He bit back a smile. He’d often thought Bek was as strong-minded as her sister.
“And now I’m here.” Bek shot a smile his direction. “Thanks to Dan.”
“Thanks to Dan,” Lindy said, gazing at him fondly.
Sarah finally released them then moved to him. “Oh, Dan.” Sarah hugged him. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, Princess,” he murmured.
“How did you manage this?”
“You needed them, so we made it happen, didn’t we Lindy?”
His mother-in-law nodded and gave him a hug too. “Thank you.” Her eyes, so like Sarah’s, shimmered with unshed tears. “It’s so wonderful to see her. And to see you both doing so much better than before.”
He dipped his chin. There was still a way to go, but he felt that too, that they were finally on the right path.
“Oh, there’s way too many tears today. Honestly, what is it with you all?” Bek teased. “Now, let me say hello to my niece or nephew.” She bent down and murmured a hello to Sarah’s stomach, then her mother took a turn too.
Bek ran a hand over Sarah’s bump. “You’re so beautiful.”
“No, I’m not. I’m so fat.”
“You’re not fat. There’s barely a bump, is there?”
“I’ve been throwing up so much.”
“But the baby’s weight is okay?”
“The doctor is happy enough,” Dan said.
He glanced at Sarah, caught her wince. Knew she felt bad for going behind his back about switching doctors. He’d forgiven her, but needed to make it plain. With all the emotions flying around these days, things needed to be made very plain.
“We have a new obstetrician,” he explained. “Dr. Feldman. She seems a lot more positive than the last one.”
“Oh, I must say I’m relieved to hear that,” Lindy said.
Relief pinged. So Sarah hadn’t talked it over with her family instead of him.
“That other one seemed to be sending you off for tests all the time,” Lindy continued. “I don’t think people realize just how stressful this can be. Especially considering, well, what’s happened in the past.”
All that had happened in the past. Sarah’s accident. His pre-Christian history, where he’d got a woman pregnant then selfishly prayed for the baby to die. Which it had. He knew now that God had forgiven him, knew this was why Sarah had warned him away, considering her own medical challenges regarding fertility, thanks to the accident which had scarred her reproductive organs. All of that coupled with the toll of three miscarriages, it was no wonder that Sarah had struggled.
The mood had sobered, and he knew it needed to be salvaged. He gestured for them to sit in the living room. “Now who’s ready for a cup of tea?”
“Oh my gosh. It’s so cold outside, and I thought you’d never offer,” Bek teased.
Three hot tea orders later, he moved to the kitchen.
“I’ll help,” Sarah said.
“No, you sit down, spend time with your family.”
She shook her head, retrieved the special cups that got used rarely. “Mum is in the bathroom, and Bek just said you’ve arranged for them to stay here while you have your road trip.”
“Stay here or in Muskoka. Whichever you prefer.”
Her lips twisted, which made her answer plain. “Did you arrange that for me?”
