“Okay.” Mom tapped her fingers on the table. “Have you considered that now isn’t the best time for this? We’re dealing with so much. Your father is … well … your father. His mistress is about to give birth.”
“Huh.” Well, that made things even trashier than I’d considered. “Basically, you’re saying that my half-sibling is going to be the same age as my baby. Yeah, that about tracks in this family these days.”
Mom gave me a dark look. “It’s not funny.”
“Oh, I agree. Nothing about this is funny. I’m not trying to be funny. I’m trying to be honest. I figured it was best to tell you right away.”
“When did you find out?”
“About two hours after I puked on Dad.”
“So, you didn’t know,” Mom realized.
“Nope. I didn’t even consider it as a possibility until Olivia asked me if I was pregnant as a joke.”
“Olivia knew?” Mom sent Zach a scolding look. “She knew and you didn’t say anything?”
“I didn’t know,” Zach protested.
“Olivia didn’t know either,” I interjected quickly. “She was joking when she asked if I was pregnant. You know … because of the vomit situation. Don’t go accusing her of keeping things from you, because she didn’t.”
“Right.” Mom worked her jaw. “Well, I think it’s great.” She said it in the same strangled tone she’d used when she found out my prom dress was canary yellow. “I mean … I’ve always wanted to be a grandmother. I thought Zach would be the first one to come through for me, but this is just as good.”
Why didn’t I believe her? “Yes, I’m certain you’ll take an advertisement out in the paper to congratulate me on my drunken night first thing.”
Mom narrowed her eyes. “Nobody needs the sarcasm.”
“Sorry. I figured I should do something to liven up this conversation. My bad.”
Opal was the next to speak, and her tone was soft. “Are you sure this is what you want? I mean if you didn’t want it, there are other options.”
“There most certainly are not,” Mom countered. “She’s pregnant. Now she has to deal with the consequences.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Thank you so much for your support, Mother. As for my options, I’m well aware of them. If I planned to exercise one of them—which I don’t—I wouldn’t have bothered telling any of you about this in the first place.”
“Right.” Opal’s forehead creased with concern. “You’re okay, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “Other than puking on Dad—which I’m sure will be a fun story in a few years—I don’t feel bad. The doctor gave me some vitamins and told me to make an appointment with an OBGYN. I plan to make that call tomorrow. I should get a due date and everything then. After that, it’s just the simple task of carrying the baby to term and giving birth.”
Mom snorted. “Yes, just a simple task.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “Don’t you think you should have a husband for this little endeavor?”
I shouldn’t have been surprised she went there. I was, though. “You had a husband. How did that work out for you?”
She scowled. “And we’re back to the sarcasm.”
“Sorry.” I held up my hands in supplication. I knew this conversation was going to be hard. That’s why I’d opted to get it out of the way. Now they could pout and ponder for a few weeks before coming around to my way of thinking. And they would. Even though they were all shocked—we didn’t do well when we got off schedule—they would eventually be happy. They just had to work through it individually first.
“Listen, I know this is a shock for you guys.” I kept my tone light, although it took effort. “I don’t expect you to do a little jig and throw me a baby shower or anything. I just thought it was best to tell the truth. We don’t need any more surprise babies in this family, right?”
A muscle worked in Mom’s jaw, but she nodded. “Thank you for telling us.”
“I think you mean congratulations,” Zach corrected out of nowhere. He shot me a warm smile. “I, for one, can’t wait to be an uncle.”
Gratitude—and love—bubbled up. “Thank you, Zach. I think you’ll make a fantastic uncle.”
“I do too.” He pinned Mom with a serious look. “You need to accept that this has happened, because it has. Now it’s time to rally around Ruby. If she’s raising this baby alone, then we need to be there for her.”
“I just don’t understand why you’re doing it alone,” Mom pressed. “Don’t you want a husband?”
