didn’t want to disappoint her. Lauren had always been the perfect grandchild. She got straight A’s and excelled at extra-curricular activities. She continued her success at college and had always worked hard. Not that Grams outwardly praised her or anything, but she knew Grams appreciated her work ethic.

She’d been exemplary in Grams’s eyes—until she’d started her business. The irony was that while she worked hard for every employer, warranted praise and bonuses and glowing referrals, the true success happened when she went out on her own. She was raking in the cash.

“That bar is dirty. You could have picked up any number of diseases,” Grams said, apparently still hung up on that.

“Grams, Ethan’s bar is not dirty. It’s perfectly clean and well-run.”

“I didn’t say anything about how it’s run. All I know is that you have gone there how many times now? You could be bringing some Corona-type virus back to me.”

Lauren was pretty sure that even Coronavirus would avoid Grams.

“Weren’t you just at The Thirsty Lobster?”

Lauren rolled her eyes for real this time. “How did you know that?”

She picked up her cell phone from the table between them and waved it in the air. “Several people informed me that you were once again seen there with that Ethan boy.”

Suddenly exhausted, Lauren rested her head against the porch column. “First of all, could you stop calling Ethan a boy? He’s in his thirties.” She rubbed at her temples. “And can you also please just stop in general? I was working at the bar today.”

“Why don’t you work from here? You have a perfectly peaceful house to get your work done.” Grams used air quotes when she said “work.” Lovely.

Lauren could work from the house, which was peaceful. Grams, however, was not. And she’d been off today. Not to mention, Her Highness Princess Brooke had commandeered several rooms while she planned out whatever wedding she was organizing.

“Don’t you want to date Ethan? You did sleep with him.”

“Thanks for the reminder. I like Ethan. I do. It’s just that…”

“What?” Grams asked. “Not good in the sack?”

Lauren started coughing. “Jesus. No. I mean yes. I mean, no to your question. Er, yes, he’s good in the sack. Ugh. I can’t talk to you about this.”

“Embarrassing you is so much fun.”

“You are so incorrigible.”

Grams guffawed. “Are you going to tell me why you aren’t dating Ethan? Why my oldest granddaughter thinks it’s appropriate to have sexual relations with someone but not call that person her boyfriend?”

“He doesn’t have a plan,” she said desperately.

Grams nodded slowly. “A lot of people live perfectly wonderful lives without planning every teeny tiny detail.”

She knew it was a slight toward her. Lauren was too tired to care.

“Ethan is a business owner. Who starts a bar and restaurant without a plan? I would have consulted so many different people before I just opened a bar. I would have talked to people who have gone through it. I would have run risk analysis. I would have done research.”

“Not everyone acts the way you do,” Grams countered.

How true that was. If Lauren ran the world, it would be more organized and efficient. She had no doubt.

“He has a business with employees and bills, yet he would consider leaving to travel the world or whatever. Just leave.” Leave me. Leave our baby. “He told me that. Today.”

“Maybe he doesn’t have a reason to stay put.” Grams leaned forward, reached over, and pushed a hair off Lauren’s face. “I’m going to make you tea.”

“I don’t want tea.”

“You need some tea. You’re getting over a cold, and you need tea and soup and a good night’s rest.”

Fighting was futile. She would drink the damn tea. “Fine.”

Grams stood. Before she left, she said, “Do I need to make you a doctor’s appointment?”

Lauren’s hand flew to her stomach before she remembered that Grams wasn’t talking about her pregnancy. She thought she had a cold.

“No, I’m fine. Or, er, I’ll be fine in a couple of days.” She would be really fine once she told Ethan, her carefree and completely spontaneous hookup who didn’t make plans or think about the future, that he was going to be a baby daddy.

She wanted to puke. And it had nothing to do with morning sickness.

Grams pointed at her. “Get some rest.”

Lauren scrunched up her nose. “You’re being so bossy.”

“Where do you think you get it from?” With a wry smile, Grams walked into the house, leaving Lauren alone to fret.

…

Ethan loved nights like this. The bar was slammed, the restaurant was packed, laughter was loud, drinks were flowing, and the money was rolling in.

After making a handful of mixed drinks, he tuned one of the TVs on the wall to the Yankees game, eliciting a loud round of boos.

“Customer request,” he called out.

“Screw the Yankees,” someone yelled.

He chuckled, not surprised. This was Red Sox country. He immediately moved to fill a drink order for one of his waitresses.

Samantha, his chef, stuck her head out of the kitchen door. “We’re running low on the special.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. Her apron was covered with various food items, and there was a light sheen of sweat on her face. Everyone was working hard tonight.

