He turned to look at her. “There’s a lot of pink in this room.”
She nodded, watching him. “Are you not a fan of pink?” she asked carefully. Would he be disappointed it wasn’t a boy?
He took a step towards her. “I love pink. I’m crazy about pink. Are we having a girl?”
Maybe it was hearing him say we. Or maybe it was the sight of this big, powerful man surrounded by ruffles and teddy bears. Whatever the reason, her voice shook a little when she said, “Yes, it’s a girl.”
She’d barely gotten the words out before he was there, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.
It felt so good she couldn’t pull away. She let her head fall forward to rest against his broad chest, and for just a minute let herself feel surrounded and supported by his quiet strength. Then she took a deep breath and straightened up, and he let her go immediately.
“We’re having a girl,” he said grinning at her. “Now, what about the really important question?”
“Which is…?”
“When we’re going to tell my parents. I can call them before we go over there tomorrow, or we can tell them together in person. What do you feel more comfortable with?”
A sudden clutch of anxiety made her grab the edge of the crib. “Go over there? Why would we go over there?”
“For Thanksgiving dinner, among other things.”
She shook her head vigorously. “I can’t face your parents. You can tell them whenever you want, but I can’t see them.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What are you worried about?”
“Are you kidding? I’ve always been so close to your mom, and when I got pregnant with your baby I didn’t even tell her.”
“You didn’t tell me, either.”
“Yes, and won’t that go over well. She’ll never look at me the same way again. She’ll think I—”
“She’ll think you’re wonderful,” Jake interrupted. “Just like she always has. And she’ll be thrilled that she’s going to have a granddaughter. And she’ll worry and fuss and offer to help until you’re ready to strangle her, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”
Irene had always been more of a mother to her than her own ever had. A sudden wave of longing came over her, a longing for the knowledge Jake and Jenna and Allison had always taken for granted: that their parents would be there for them no matter what.
Erin had never known that feeling. Her mother had been out of the picture for years, and her father hadn’t exactly been a font of unconditional love and support.
She’d been avoiding Joe and Irene ever since she started showing, and she realized now how much she’d missed them. “Do you really think they’ll be okay with this?”
“Of course they will. They’ll be over the moon.”
“And they won’t care that we’re not getting married?”
The look in his eyes told her he had more to say on that subject in the future, but all he said now was, “They’ll respect whatever decision we make.”
Before Jake had shown up on her doorstep last night, her plans for Thanksgiving had consisted of a frozen turkey pot pie and the Macy’s parade. Now she thought about sitting down to roast turkey and stuffing and potatoes and gravy at the table where she’d known so many happy memories, and the image was too appealing to resist.
“Okay, we’ll go. But I definitely think you should call and tell them first. That way, if they feel uncomfortable or anything, I don’t have to—”
“Will you cut that out? They’re not going to be uncomfortable. But if it makes you feel better, I’m happy to call and tell them ahead of time. In fact, I’ll do it right now.”
Erin backed away hastily. “Not while I’m here. I don’t want to hear you talking to them about this. Wait until I’m downstairs, okay?”
“You’re cute when you’re being ridiculous. Did you know that?”
“An insult wrapped in a compliment. Nice.”
He grinned at her. “It’s more like a compliment wrapped in an insult.” He flipped open his phone and hit his parents’ speed dial. “It’s ringing, so you’d better move fast. Or at least waddle fast.”
“I do not waddle! I have weeks to go before I waddle.” She stuck her tongue out at him before she hightailed it out of the room, and she realized as she hurried down the stairs that she was smiling.
Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard to be friends with Jake as she thought.
Then she came into the living room. Jake had tossed his jacket over the back of the couch, and Erin walked over and picked it up, pressing it to her face and breathing deep.