Ken looked down at Daisy. “Our mom makes the best chili. She has a recipe handed down from generations of Louisiana Bayou women.”
Daisy’s stomach rumbled. “I love chili.”
Soon, Alex arrived, and Rosaline came out of the kitchen carrying a salad bowl and some glass containers of dressing. They all sat around the table and held hands while Philip asked God’s blessing over the food and his family. Daisy sat with Ken on her right and Jon on her left. He sat across from Alex, who sat next to Brad with Valerie on his left. She sat next to Rosaline.
While the dishes got passed around and everyone loaded up on chili and salad, Rosaline asked Alex questions about the upcoming wedding. “We have a meeting with the Rabbi tomorrow.”
Jon added, “We also found a house. Same neighborhood as Brad and Ken’s.”
Philip nodded. “Good area. Will you close before the wedding?”
Jon smiled and shrugged. “Unknown. I’m going to wave the inspection and try to fast track everything. We’ll see.”
Daisy watched the family dynamics as they scooped soup, buttered rolls, and chatted with each other. They made certain to include her at every opportunity in the conversation. Alex gushed over Camila’s flower samples. Rosaline talked about working with the charity years ago with Daisy’s grandfather. Ken talked about re-structuring the house he bought as he planned the rooms. Valerie talked about painting the baby’s room. Through it all, conversations about Daisy’s parents and brother and herself flowed through the conversation. She had never felt so included in a family not her own before.
At the end of the dinner, she went with the women into Rosaline’s study. Ken’s mom wheeled in a tray with herbal teas and cookies. “Philip and the boys tend to resort to business talk after our Wednesday night dinners.” She looked at Daisy. “I don’t mind listening to it, but since this is your first dinner with us. I’d rather not subject you to it.”
She smiled and took the cup of herbal tea. “It’s part of who they are as father and sons. Besides, Valerie works there, too.” She looked over at Brad’s wife. “Would you rather be in there with them?”
Valerie shook her head. “And miss a chance for some girl talk?” She grinned over at Alex. “I heard you found a dress.”
Alex accepted the cup of tea from Rosaline and said, “Off the rack! I walked into a store this afternoon, and there was. I tried it on, and it needed absolutely no alteration. I can’t believe it. If I was getting married in New York, I would’ve had three designers fighting over the chance to specially design my dress. And here I am walking into a store and thirty minutes later, walking out with the garment bag.” She chuckled. “I feel like that was God saying, ‘You got this.’”
Valerie clapped her hands. “Girl, I told you.”
Alex grinned. “You did.”
They talked more about the wedding and the plans, and Daisy grew more and more comfortable chatting with these women. Rosaline treated her with such kindness. By the end of the evening, Daisy felt like she had gained another friend.
An hour later, Ken walked her to her car. She leaned against the driver’s door and looked up at him in the moonlight. Around them, she could hear the sounds of crickets and, far off in the distance, an owl. He smiled down at her. “Sorry to abandon you to the women after dinner. A rather archaic tradition.”
She grinned. “I liked it. We talked about wedding stuff. Last night when we did that, you and your brothers escaped, so I figure you probably would rather not have been with me anyway.”
“We had some work details to discuss. The conversation devolved into talks of overhead and profit margins.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, leaned down, and kissed her softly. He raised his head and stared at her for several heartbeats before he said, “Be safe going home.”
After she got into the car, he tapped the roof, and she drove away. As she came to the end of the drive, his truck lights appeared in her rearview mirror. She found herself grinning almost the entire way home.
Mrs. Yanceyfollowed the rest of the class out of the room but paused at the doorway and looked back at Daisy. “I’d stay and help with the room, but I have an appointment.”
Daisy shook her head. “It’s not a problem. I’ll see you Sunday.”
She planned on breaking the news of her pregnancy with the women in her class today, but she just completely lost all courage as they went through prayer requests. Instead, they continued to study the Gospel of John, and she prayed again for God to endow her with the courage to admit her mistakes.
As she stood, she cried out, and a sharp cramp forced her to sit back down again. She put a hand over her lower abdomen and tried to breathe around the pain. Moving with very precise and cautious movements, she slowly stood up again. She didn’t need to look to confirm that she was bleeding.
“Okay, Daisy, think straight. Don’t panic.” She talked to herself the entire walk down the long church hall and into the parking lot.
She drove straight to the hospital, and gingerly walked into the emergency room. The woman at the front desk looked up at her and asked, “May I help you?”
Daisy nodded and tried to speak around her dry mouth. “I am fourteen weeks pregnant and cramping and bleeding.”
The woman immediately stood and gestured toward triage. “Go on in there, hon. I’ll meet you.”
It didn’t take long to get her triaged and registered. Soon, she lay in a bed and stared blankly at the tech who wheeled in an ultrasound machine. She plugged it in, opened a drawer, and pulled out a pink sheet that she used to cover Daisy’s lap. Then she lifted up the bottom of her gown, exposing her abdomen. She held up a squeeze tube of gel. “Don’t worry. I keep mine warm.”
The sensation of the warm gel hitting her flesh felt weird. Daisy wondered in the back of her mind if cold gel might have been better. The tech moved the wand across her belly, tapping on the keyboard. Daisy could see the screen and the images that appeared. A shiver started in her belly, a reaction to the gel cooling in the air.
She gasped as the baby came into the picture.
