Baby & Bump (The This & That Series) by Brooke Moss Read Free Book Online Page B

her church group.”
                  “Which one?” Candace licked her fingers.
                  “Oh, I don’t know. She’s in about a hundred of them.”
                  “True. Did she bring up Pastor Irm?”
                  I gave Candace a long look. “Doesn’t she always bring up Pastor Irm?”
                  Her hand came down on the table with a slap, and she released a loud laugh. “I knew it! I told my mom Aunt Patsy would bring up Irm, and Mom said I needed to respect my elders.”
                  “Why does everyone act like they don’t see it?”
    My brothers and I had all had plenty of time to get accustomed to the idea of our mother being interested in a man other than our father, but she preferred to play the martyr, carrying a picture of my deceased father in her purse the way a Catholic woman carries rosary beads. Everyone in the congregation saw the flirtation between my sixty-year-old mother and the seventy-year-old widower, Pastor Irmingham Jones. But when asked, my mother remained firm: she was a grieving widow, and would be until her last breath.
    What a headache.
    “So what about your brothers? Was Darren glad it was you who got pregnant instead of Panda?” Candace chuckled.
              “Pandi,” I corrected. “And yes. I think he’ll enjoy being out of the spotlight for a while.”
    Candace’s smile dropped. “What about Corbin and Andrea? How did they take it?”
    Tears pricked my eyes. “That was the worst part. They looked so distraught. Andrea didn’t talk for the first five minutes.”
    She covered my hand with her own. “I’m sorry. I know you never meant to hurt them.”
    Swiping my eyes, I popped the last bit of salami into my mouth chewed sadly. “I knew it was coming. I got what I deserved.”
    “What you deserved? Are you kidding? It’s not like you did this on purpose.” Candace eyeballed me. “Wait, did you?”
              I put my hands up. “No. I didn’t plan this at all.”
    “Well, even if you did, you don’t have to make apologies for it just because Corbin and Andrea can’t have kids. I mean, it’s unfortunate they can’t, but you can’t avoid having your own children because you’re afraid of making them feel bad. I don’t think they’d want you to do that, anyway.”
    “No. They wouldn’t.” I dabbed at my eyes again. “They just looked so crushed. And my mom was pacing back and forth, chastising me for being unmarried.”
    “I expected that to happen, too.”
    “I know. I was just hoping she would surprise me.” The rolling in my stomach returned and I pushed my napkin back. “It’s like she’s more concerned about her reputation at church than the fact she’s finally going to get the grandchild she’s been begging for since I was eighteen.”
    Candace grimaced. Being daughters in this family came at a price. Emotional perseverance. “She’ll come around. She always does.”
    Sniffling, I nodded. “I hope so. Because once I saw that ultrasound…” The lump in my throat grew to big to ignore, so I stopped speaking.
    Her fingers squeezed mine. “Pretty magical, huh?”
    I looked up, my eyes spilling over again. We were going to need more napkins. “Yes. Just seeing that little heart flashing. It…” When I realized Candace’s eyes were moist now, too, I knew I was in good company. “Everything just fell into perspective. This isn’t a mistake. This is a miracle.”
    “That’s beautiful.” Her voice cracked and she pushed the napkin back over to me. “Come on. Try to eat a little more.”
    As soon as the odor of the salami hit my nose, my mouth began to water, and what little I’d eaten began crawling up the back of my throat. “Ugh,” I moaned, covering my mouth. “No more.”
    As soon as Candace saw that my expression, her eyes widened. “Are you gonna get sick?”
    “No.” I wrapped my arms around my