Pregnancy Countdown Read online

  His mother stared back at him. She wasn’t about to leave them alone.

  “Go on back outside,” Cathy said quietly.

  “Nora? Is that what you want me to do?” he appealed to her.

  She kept her face turned from him.

  He clenched his jaw. “Nora? Do you really want me to go?”

  “Mark, go outside.” Cathy’s tone told him she wouldn’t say it again.

  He nodded jerkily and walked out of the room.

  Mark’s head was whirling so much he had to stop for a moment to collect his bearings. When he went outside, he found most of their friends gone.

  Ginna walked up to him. Her cheeks were still bright with emotion, but she looked calmer. Mark still kept his distance.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she said in a low voice.

  Mark grinned. “No, you’re not.”

  Her return smile was pure guilt. “You’re right, but I didn’t give you a chance to defend yourself.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Her lips tickled his ear. “I swear to you, if you do anything to make her cry or feel the least bit miserable, I will hurt you.” She stepped back.

  “If I did anything like that, I’d expect a hell of a lot more than that,” he said honestly. “I didn’t know, Gin. I swear to God if I had—” He stopped. What would he have done if he knew? What was he going to do now that he did know? He suddenly felt dizzy. The world momentarily turned black.

  “Hey, little brother, don’t pass out on us,” Brian advised, grabbing hold of his arm.

  “If you’re lucky, the feeling might even go away by the time the kid turns twenty-one,” Jeff said from the other side.

  “How did this happen?” Mark said more to himself than the others.

  “I knew we should have told him the truth when he was five and asked us where babies came from,” Jeff told Brian. “But no, you wanted him to believe circus elephants brought babies.”

  “No jokes!” Mark shook them both off. “Not one damn joke.” He stalked off.

  Ginna turned around to watch him leave then looked back at the house. She started off then paused. “He’s right, no jokes,” she warned before she ran across the patio.

  Brian and Jeff looked at each other.

  “Remember how you felt when Abby told you she was pregnant?” Brian asked.

  Jeff nodded. “I thought an atom bomb had gone off inside my head. I’d barely recovered from the news when we found out we were having twins.”

  “I literally lost the ability to breathe,” Brian recalled. “Gail was trying to find an easy way to tell me over dinner. She said she got nervous, so she just sort of blurted it out.” He chuckled, shaking his head in wonder as he recalled that night. “The trouble was, I had just popped a radish in my mouth. She thought she’d have to use the Heimlich so I wouldn’t choke. I think my biggest hurdle was convincing Gail I was already in love with her.”

  “Yeah, you were pretty tense during that time,” Jeff recalled.

  The two brothers turned to watch their younger brother walk away. His stride was long and rushed, his body taut. They knew exactly how he was feeling. But they also knew that their understanding of what was going through his mind wouldn’t make it any easier for him.

  “Something tells me this is going to be harder on him than it was on us combined,” Jeff said.

  “Yeah, but he’ll make it okay. Still, my money’s on Nora. She’s got enough smarts for both of them. Did you see the way he’s kept one eye on her since they got here? I’d say the guy is hooked and just doesn’t know it yet.” Brian looked around. “Guess we’d better get over there and help the wives clean up. I’ll get some trash bags out of the garage.”

  “Good.” Jeff headed for the patio area.

  “I DON’T NORMALLY CRY,” Nora confessed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

  “Hormones,” Cathy pronounced. “You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll want to kill someone. Namely, whoever is within range. And by that, I mean your favorite victim will be male because they don’t understand what we women go through.”

  “I didn’t plan to tell him that way.”

  “When were you going to tell me?”

  Nora looked up to find Ginna standing in the doorway. Ginna’s lovely features were a picture of misery. Nora held out her hand and Ginna came in. She crawled onto the bed and sat cross-legged next to Nora, who was seated against the head-board with Cathy seated on the other side of the bed.

  Nora sniffed. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’d wear one of those Tshirts to work that says Baby on Board or Pregnant, Please Don’t Pat My Belly.”

