Pace moved to his side. “Is there a problem?”
The woman laughed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Pace is my last name. I should have said Kelly…I never know which one to give.”
They all laughed it off and Jason and Pace made for the door. Just as the humid air slapped Pace in the face, she was slapped with an outrageous thought. She spun around, squeezed back through the crowd, and tapped the woman on the shoulder. “Your name is Kelly Pace?”
As she nodded her head and smiled quizzically, Pace wondered if the woman could explain everything.
“Who’s your doctor?”
Her brows disappeared under her bangs. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry,” Pace stammered. “Your obstetrician. Did you happen to see Dr. Hidel?”
She snorted and wrapped her hands around her belly in what resembled a protective gesture. “Well, I did at first, but he told me I was anemic when I just knew I was pregnant.” She patted her swell. “I was right.”
Anemic. Pace learned all about anemia after being diagnosed when Jason and her mother insisted she go for a physical. The doctor said she’d had it for awhile. She looked up at Jason. He stared at her with a strange look on his face as the tray he carried tipped dangerously to one side.
She reached out and righted the tray just before the shake tipped over and glanced back at Kelly Pace. “Congratulations on your baby.”
As they walked out into the hot sun and passed out ice cream to the kids and her mom, Pace thought about all they’d been through in the last six months. Her parents had separated, her father floundered through retirement without her mom. Tori had been on a few dates—dates!—and she seemed happier, more carefree than Pace had ever seen her. Jason had started his new firm and worked insane hours—hours she would’ve most definitely resented him for if they hadn’t almost lost everything. They made time for each other, had regularly scheduled date nights and organized family outings. Pace knew who her friends were, she knew how strong her marriage was, and she knew not to take anything for granted.
If she could go back and change what had happened, if she’d pressed the doctor to check into the blood test some more or had thought to have them check the appointment book, of course she would have, absolutely she would have headed off the near destruction of her marriage. But from where she sat now, knowing that they all came out of it a little bit smarter, a little bit more grateful for what they’d built, she honestly didn’t know if she would. As Jason slurped the last of the shake they had planned to share and her mother smiled at her over the lip of her smoothie, Pace felt pretty sure she wouldn’t change a thing. Not one little thing.
The End
About the Author
Christy Hayes writes romantic women’s fiction. She lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two children and two dogs.
Discover Other Romantic Women’s Fiction Titles by Christy Hayes
Angle of Incidence
Dodge the bullet
Heart of Glass
Shoe Strings
Connect with Christy Hayes Online
http://www.christyhayes.com
http://twitter.com/SeaHayes
Misconception Page 27