Page 84 of Waiting for Tuesday

She was quiet a second, and I could only imagine what was going through her mind. “How’d it go?”

I picked up a photo of me and my family. Mom, Dad, Lisa, Penny—everyone. “It was good. He gave me a whole box of photos.”

“Did he?” she said, and I could hear her voice thickening with emotion.

“Yeah.” I swallowed. “Some of them I’d never seen before. I was a pretty cute baby.” I wiped my eyes, realizing she’d never seen me that way before. I was five years old when they took me in. They missed so much, but I felt like they’d been there my whole life. “I’ll bring them on Thursday.”

I could hear that she was crying now. “I’d like that.”

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. “Mom…” I hesitated, wanting to ask in just the right way. “Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been sending him pictures all these years?”

She was quiet a moment. “John, I?”

“Mom, it’s okay. I’m not mad.”

She took a deep breath. “Because he loved you. I could see it on his face every time he came to visit you. I could see it. And he did something I don’t know if I could have ever done. He gave me his son to raise. He gave meyou. Myson. I sent him photos because I wanted him to see that you were loved.”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back into the seat. “Thank you.”

* * *

Tuesday

Becky leanedover the counter and yawned as I pulled out the cash drawer from the register. “You should go home,” I said. I climbed down from my stool and grabbed my smoothie. “I’m just going to count this, print some invoices, and go straight to bed.”

She frowned at me, but I could see the bags under her eyes and knew she was exhausted. She’d been here with me all week after working her normal job. I knew she was worried, but I’d gotten the all clear from the doctor yesterday, and frankly, I could use some time to myself.

She started following me to the back room and I turned around, halting her. “I’m serious, Becky. If you come back here, I’m going to pour my smoothie over your head.”

She grinned. “Sounds kinky.”

“Ha, ha…” I smiled softly, knowing she loved me, but also how much I needed space.

She let out a sigh. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes.”

“Pinky swear?”

I grinned. “Pinky swear. Now go!”

She dropped her shoulders, and I walked her to the door before locking it and turning around to face my empty shop. It had been open for five days, but right now was the first time I’d been alone. I was still too emotional to let myself think about how I felt about that, so I headed straight to my office to work. It had gotten me through a lot in the past, and it would get me through today.

I set the drawer on my desk, leaned back in my chair, and unsnapped the bib of my overalls. My hand rested on my belly, and I closed my eyes. I’d heard the baby’s heartbeat again yesterday, and it had been just as emotional as every time before that. Even though I was still less than fourteen weeks into my pregnancy, the technician said she guessed that the baby was a girl. Just like in my dreams.

This pregnancy was so surreal, nothing like I planned, but beautiful nonetheless. I blew out an exhausted breath, opened my eyes, and startled.

John was leaning against the frame of my office door, watching me.

I snatched up the bib of my overalls to cover myself. “What are you doing here? How’d you get in?”

“The back door was unlocked.”

But there was something in his voice that made me look at him more deeply. His hair was a mess, which was something I’d seen a thousand times, but his eyes… They were red-rimmed, searching my face as if he could see into my soul.

“Is everything okay?” I whispered.

He pushed himself from the doorframe and walked toward me. “I met with my father today.”

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