Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“I’ll get to that in a minute. Let me introduce you to someone.” He gestured to me, and I held out my hand. “This is my friend Mabel.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“I’m Nick,” he replied. His hand was big and his grip strong, just like Joe’s. “Nice to meet you too. What can we get for you? Something to drink? Are you hungry?”
“Nothing for me, thank you.”
“You have to have something,” Coco insisted, going to the fridge and pulling it open. “I’ve got meatballs. Or chicken and rice. Or maybe some chilled gazpacho?”
I laughed, remembering what Joe had told me about his mom. “No, thank you.”
“Glass of wine?” his father asked. “Cold beer? Sparkling water?”
“Water would be nice,” I said.
“Joe?”
“Nothing for me, thanks. Did we interrupt your dinner?”
“No, we ate a little early tonight.”
Coco brought me a chilled bottle of Pellegrino. “Here you are, darling.”
“Thank you.” I smiled, meeting her eyes, which looked full of hope. I wondered if she thought I was Joe’s new girlfriend.
“So, Mom, Dad, do you have a few minutes?” Joe asked, the worried look back on his face. “We’d like to talk to you.”
“Of course. Why don’t we go sit down?” Coco led the way past the large kitchen island to a plump, L-shaped sectional in front of a stone fireplace. She gestured toward one end of the couch, and I sat down. Joe lowered himself to my side, and his parents sat on the adjacent section.
“So,” Joe began, wiping his hands on the knees of his light brown pants. “We’ve got something to tell you.”
Nick suddenly appeared uneasy, but Coco smiled at us. “Yes?”
“Mabel is pregnant.”
Nick cleared his throat. “Does that mean what I think it means?” he asked his son.
“Yes,” Joe said, color rising in his face. “I’m the father.”
“Oh.” The smile faded from Coco’s face and she put her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, my. This is—this is a surprise.”
“For us too,” I said, attempting a laugh that quickly died out.
“I’m a little confused. Is this—is this the Mabel you just met at the wedding?” Joe’s mom asked him. “The one you mentioned at dinner afterward?”
“Yes,” he said.
I stared at him in disbelief. He’d mentioned me to his parents?
Nick tipped his head into his hand and rubbed his temples with a thumb and forefinger.
Joe seemed lost for words, so I decided to step in.
“Actually, we met because we sat next to each other on the flight here from Chicago,” I said. “We had to fly through a thunderstorm, and I was terrified. Joe held my hand and kept me calm.”
“That’s very sweet,” said Coco distractedly, looking at her son. “So then you invited her to the wedding?”
“No, that was a coincidence.” Joe glanced at me. “She was a guest, and we recognized each other.”
“Mabel, do you live in Chicago?” Nick asked.
I shook my head. “I live in Cherry Tree Harbor. About an hour and a half from here.”
“I see.” He regarded his son. “So how is this going to work?”
“Mabel would like to raise the baby in her hometown, where she has friends and family to support her.”
Nick folded his arms over his chest. “And what about you? Why aren’t you supporting her?”
“I will,” Joe said defensively. “Of course I will.”
“From two states away?”
“I play for Chicago, Dad.” Joe’s tone was defensive. “That’s where I have to live.”
“And I’d prefer to stay in Cherry Tree Harbor,” I said quickly. “I don’t know anyone in Chicago, and Joe would be gone all the time. It doesn’t really make sense for me to move, since we’re not, you know, together.”
“But Joey, how often will you see the baby?” Coco leaned forward, her brow etched with concern.
“As much as I can, Mom.” He sat up taller. “I’m not going to be some deadbeat dad. I just have to focus on hockey right now.”
Nick’s face wore some displeasure. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you—never mind.” Closing his eyes briefly, he exhaled.
“This isn’t Joe’s fault,” I said. “I don’t want you to think he wasn’t careful, because he was. And while neither of us asked for this, I’m at a point in my life where I’d like to start a family. So this baby isn’t exactly unwanted. It was just unexpected.”
When Nick looked at me, his gaze had softened. “Mabel, I hope my son has been a gentleman.”
“He has,” I assured them. “Really, he has. He’s being very generous with his support. He even flew all the way up here to go to my ultrasound appointment this afternoon.”
“Did you really?” Coco clasped her hands at her chest. “Did you get a picture?”
“Yes, but we have something even better than that.” I nudged Joe with my leg. “Show them the video.”
He stood up and pulled his phone from his pocket as he walked around the back of the couch where his parents sat. Leaning forward, he played them the video, and I watched as their faces softened. Coco put a hand over her heart, her eyes tearing up. “Oh,” she said. “That sweet little thing. Listen to that heart just beating away. When are you due, Mabel?”