  “That would get your point across,” Cathy said dryly. She stood up. “I’m going to get you something to drink. You’re spending the night here and no arguments.” She wagged her finger at Nora.

  “I know better.”

  Ginna looked over her shoulder as her mother left the room. She turned back to Nora and mouthed counting to ten.

  “When did you and Mark get back together?” she asked once she was sure her mother was out of earshot.

  Nora shifted so she could curl her legs under her body. “It was one of those things. I was depressed when I came back from Seattle and he was there,” she said lamely.

  “I always thought the reason you didn’t come over here as often was because of Mark. That deep down you still felt something for him.” Ginna’s eyes were expressive as she gazed at her friend.

  “I was so over Mark,” Nora insisted then blushed as Ginna shot her a telling look.

  “Oh honey, you’re over Mark and yet you’re pregnant by him? Try again,” she drawled.

  Nora could feel the weariness steal over her. “Please, no more questions,” she pleaded, sliding down until she was lying prone.

  Ginna unfolded her legs and climbed off the bed. “You look like you’re ready for a nap.”

  “Ready and more than willing,” she admitted.

  “I’ll tell Mom you’re resting.” Ginna headed for the door. “I’ll be back in the morning to pick you and Brumby up. Unless you’d rather Mark…?”

  Nora looked undecided.

  “I’ll call first,” Ginna started for the door.

  “Ginna.” She stopped and turned around. “Don’t hurt Mark.”

  Ginna grinned. “You know me so well. All right, I promise not to leave any marks.” She held her hand up with the two fingers upright in the Boy Scout salute.

  “You were never a Boy Scout,” Nora reminded her.

  “Oh, I had a few in my time.” Ginna twitched her hips as she left the room.

  Nora pulled the comforter down to reveal the pillow and lay back down. Within seconds, she was asleep.

  “WAS HE NUTS?” Ginna asked, pacing back and forth the length of the kitchen.

  Cathy sat at the breakfast bar squeezing a quarter of lime into her glass of Diet Coke. She picked up her glass and sipped the sparkling liquid.

  “Did he have a death wish or something?” Ginna continued ranting and raving without bothering to wait for a reply. She wasn’t expecting one. “It had to be the night he picked her up at the airport when she came back from Seattle. My best friend, Mom! My idiot brother had sex with my best friend and got her pregnant! What was he thinking?”

  “I realize times have changed, dear, but I don’t think the theory has changed that it still takes two to make a baby,” Cathy said mildly. She idly picked through the nut dish, found what she was looking for and plucked out a hazelnut. “Are you going to blame Nora too? Did you tell her she was an idiot for not taking precautions with your equally idiot brother?”

  “Of course not!” Ginna looked horrified at the idea. “Mom, Nora was vulnerable. Her grandmother just died. She didn’t know what she was doing.”

  Cathy arched an eyebrow. She dug through the nut dish again and brought up a cashew. She handed it to Ginna. “I remember the first time Mark and Nora came out here as a couple. You could see the connection. The problem was, they chose not to re
cognize it and they parted. Mark licked his wounds by reaffirming his masculinity with too many women and Nora walled off a part of herself. That wall is coming down. Not easily, but it’s coming down. I think her grandmother would be very happy to know that. So, what I want you to do, is leave your brother alone and be careful what you say to Nora. Let them figure this out for themselves.”

  Ginna leaned over, bracing her forearms on the counter. She picked up her mother’s glass and took a sip. “You act as if this was something fate decreed.”

  “Who says it wasn’t? After all, Jeff ended up with the woman he’d battled with all through college. Brian went out on a blind date with a woman who was his total opposite. Now they’re married and have a daughter. You went on a trip and found someone in the seat next to you. Why shouldn’t it be Mark’s turn now?”

  “Come on, Mom. Mark’s ideal age group is four,” Ginna pointed out. “His kid will grow up before he does.”

