Page 26 of Can We Try?

The remainder of the short drive is silent, and when I pull into my parents’ driveway, I feel the atmosphere shift inside the truck. “Maggie, please don’t worry. They’re going to embrace you and this baby with open arms. I told you about my dad, right? About how he adopted me? Family is what you make it, Mags, and you and that baby are mine. They’re going to love you.”

She exhales and squares her shoulders. “Okay. Let’s do it.” She nods and reaches for her seat belt, and that’s my cue to hop out of the truck to rush around and help her. “I can get in and out of this monstrosity on my own for now.” She laughs.

“I know, but I want to help you. Pregnant or not, I’d be helping you. That’s just how I was raised.”

She eyes me suspiciously but doesn’t say anything. Once she’s out of the truck, I offer her my hand. She doesn’t hesitate to take it, allowing me to twine our fingers together. I lead her up the porch and to the front door. I knock a few times, then push it open.

“Honey, I’m home!” I call out, and I hear my dad’s deep chuckle coming from the kitchen.

“In here!” he calls back.

With Maggie’s hand still locked with mine, I lead her down the hallway and into the kitchen. “Smells great,” I tell my parents, who are standing side by side at the kitchen island.

“Stop.” Mom laughs as she swats Dad’s hands away from the garlic bread she just took out of the oven.

“See what I have to deal with?” Dad acts as though he’s offended. “Maggie, it’s good to see you.”

“Yes, please ignore Rodney. I promise you he has better manners than that and he’s not putting his fingers all over the food.” Mom chuckles. “It’s nice to see you,” she tells Maggie. “I hope you two are hungry. I made lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. I even made Lachlan’s favorite oatmeal and raisin cookies for dessert.”

“You had me at cookie,” I tell Mom, making them all laugh.

“How you stay so fit with all the sweets that you eat, I’ll never know,” Maggie says.

“He’s always been that way,” Dad tells us. “I eat one, and the doctor threatens to put me on cholesterol medicine.”

“It smells delicious. Thank you for having me,” Maggie says politely.

“Of course. Lachlan, grab us some drinks, and your dad and I will bring this to the table.”

“What can I do to help?” Maggie asks.

“You’re our guest. Supervise that one.” Mom points at me. “He can be a handful,” she jokes. Her eyes flash to our joined hands, but quickly avert back to our faces. Her smile says more than her words ever could.

“Don’t I know it.” Maggie chortles.

“Watch it,” I say, tickling her side, which makes her squeal and take a few steps away from me. I wink at her, and she smiles. It’s a genuine smile, not just one she uses to try and reassure me. My shoulders relax as relief washes over me. Everything is going to be okay.

“That was delicious. Thank you. It’s the most I’ve eaten in weeks.”

“You’re welcome. There are plenty of leftovers. I’ll send you home with some. We’ve been eating a more heart-healthy diet recently, so this is a treat for us too.”

“Yes, kids, thank you for coming so I can eat yummy food for once.”

“Kids? I’m thirty-three, old man,” I quip.

“And you’ll always be a kid to me,” Dad fires back.

“Yeah, you’ll understand one day when you have one or a few of your own. They’ll always be kids in your eyes, even when they are adults.”

Reaching under the table, I reach for Maggie’s hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “About that,” I say, sitting back in my seat. “Maggie and I are having a baby.”

My parents freeze, and then suddenly, they’re both out of their chairs and rounding the table toward us. I stand and open my arms for my mom, but she ducks underneath and goes to Maggie, who is also barely standing before she’s ambushed.

“Really? I’m going to be a grandma?” Mom asks, her voice cracking. “Lachlan Noble, this better not be a joke,” she says, releasing Maggie and swatting my shoulder.

“Son?” Dad asks.

I step back and place my arm around Maggie’s waist. “It’s not a joke. We’re thirteen and a half weeks. Maggie and I aren’t together, but we are going to raise this baby together.” I smile down at her, to find her already looking up at me. “Co-parents,” I say, and she nods.

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