Page 22 of Bluebell Promises

No longer as nauseous as she’d been hours before, Wren tiptoed out of her room. Pierre followed close, acting the part of her shadow. They went downstairs to find Ivy on the sofa, scowling at the dark screen of the television, as though she’d forgotten to turn it on. When she spotted Wren, she gave her a curious look.

“How are you feeling?” Ivy asked. She was still so sure that Wren’s Graves’ disease was acting up and that Wren wasn’t handling her health responsibly. She still saw Wren as her helpless little sister. Maybe that was what Wren was.

“I need to talk to you,” Wren said. “Is anyone else here?”

Ivy shook her head. “Elliott, Lily, and Tyler are all out with friends.”

“And Juliet?”

“Back home with Theo,” Ivy said darkly. There was a sense of abandonment in her eyes. Wren knew that loneliness was something that Ivy had previously thought was her lot in life. She probably still thought it was her destiny, despite having so many people she loved around her all the time these days. Wren knew it was hard to disconnect yourself from the story you’d been telling yourself about yourself. She knew that firsthand now.

Wren sat on the opposite side of the sofa. She realized she was terrified of Ivy, if only because Ivy’s moods were so difficult to gauge. They were all damaged, the Harper sisters who’d “been through so much.” Things had gotten better, maybe. But that didn’t mean they were great.

“I haven’t been honest with you,” Wren said, raising her chin and telling herself to be brave.

Ivy’s face looked pinched. “It is your Graves’ disease,” she stated.

“No. It’s not. It’s really not. I’ve handled that okay, or as okay as can be expected,” Wren said, her voice delicate. “But there is something wrong with me. Or something right with me. I don’t know what to make of it.”

Ivy gaped at her. Everything in the room seemed to crystallize. Wren knew it was now or never.

“I’m pregnant,” Wren offered.

Immediately, Ivy shot to her feet. Wren expected a torrent of questions and angry accusations, but all Ivy seemed able to do was stand there and gape at her. Wren’s cheeks were inflamed.

Just then, the front door opened. Celia breezed in, her eyes alight after her celebratory evening with her brand-new fiancé. Ivy and Wren turned to look at her, wiping Celia’s smile off her face.

“What’s going on?” Celia demanded.

“Wren’s pregnant,” Ivy stammered.

Celia was quiet for a beat before hurrying over to the sofa and wrapping her arms around Wren. “Oh, my sweet little sister!” she said. “No wonder you haven’t felt like yourself!”

Above them, clearly irritated by Celia’s easy ability to love and love and love, Ivy crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

“Tell us,” Celia breathed, “when did it happen? How far along are you?”

Wren fought the tears that threatened to pour out of her. “I’m maybe three months,” she said. “I went to the doctor in Greece, and they confirmed that everything looks good. Great, even. Healthy.” This, above everything, had been a surprise.

Now, she stalled, biting her lower lip. How could she explain everything that had happened without losing her cool? She didn’t want to prove to Ivy just how much of a mess she was.

“I wanted to tell you right away,” Wren said.

“It’s a delicate issue!” Celia threw up her hands. “It’s the first time you’ve been pregnant, right?”

Wren nodded.

“And you were all alone out there!” Celia added. “You must have been scared.”

“I was,” Wren whispered. She’d been petrified.

At this, Ivy let out a soft, ominous sigh. Wren and Celia looked up at her. She remained unsmiling, her forehead wrinkled up in thought.

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” Ivy said, as though she’d just put the pieces together. “You want to leave your baby here. With us.”

Wren’s jaw dropped with surprise. Never could she have imagined Ivy accusing her of doing that. But even as she considered the idea, even as she steamed with anger, she wondered if a part of her actually wanted that: to leave her baby here in Bluebell Cove. After all, with the pregnancy, Wren’s happy-go-lucky travel lifestyle was at risk. Her career was at risk. Ivy had a new relationship, a fresh perspective, and a foundation here in Bluebell.

It really was a wonderful solution.