Page 9 of Dare To Marry You
“Yeah? You gonna give me a fashion show right now or make me wait?” I force a flirtatious tone into my voice, even as I’m panicking. Something’s wrong with Kat. I know it is. All the fears I’d managed to lock away last night start to break free.
“No fashion show, but how about a little tease?” she asks as my phone vibrates in my hand.
Looking down, I see she’s sent me a photo. I open it and groan. “Goddamn, Kitty Kat.”
Covering our bed is lingerie. Lots of lingerie. Teddies, bras, and panties. And fucking hell, is that a corset?
Kat’s throaty giggle does a lot to push some of my worries back into their deep dark locked box. “I promise to wear something next Friday night. How does that sound?”
“Like Friday is way too far away from now and I’m going crazy missing you,” I answer honestly, my voice cracking at the end.
“Oh Hunter,” Kat starts, then stops. A beat of silence passes. Then she speaks again, and when I hear the emotion in her words, I feel my heart falter. “I wish you were here.”
“Me too, Kitty Kat. Me fucking too.”
Chapter five
Kat
Somehow, I managed to get through the early morning conversation with Hunter without telling him about the baby. I wanted to, about a dozen times in the twenty minutes we were on the phone. But something held me back.
I love that man more than anything, and I know him. If he knew I was pregnant, and not feeling well, he’d drop everything to be here for me. But this course is important for his — for our — future. He needs to focus for just one more week. Of course then, there’ll be the wedding to contend with, and all of his anxiety about that.
He might think he’s hiding it from me, but like I said, I know him. I know he’s starting to panic about standing up in front of everyone to say our vows. It’s why I’m at my parents’ house today, to talk to my mom about something I’ve been considering.
“Hi honey, I’m just making some tea, do you want some?” my mom calls out by way of a greeting when I push open the door to my childhood home.
Grateful it isn’t coffee, I reply while taking off my coat and shoes, “Yes, please, peppermint if you have it.” Dropping my small purse on the hall table, feet clad in thick socks, I pad into the kitchen that still holds the same warm, welcoming comfort it always has. Heading straight to where I know she keeps the cookie tin holding the product of our annual baking marathon, I pull out a gingerbread man and start to nibble.
“Gingerbread? I’ve never known you to choose one of those over the raspberry jam ones,” she says, leaning in to give me a brief side hug.
I set down the cookie and dust off my fingers. “Um, yeah, my stomach needed to settle and I guess I thought ginger would help?” It’s not far from the truth, even if the reason for my stomach issues isn’t from too much wine yesterday, like I’m hoping she’ll assume, but rather an entirely different reason.
But Claire Donnelly has a sixth sense when it comes to her children.
Setting down two mugs of tea on the table, she takes the seat across from me and fixes me with her trademarkI know everythingmom look.
“And is your stomach unsettled because of yesterday, wedding jitters, or something else?”
I chew on my lip for a minute, my eyes staring down at the steam wafting off the surface of my hot tea.
“I’m pregnant, Mom.”
Lifting my gaze, I meet hers, and see nothing but love and compassion. Pushing back her chair, Mom stands up and takes the few steps around the table to where I am. Taking my hands in hers, she pulls me up and in for a long hug. Tears prick at my eyes, and next thing I know, I’m crying into her shoulder.
After a while, the tears slow, and I draw back with a sniffle. “Sorry. I don’t know why I keep crying.”
“Hormones, honey. Hormones. And they’re only going to get worse.”
We sit back down, and I take a small sip of tea. “I’m happy, don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t planned, but having Hunter’s baby makes me so happy. I just wish he was here.”
Mom nods her head slowly, taking her own sip from her mug. “Are you feeling okay, otherwise? When did you find out?”
I grimace. “Yesterday. I went to make coffee, and the smell made me throw up. And my boobs hurt. Lily and I went by Serena’s house before heading to the winery and she had an extra test.” My eyes start to fill again and I swipe away the tears. “I can’t stop crying.”
“Oh, my sweet girl.” Mom stretches her hand out and covers mine. “This is a lot to take in right before your wedding and with Hunter out of town. Tears are normal. I must say, you hid it well yesterday.”
Letting out a huff, a small smile graces my face. “Not easily, trust me. I was terrified everyone would figure out that Serena and I were swapping drinks.”