  Cathy shook her head. “There are depths to your brother that even I don’t know, but I have an idea we’ll be seeing them in the coming months.”

  Ginna heaved a sigh. She raked her fingers through her rich brown hair that she’d left in loose waves that day.

  “I promised Nora I wouldn’t hurt him,” she said with a little regret.

  “Don’t try to figure it all out in one day, dear,” Cathy advised, patting Ginna’s hand as she took back her drink. “Why don’t you pack up your husband and children, go home and have the perfect family evening where you’ll chase them around the house because they won’t want to take their baths. And once they’re in bed and asleep like the little angels they are, you can give your husband an opportunity to chase you around the house.” She slid off her stool and walked around the bar to hug her daughter. “Go, my child. Enjoy your evening.”

  “I told Nora I’d call in the morning and come back to take her home,” Ginna said.

  “We’ll see how it goes in the morning,” was all Cathy would say.

  Cathy walked with her outside. They found the brothers and Zach hauling trash bags to the garage with Casey, Carrie, Emma and Trey helping by carrying lawn chairs to the end of the patio. Brian was the first to see them.

  “Notice how she shows up when all the work is done,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “Nice of you to appear, princess.”

  “Nice to see you did such a good job of cleaning up,” she retorted with a saucy smile. “Hey, handsome, wanna go home and put the kids to b-e-d.” She spelled out the last word.

  “You spelled bed and we’re not going!” Emma declared with a familiar mutinous expression on her face.

  “Of course you’re not going to bed,” Ginna said, swinging her up into her arms. “We need baths first.”

  “Baths, aghhhhh!” Trey made a face.

  “Enjoy your evening, dear.” Cathy patted her shoulder as she leaned over to plant a kiss on Emma’s cheek. “And don’t give your parents too hard a time,” she teased.

  “I won’t, Grammy, but sometimes Trey does.”

  “And I’m sure he has help.” Cathy wasn’t fooled by the little girl’s angelic face.

  She stood in the driveway ten minutes later, waving off the last of her family.

  “You can come out now,” she called after the last vehicle was out of sight.

  Mark emerged from the stand of nearby trees. “How’d you know I was there?”

  “Mother’s intuition.” She took his arm to stay his motion when he started to head for the house. “She’s asleep.”

  “Then I’ll wait until she wakes up.”

  Cathy shook her head. “Let her have tonight to sort things out.”

  Mark spun in a tight circle. His face was a tight mask of frustration.

  “Why didn’t she tell me? Was she planning to…?”

  “No,” she said firmly, easily guessing the direction of his thoughts. “She would never consider that. Nora’s still feeling fragile. Give her a little time.”

  For a moment, he looked as if he was going to argue with her then he apparently changed his mind. “Can I come over for breakfast?”

  “Only if you first stop at Ed’s Bakery for their Danish.”

  Mark nodded jerkily. He started to move off then halted. He turned back.

  “Mom—” He stopped as if unsure what to say next or just couldn’t bring himself to say the words because then he’d air his fears.

  Cathy patted his cheek. “The best thing about pregnancy is the months you have to prepare for it. You’ll have plenty of time to get used to the idea, dear.”

  “What if Nora won’t let me get used to it? What if she doesn’t want me to have anything to do with the baby?” He hesitated before saying the last word.

  “That’s not Nora’s way,” she said firmly. “Now, go home and get a good night’s sleep. The two of you can discuss this after you’ve thought things through.”

  Mark put his arms around his mother. The faint scent of Chanel No. 5 tickled his nostrils. For as long as he could remember his mother had worn that fragrance. Even now, he considered it a comforting scent because it always brought him good memories.

  “I love you, Mom,” he murmured against her hair.

  “You better,” she teased lightly. “Go home, Mark. Try to relax.”

  He released her and dug into his shorts pocket for his keys. “Will you tell Nora—” He shook his head.

  “You can tell her once you’ve found the words.”

  Cathy watched Mark head for his truck and drive away.

