All at once, her mother gasped, Maura dropped her fork, and Bill donned a “holy shit” expression.
Kelsey forced a broad smile—her defense shield against the anticipated barrage of questions.
Her dad fired the first shot.
“Who’s the father?” His concerned tone reassured her until she caught a glimpse of Maura silently mouthing “not him, not him.”
“Trip Lexington, whom you met here, at my birthday dinner.” She kept her voice as even as possible, despite her rising body temperature and rocketing pulse.
“Didn’t he just get arrested the other week?” her mother asked, one hand raised to her mouth in surprise.
“Those charges will be dropped. It was a fight between brothers. I’m not defending him, but there’s a lot about their history that people don’t know or understand.”
“You were dating brothers?” Her father’s horrified expression reminded her of the time she, Emma, and Avery had been picked up for vandalism in the spring of their senior year for painting their graduation year on the high school parking lot. Just like back then, his disapproval made her stomach twist.
“I didn’t know they were brothers. They have different last names.” Her response appeared to heighten her dad’s dismay. “It sounds worse than it was, Dad. It was just a first date with Mason. Trip and I weren’t exclusive at that point. Shoot, not helping. Now Dad thinks I’m promiscuous and stupid. “It’s complicated.”
Maura then sank her forehead into her palm. “Oh, boy.”
Trying to lighten the mood, Kelsey joked, “Not necessarily. It could be a girl.” She then shoveled another giant bite of pie into her mouth, hoping the sugary goodness would calm her roiling stomach.
“Babies aren’t a joke, Kelsey.” Maura shook her head, while their mother and dad sat in some kind of crestfallen state. “I can’t believe I couldn’t talk you out of your crazy arrangement when I knew, knew it would end in disaster.”
“Maura!” Thankfully her dad cut off Maura’s tirade. After collecting himself, he turned back toward Kelsey with hope in his eyes. “So you’re dating this Trip character now . . . exclusively, I presume?”
“Yes—” Kelsey began at the exact same time Maura scoffed, “Ha.”
Maura shot Kelsey a surprised stare. “Oh?”
“Trip and I are planning to raise this child together. Together together.” She stared at her sister, pretending to feel triumph while knowing Maura had watched her inhale a gallon or more of ice cream at that very table while crying about him the other week. But he did want to be with her, and he said it wasn’t just because of the baby. He’d never lied before, and she desperately wanted to believe him.
“So if you’re together and planning to raise this baby, will you be getting married soon?” Her mother’s gentle voice caught Kelsey off guard.
“No.” Kelsey noticed her mother’s struggle not to cry. “This has caught us both by surprise. We’d never planned on this baby or talked about the future. For now, we’re just taking things one day at a time.”
It killed her to disappoint her parents. If she’d come with an engagement announcement, everyone in this room would’ve been happier, including her.
Ruthlessly she shoved that thought aside. Dwelling on what wasn’t just wasted time and energy. Instead she’d embrace what was: impending motherhood, and a real relationship with a man she found exceedingly attractive and exciting, if sometimes exasperating. Weren’t those worth celebrating?
“Mom, Dad, please be happy for me. I know this isn’t the best way for me to start a family, but I’m thirty-one, not sixteen, and I’m thrilled about becoming a mother. Now Maura and I can be pregnant together and our kids will be close. It may not be ideal, but it can still be a blessing.”
“Why didn’t he come here and face me?” Her dad’s disdain had never been a good sign.
“He offered, but I thought it would be better if I broke the news on my own.” Kelsey stretched out her arms and planted her palms on the tabletop. “Please don’t come down on Trip. He’s always been honest with me, and thoughtful. Despite being a bit of a bull in a china shop, he’s sensitive to my feelings. He’s fun, he really likes me as I am and not just because of this baby, and I think he’ll be a loving father.”
“Do you?” Maura asked. “Based on what?”