He’d been talking about taking up the sport so much that when mom asked, I’d told her that they would be perfect. His face told the story, and I was so pleased with my parents for being who they are. Did he even remember the passive aggressive night we spent last year with his family? Or the crappy dollar store robe his mom had given me that smelt like mothballs? I’d burned that shit the first chance I got. Haggie had the nerve to ask me why I didn’t wear it around the house sometimes when she dropped in, and I told her it got damaged in the wash and I had to throw it out. You’d have thought it was the Hope diamond the way she carried on to hubby about it. When I’d told him the truth he’d said it was the thought that counts, I had to let him know I didn’t like those thoughts too much.
After we were through with the gifts and it was time for bed we went up the stairs hand in hand. It was as if the day before had never happened. I knew it was dangerous to leave things up in the air like that, but I also wanted to salvage what was left of my holiday. It was pin’s first holiday and I wanted it to be great. “Imagine, next year this time pin will be here.”
He put his hand on my tummy and rubbed. “Yeah, I can’t wait.” He kissed my hair and squeezed me and I felt my world right itself. Tomorrow was another day; let’s hope the bitches of Eastwick don’t pull any shit.
Chapter 14
The next morning we awakened to bedlam. The nephews were running around like mad hatters, mom had cooked enough breakfast for Napoleon’s army and now she wanted us out of her hair for the next few hours while she did her thing in the kitchen. We were only allowed in there to do the grunt work. She still hadn’t said anything about my little situation and I was getting nervous. It wasn’t like her to hold her tongue where her kids were concerned.
“You okay baby you had enough to eat?”
“Yeah me and the pin are good.” He came up behind me on my family’s enclosed back porch and wrapped his arms around me. I felt so loved and secure in that moment. Why couldn’t it always be like this? I enjoyed the peace and calmness that I always felt when I was close to him like this. I pushed aside the feelings of betrayal and just held on to the here and now. Was he ever going to bring up what had happened or was he, like me, trying to salvage the rest of our holiday?
“What’s on your mind beautiful?”
“Nothing.” My ass.
“I don’t want you worrying about anything right now Vanessa, you know what the doctor said, avoid all stress.”
I didn’t even bother answering him, because as long as Kublai Kahn was still breathing I’ll never have another moment’s peace.
“Can I ask you something and please don’t get mad?”
“What is it?” He turned me around to face him.
“Can you turn off your phone for the rest of the day? Please. I know you have to call and wish them a happy holiday but after can you turn it off?”
“Why?”
Why? So I can get rid of the knots in my stomach for one fucking day. I didn’t say it out-loud but he must’ve seen the sadness in my eyes.
“Is it really that important to you baby?”
“Yes.”
He took his phone from his pocket and turned it off and I felt a weight lift off my chest. He also let me know he wasn’t mad when he pulled me in close and kissed my hair.
We spent the rest of the day until dinnertime playing with the kids and bullshitting with my brothers and their wives. There was no tension, no one was making snide comments to anyone, and the atmosphere was warm and festive. By the time mom called us to the table I had relaxed and was really starting to enjoy the day. The house phone rang but that had nothing to do with us.
Mom seemed a little harassed when she hung up and came back into the room, but she didn’t say anything, just gave dad a look and took her seat.
Ten minutes later, just after dad had finished saying grace, it rang again. No one else seemed worried but my gut was starting to hurt. Mom got up again and was back in a few seconds, and I started breathing easy again when she didn’t say anything.
The next time it rang dad got up and got the phone that was right there in the room with us, and I wondered why mom had walked all the away into the other room before?