Page 149 of Heartbreak & Cupcakes
SADIE
Two days had passedsince I came home from the hospital. I still hadn’t told a single soul that there was a baby growing inside of me. I was only four weeks along, which was part of the reason I’d kept it quiet.
Dr. Lowe had explained that I had what was considered an “advanced maternal age” which was also described as a geriatric pregnancy. Geriatric?
I was thirty-five not eighty-five. I’d thought that he must be mistaken, but after a deep Google dive I’d learned that his terminology was spot on.
“China!” My dad called out from the couch beside me.
“What is China?” The Jeopardy contestant responded a beat after my father shouted out the answer.
When the screen revealed the correct answer was China, my dad pumped his hand in the air. The past forty-eight hours had been spent watching Jeopardy and my father forcing me to eat. Normally, I would have enjoyed being force-fed, but I’d been so queasy it was actually a chore to figure out what sounded good and then actually get it down.
Thankfully, the symptoms of my concussion and pregnancy were similar so my dad was none the wiser.
I sat, staring at his profile. His brows were a little bushier than they had been the last time I’d seen him. There was hair growing out of his ear. He had a new glasses prescription that included bifocals. But he still seemed so capable to handle any situation. He was still the Brawny Man.
As I studied him, I wondered what he was going to think about me being a single parent, if that was how this all played out. He’d always been so fearful of me having a baby because of my mom. Would he feel different now that it wasn’t a hypothetical human being but a real one, like I did?
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
My dad had not only been a single parent, but he’d also been a single parent dealing with the loss of his wife.
Just like Alex.
As tears began to pool in my eyes, I launched myself at my dad, throwing my arms around him.
“Whoa.” My dad’s arms wrapped around me as he patted my back. “Are you okay?”
I nodded against his shoulder. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“For what, Pumpkin?”
“For everything.” I sniffed.
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m your dad,everythingis my job.”
I held him tighter, absorbing the safety and love that he offered unconditionally.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he patted my back. “I can go to the store and get stuff to make more egg salad.”
“Okay, yeah.” I wiped my face as I sat back against the cushions. “That sounds good, actually.”
My dad’s egg salad was so good it should win awards. And the thought of having some had my stomach rumbling. This morning I’d finished off the batch he’d brought with him.
“Okay.” He jumped up and grabbed the keys to my car. “Don’t get up while I’m gone. I’ll let Yana and Charli know that I’m going to the store and make sure they have their phones on them, text if you have to get up. I have my phone, call me if you need anything.”
I nodded. My dad’s overprotectiveness used to drive me bat shit crazy, now it felt like a warm blanket wrapping around me on a rainy, cold night.
“Okay.”
He was out the door on a mission. Whenever things were out of his control, it was good for him to have somewhere to put his energy. I was the same way. But right now, I wasn’t sure where to put my energy.
If everything kept going as it was, I was going to have a baby. My hands rested on my stomach. It was too soon to have a pooch, but I pushed my stomach out to see what it would be like.
For years, this experience was one that I both feared and wanted more than anything. And now, it was happening.
I’d always assumed that I’d have a ring on my finger when and if I got pregnant, but even if Alex wanted to be a part of the baby’s life, I knew that wasn’t going to be in the cards.