  “My baby boy has finally grown up,” she murmured to herself. “Now if he’ll just take the time to find it out for himself.”

  She turned back toward the house, mentally figuring where she would display future pictures of her next grandchild.

  I’M GOING TO BE A FATHER.

  Mark couldn’t breathe.

  Nora is having my kid.

  Black spots danced in front of his eyes.

  We made a baby.

  Oh yeah, he was definitely going to pass out.

  He blindly made his way to the couch and dropped to the cushions before he fell down.

  During the drive home he kept seeing how Jeff had accidentally run into Nora. Mark’s first thought was she might have been hurt, then he had been almost brought to his knees when his mother had shouted that Nora was pregnant.

  Since then, the questions flooded his mind, and so far he hadn’t been able to get one answer.

  How long had she known she was pregnant? Why had she told his mother before she told him? Dammit, he was the father! She had to have known that morning as they drove out to his parents’. Did she know the last time they talked on the phone? She hadn’t even dropped any hints!

  He racked his brain for the slightest clue. It wasn’t easy but he forced every stunned brain cell to perform at optimum level. There had to have been something, a word she’d said, something. The times he’d seen her could be counted on one hand. Nights he’d spent with her even less.

  Come on, Walker. Basic biology says it only takes once.

  He flopped back against the couch and rubbed his face with his hands. He suddenly held them out and stared at the palms. They were damp.

  “I’m not father material,” he said out loud. “That’s my brothers’ jobs. They’re the dads. I’m the fun uncle that takes the kids out for wild days of adventure and brings them back hyper and filled with junk food.”

  Mark felt his breathing constrict again.

  He recalled the look of pleasure in his mom’s eyes. There was nothing that his mother loved more than the idea of prospective grandchildren. Each grandchild was given a quilt she made that was created from their father’s own baby clothes. She was presently working on quilts for Emma and Trey using Ginna’s baby clothes because she didn’t want them to feel left out. He’d told her she was more than welcome to sneak in any of his clothes she’d kept. She’d just smiled. That smile scared Mark because it meant she knew something he didn’t. Today she had definite
ly known something he didn’t.

  “Hey, Mark, pick up!” Brian’s voice seemed to echo throughout the room.

  Mark’s head snapped up. He had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t even heard the phone ring. He leaned over and snagged the cordless phone’s handset.

  “Did you ever stop to think that I didn’t pick up because I might not be home or I just didn’t want to talk to anyone?”

  “I knew you were home, and if you hadn’t picked up, I would have said I’d be over there in twenty minutes. You would have picked up then.”

  Mark called him a less than brotherly name that would have once earned him a trip to the bathroom and a mouthful of soap if his mother had heard him.

  To make matters worse, Brian just laughed.

  “You okay?” he asked, his voice now quieter.

  This time Mark laughed, but there was no humor in the sound.

  “Oh yeah, I’m just fine. After all, I found out today I’m going to be a father. Doesn’t that make any guy’s day?” He wished he smoked so he’d have something to do with his hands. He needed something to settle the earthquake rolling around inside him.

  “Which means you’re still in shock. You’re so overloaded you can’t even take it all in. You have that wild thought that maybe it’s a mistake. You can’t imagine how it happened, although you know very well how it happened. So, which do you feel?”

  “All of the above and even more than you’ve mentioned,” he admitted.

  “Have you talked to Nora?”

  “She’s spending the night at Mom and Dad’s.” He pressed his palm against his stomach. The last time he had felt like this, he’d indulged in a burrito-eating contest with Eric at a fair. He’d had major heartburn for a week.

  “Don’t bite my head off for asking this, but do you know for sure that—”

  “Do not even go there, Brian. If you want to keep your head where it belongs, you will not finish that sentence.” He let his brother know there was no doubt in his mind and there shouldn’t be any in Brian’s.

  “Okay. Look, you want to talk, just give a call or come on over. You know I’m here for you, little brother.”