A Baby In The House. Pamela Bauer

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СКАЧАТЬ to me.” Carly grabbed Krystal by the shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes. “You don’t need a husband to be a good mother. And your baby has a father—a man you’ve told me is a good guy and one you know won’t turn his back on his child.”

      Krystal nodded. “I know. I’m trying to stay positive about all of this, but it’s just such a big mess.”

      “A mess that can be straightened out,” Carly stated reassuringly. “I know you want to wait until after Dena’s wedding to tell Garret about the baby, but I wish you’d do it now. You need to know what he plans to do. His reassurance that he’s going to be a part of the baby’s life would ease some of the stress you’re feeling. Plus then you wouldn’t have to keep this big secret from everyone.”

      “You’re right. I will feel better once Garret knows, but I have to wait to tell him, Carly,” she insisted. “Do you realize what it’s going to be like at 14 Valentine Place when everybody hears of this pregnancy? Leonie’s the unsuspecting grandmother who lives downstairs, Samantha’s the unsuspecting girlfriend who lives upstairs, and Dena’s stuck in the middle trying to plan a wedding, one in which most of the Donovan family has a part. In a few weeks she’ll be married and it won’t matter what’s going on in the house, but for now I don’t want my problems spoiling what should be a happy time for Dena.”

      “All right.” Carly hopped down off the stool to tend to the teakettle that whistled on the stove. “I won’t bug you about it again. Let’s talk about something fun. Tell me about the wedding. I want to know all the details. It’s not every day my sister’s a bridesmaid in a professional hockey player’s wedding.”

      Krystal told her about the wedding shower and just about everything she could think of that Dena had told her about her plans, including the list of celebrities and professional athletes who’d be attending. It was the diversion Krystal needed to forget about the scene with her mother.

      When Joe didn’t come home for dinner, Carly ordered a pizza for the two of them. By the time they’d finished, they were laughing and they’d forgotten the tears that had been shed earlier in the day. Even though she’d had the scene with her mother, Krystal was glad she’d driven to Fergus Falls for the day. Carly gave her something no one else could—a sister’s love and understanding.

      When it came time for her to leave, she wasn’t surprised when her sister said, “I think you should go back to Mom’s. She cares about you, Krys.”

      “Don’t you ever get tired of playing peacemaker between me and Mom?”

      “Uh-uh. I love you both. And I know she loves you. And if you had heard her on the phone today, you’d know she does, too.”

      Krystal sighed. “I’m not sure she’s ever going to speak to me again.”

      “Of course she will.”

      Krystal looked down at her fingers. “You didn’t see the look in her eyes when I told her I was pregnant.”

      “You broke the most important rule she ever set for us. Do as I say, don’t do what I’ve done.”

      “That’s why I thought maybe she’d understand where I’m at emotionally right now. I don’t need another critic. I have enough of them, but I could use a mother.” She hated that her voice faltered.

      Carly placed a comforting hand on her arm. “Then don’t go home angry. Go back over there,” she urged her. “Mom will have had some time to think about this and to get over her initial shock.”

      “You really think I should?”

      Carly nodded. “The two of you need to talk.”

      “I’m not sure we can. You know what Mom’s like. Did she show you the latest book she bought for me?” When Carly shook her head, she said, “It’s How To Marry Your Soul Mate in One Year or Less.”

      Carly grimaced. “She just wants you to be happy.”

      Krystal groaned in frustration. “She wants me to be married. How are we going to be able to have an honest discussion about my being pregnant?”

      “You’ve got to try, Krys. For your sake and for Mom’s,” her sister pleaded with her. “You should listen to me on this one. I don’t have pregnant hormones messing with my emotions. You do.”

      As difficult as it was, Krystal took her sister’s advice and went back to the trailer park. When she got to her mom’s, there was no one home. Krystal figured she’d gone to the candle party with Edie after all.

      She found the spare key under the clay pot with the red geraniums and let herself in. Feeling a craving for something sweet, she opened the freezer, grateful to see that her mother hadn’t changed. Inside was a half gallon of her favorite ice cream—mint chocolate chip. It was Krystal’s favorite, too.

      She ate two scoops, then stretched out on the sofa. She turned on the TV, trying not to think about what lay ahead when her mother returned.

      Only her mother didn’t return. At eleven Krystal looked up Jilly’s number in her mother’s address book.

      “Hi, Jilly, it’s Krystal. I heard you were having a candle party tonight. My mom isn’t still there, is she?”

      “No, Kryssie,” the older woman replied. “She never came to the party. Edie said she went with a friend to hear some band play over in Alex.”

      Friend meaning man, Krystal deduced, since if it had been one of her girlfriends Jilly would have said her name. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to wait and find out, because with her mother it was always the same old story.

      Krystal got in her car and drove back to St. Paul. The house at 14 Valentine Place was in darkness when she arrived. She was glad. What she didn’t need was to find Samantha and Garret in the kitchen at two in the morning. She used the side entrance and quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor, relieved to find her room was once again the haven it had always been. She shed her clothes and crawled into bed.

      KRYSTAL AND HER MOTHER HAD argued in the past, but never had they gone for more than a day or two without talking to each other. Now more than a week had passed without any communication between them. Krystal had called and left several messages after returning home, but now with each passing day, it became more difficult for her to pick up the phone, especially when she wasn’t sure if her mother would hang up on her.

      But it wasn’t only the possibility of her mother rejecting her that kept her from calling. Pride stood in the way of her making a peace overture. Normally Krystal wasn’t one to hold a grudge, but lately nothing seemed normal when it came to her emotions.

      That’s why, when she arrived home from work on the day of Dena’s bridal shower and found her mother sitting in Leonie’s kitchen, she found herself angry. She struggled to keep her feelings in check, unsure what had transpired between her landlady and her mother, who sat with their heads together over coffee.

      They looked as comfortable as if they were the best of friends, which shouldn’t have surprised Krystal. Leonie had a way of making guests feel at home in her kitchen. Krystal could only hope that Leonie’s empathetic nature hadn’t evoked any great urge on her mother’s part to pour her heart out on the subject of her daughter’s pregnancy.

      “Mom! I didn’t СКАЧАТЬ