Page 91 of Wishing for Love

That thought had never crossed his mind. Not with as great of a job as she did with Elsie.

“I do,” she said. “But not like this. We haven’t been dating that long and now I’m going to have your baby.”

“I wish you’d told me what was going on when you realized you were late,” he said.

She was crying even harder. “I’m sorry. I just forgot and then I realized I was due now and all of a sudden I started to think back that I didn’t remember when I got it in April. I hadn’t marked it on my calendar. I ran and got a test and then called the doctor to make sure.”

“All I care about is that you’re healthy and the baby is too. The rest can be figured out. It’s not a horrible thing. Not to me.” He pulled her to the couch.

“I don’t want this to be horrible, but it’s like one more thing in my life that I failed on.”

“You didn’t fail at anything,” he said. “We love each other. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not upset. Shocked, sure, but you’ve had a few more days to absorb this than me.”

Which explained why she seemed off for a few days and he just chalked it up as she had things on her mind. Or maybe it was his fault for not seeing that there was more going on because he had so much on his mind.

“I should have told you, but I wanted to be positive. I don’t want to add stress to your life.”

“You’re not,” he said. “When are you due?”

“Christmas day,” she said. “Can you believe it? I mean at least it’s longer than a year I’ve worked for you. By a month but not much more.”

“Don’t think of those things,” he said.

“What are your parents going to think? I bet they’ll think I did it on purpose.”

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks and he hated she was taking the blame for something that was blameless. He didn’t want to say accidents happened, but this wasn’t planned.

“My mother is going to be thrilled. They love you. They aren’t going to think that.”

His siblings liked Crystal a lot. He had expected his sisters to give her a hard time when they met, and they actually didn’t, which surprised him.

“I hope not,” she said. “My parents don’t even know I’m dating you and now I’ve got to tell them I’m pregnant. I’m just not ready for that. I haven’t even told Taylor yet.”

“Don’t rush then,” he said. “No one needs to know in your family. You’ve got mine. I think you should move down to my room. There is no reason for you to stay up here anymore.”

“So you don’t want me to be the nanny?” she asked, her face appalled.

“No. I mean yes. Nothing is changing there. But we love each other. We are in a relationship. You’re carrying my child. If you lived in another place I’d ask you to move in with me. You only need to move downstairs, but if it’s too much, then take your time. But I’d like you there before the baby comes.”

“I will,” she said. “I need time. I know that sounds horrible.”

“It doesn’t,” he said. “Trust me, I know what it’s like to have a lot of change happen in your life in a short period of time.”

In all aspects of his life.

“And I just added another one to it.”

“A good one,” he said. “And looking back, the past year, all the changes have been somewhat good. Yes, I wish Maryn were still here. I’ll never stop wishing that, but I’ve got Elsie and she’s always felt like a daughter to me anyway.”

Elsie still hadn’t called him Dad, but he wondered if maybe she would once the baby came.

Something to think of on another day.

“I want you to know I’m not going to ask you for a lot,” she said.

“Stop right now,” he said. “You’re going to piss me off. I mean it. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. You should know that by now.”

“I know. I’m just more emotional than I normally am. Maybe it’s the hormones.”

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