“I’ll let the other waitresses know.”

Another hour went by, and the bar continued to keep Ethan on his toes. He helped out everywhere he could.

When the door opened again, he didn’t even have time to look up to see who came in. He was too swamped, running a couple of the checks with multiple credit cards. Then he heard Joe call out a big hello and ask how Rose was doing.

Lauren.

He continued taking care of the credit cards in the register but gave a quick glance to his left. Lauren stood there, talking with Peggy and her sister. But she kept sneaking glances at him. Two times in one day. He wondered if she was changing her mind about seeing him.

A few minutes later, he had all the checks worked out and distributed back to the proper waitresses. Lauren appeared in front of the bar near the end. He sauntered down, wiping the bar as he did.

“Twice in one day. I’m honored.”

She smiled, but he noticed that it didn’t reach her eyes. Her dimples stayed dormant, too. He frowned. Now that he was noticing, she seemed worried. She was wringing her hands together.

“You okay?”

“Um.” That was all she said before she began gnawing on her lower lip.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Hey, Ethan, we need more clean glasses,” Joe said.

He held up a hand for Joe to hang on. “Lauren?” he asked.

“I can see it’s busy, but I do need to talk to you.”

At least, he thought that’s what she said. Hard to tell with the music pumping out of the speakers and his customers reacting to a home run by someone in the Red Sox game.

“What?” he yelled.

“Ethan, we also need more forks,” Joe called.

Lauren leaned over the bar. “Can we talk later?”

Close up, he saw the worry written all over her face. Her features were pinched, and there were bags under her eyes. He hadn’t noticed that when she was in the bar earlier today. “What’s wrong, Lauren?”

She glanced around the bar. “You’re so busy. I’ll come back.” She turned to leave but just as quickly faced him again. “I’m sorry. It’s important. We need to talk tonight.”

The hair on the back of his neck stood on red alert. He couldn’t imagine what could have happened since he saw her earlier in the afternoon. But something was really wrong.

“Is your family okay?” he asked.

She nodded.

He scratched the back of his neck. “Want something to drink? A gin and tonic?”

“What?” she asked as the crowd responded to another play in the baseball game.

“Do you want a gin and tonic?”

“Yes.” Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head vigorously. “I can’t. I mean, um, no thank you.”

“Ethan, Ryan Kilpatrick has had way too much to drink, and he’s trying to drive home,” Dawn told him as she whizzed by, tray in hand.

Ethan grumbled under his breath. “Second time this week. Jeez, what is with him? Just give me one minute and call his brother.” He faced Lauren again. “Tell me what’s going on.”

She glanced around the bustling bar. “No, really, this isn’t the time or place. But promise me we can talk later?”

“I’m worried now.” What in the world was going on?

Joe showed up right behind him. “Clean glasses, forks, very much needed,” he said before hopping down the bar to fill orders.

They could have added two more bartenders and they still would have been slammed.

He noticed that Lauren began to back away. He couldn’t let her leave like this. Not when she clearly needed him for something that was upsetting her.

Quickly, he came out from behind the bar, skirted a couple customers, and stopped in front of her.

“I’ll come back.” She began inching away.

He latched on to her arm. “Stay. Tell me. The longer it takes you, the longer I’m away from the bar, and the more stuff that will pile up. You don’t want to be responsible for the fine people of Seaside Cove going hungry and thirsty, do you?”

She offered a half smile. “It’s about us. About us being together.” She shook her head.

“What?” he called. She was speaking so low, and he was having a hell of a time hearing her over all the other noise.

“It’s about that night we were together.”

Something about them being together. He started to sweat as a bad feeling took over.

“Joe, can you turn the music down for a sec?” he yelled. Joe shook his head and put a hand to his ear. “Turn the music down,” Ethan repeated.

He turned back to Lauren and gestured for her to continue. She placed a hand on his chest, then quickly removed it. She said something, but again he couldn’t make it out.

“What?”

She tried again.

“Can you repeat that?” he asked.

Ethan always thought it was ridiculous when people said they stopped breathing. Or that their heart stopped beating. Or things happened in slow motion. Or that they were living something like a scene from a movie.

But when he finally heard what Lauren was trying to tell him, Ethan had to rethink his stance on all those ideas. Because all of a sudden, he not only stopped breathing as his heart paused, but both of those things happened in super-slow motion like a scene from an award-winning, blockbuster movie.

Ethan froze, and so did the rest of the bar when the music stopped at the exact moment that Lauren finally spit out what she’d been trying to tell him. Her words came out fast and loud, but then lingered in the air as the bar went silent and Ethan experienced all those clichés.

“I’m pregnant!”