by Dena Christy
“I have some news.”
“Good news, I hope.”
“I think so. I’m going to be a father which means you’re going to be a grandmother.” He could hear the excitement in his own voice and he hoped it communicated to his mother over the phone. He wanted this baby, he wanted Mercy and he in no way wanted his mother to think that he’d been trapped into this.
There was a long drawn out silence on the other end of the phone.
“I see.” That was all she said, and Alex’s stomach sank for a moment. Sometimes he didn’t understand his mother since she had been pestering him for years about settling down and giving her grandchildren. Now he was doing that and all she was going to say was I see?
“Is that all you’re going to say?” He forced a jovial tone to his voice, although he was feeling far from that.
“What do you want me to say, dear? This all seems rather sudden. I didn’t even know that you were seeing anyone. Is it someone we know? Did you get back together with Felicia?” His mother’s voice perked up considerably and Alex rolled his eyes.
“No, I didn’t get back together with Felicia. I haven’t dated her for five years, and I have long since moved on from it.” It was too bad that apparently his mother hadn’t. “You don’t know her, her name is Mercy and she’s from Eden Creek.”
“Eden Creek?” The way she said it made it seem like Mercy was from the other side of the world, not from the next town over. “Is there something wrong with the women in Cold Bay?”
“No.” Alex’s lips tightened and he sighed. “Look, Mom, there is nothing wrong with the women in Cold Bay, and there is nothing wrong with the women in Eden Creek. What I’m trying to tell you is that I have met a woman from Eden Creek, her name is Mercy, she is living with me and we are going to have a baby together.”
He was trying very hard to hold on to his patience. He was an only child and his mother’s focus was solely on him. If he’d had siblings, maybe it would be different, but sadly he didn't. He was certain that once his mother met Mercy, she would love her. Unfortunately, that would not happen until his parents came home next spring.
“How long have you been seeing each other? Why didn’t you mention anything to me before we left?”
He hadn’t mentioned anything because he hadn’t met Mercy before his parents had left. And he thought better than to lie, because Cold Bay was a small town and if his mother wanted to ferret out the truth of the situation, she would.
“I met her a week after you left Cold Bay.”
“And how pregnant is she?”
“About the same amount of time.”
His mother sighed over the phone. “Alex, I thought you were a careful man.”
“I am careful, but sometimes accidents happen.” He raked his fingers through his hair, wondering why the hell he’d even started this conversation with her. It would have been better to wait to tell her when she was back in town, when she could meet Mercy herself and when, he hoped, Mercy was firmly in his life as his mate.
“And how can you be sure that this baby is yours?” There was a sharpness to his mother’s voice, and it ignited his temper.
“I know because she says it is. I trust her, and I know for a fact that this baby is mine. It’s up to you if you want to accept that or not. But Mercy and I are having this baby, and if you can’t accept that or can’t accept her then you will not be a part of our lives. So while you and Dad are away, perhaps you might take the time to think about whether you want to be a part of your grandchild’s life because the baby and Mercy come as a package.”
“Alex, please be reasonable.” His mother’s voice softened, and he knew that it was because she wasn’t used to him raising his voice to her. But the situation with Mercy was too important for him to back down.
“I meant what I said.” He made sure that he was firm but not as harsh as he had been. “Listen, I’m going to have to let you go. It’s almost time for me to go to work. I’ll talk to you again soon.”
He ended the call before his mother said goodbye and put his phone in his pocket. He was doing the right thing because more than anything else he wanted Mercy and he wanted their baby. Turmoil with his parents was not ideal, but if it came down to it, he would choose Mercy and his baby over them if they didn't accept her.
13
Mercy hurried back down the hall toward the kitchen. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, she’d only gone down to find Alex because she wanted to see if he’d changed his mind about needing help.
She opened her laptop and stared at the piece she was writing. As she read it over, her mind mulled over what’s she’d heard.
Alex had told his mother about her and the baby and she wasn’t at all happy about it. And now, if they wouldn’t accept her and the baby as a package, he was going to remove them from his life. She was fairly certain that if it was just the baby, his parents would get over it quick considering that it was their grandchild. Which meant that she’d been the sticking point.
As far as she knew, she didn’t know his parents, so what they had against her she didn’t know. And it really didn’t matter, since if his mother had set herself against them Alex was prepared to cut his parents out of his life.
And where would that leave them down the road, once Alex realized just how much he’d had to give up to be with her?
She closed the laptop with a sigh and looked up when she heard his footsteps coming into the kitchen. He was dressed for work, and she glanced at the clock on the stove. He would need to leave soon, and maybe it wasn’t time to get into what she’d overheard.
“Taking a break?” His voice was soft, and she could see in his face that he was troubled.
Should she try to talk to him about it?
“Yeah. Are you okay?” She wouldn’t come out and tell him that she’d heard him talking to his mother. She wanted to wait and see what he said.
“I’m fine.” He turned away from her, wouldn’t look at her as he got a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. He drank it all down and set the glass on the counter. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem like something is bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?” She turned in her chair and looked over at him. His back was still to her, and she wished he would look at her. How were they supposed to build a relationship with each other if he wouldn’t talk to her about what was bothering him? “Alex? Look at me.”
He sighed and turned around to face her. He moved his mouth so that he was smiling at her, but it was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” She got up out of her chair and went to stand in front of him. She reached out and ran her hands up and down his arms. That he didn’t push her away was an encouraging sign, and the smile on his face was a little more genuine.
“There’s nothing wrong, I promise.” He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. The part of her that didn’t want to rock the boat, the part that was afraid that he would see that his parents were right not to want her in his life, told her not to say anything. Told her not to open this can of worms.
But deep down she knew that she wouldn’t be able to pretend that she hadn’t heard him on the phone. That his mother didn’t want her in his life. And it would eat away at her and would feed the remaining insecurities that being with him hadn’t yet vanquished.
And could she let him pretend that nothing was wrong when his conversation with his mother was troubling him? She hoped that they were past the point of keeping secrets from each other.
“I heard you on the phone. I didn’t mean to listen, I went to see if you needed help and when I heard you on talking, I didn’t want to interrupt you. I was going to walk away but you yelled and it was hard not to hear that.” She took a step back and looked up at him. He didn’t look put out because she’d listened to part of his conversation with his mother. But the smile fell away from his face and he sighed.
“I wish you hadn’t heard that. It wasn’t exactly one of my finer moments. I don’t normally
behave like that.” He looked thoughtful for a minute. “But I don’t want you to worry about it. It won’t be a problem.”
“How can you say that? You told your mother that if she couldn’t accept that me and the baby are a package, she would not be a part of your life anymore.”
“I know what I said.” There was an edge to his voice and Mercy flinched to hear it. And the message was clear, he didn’t want to talk about this.
“I’m sorry I brought it up.” Her voice cracked for a second, and she quickly turned away from him and went into the living room. She sat down on the sofa and knotted her hands into her lap. Why had she brought it up? Why couldn’t she just leave it alone? It had been obvious that he didn’t want to talk about his conversation with his mother and yet she had to push.
She swallowed hard and shoved the urge to cry away. Part of her problem had to be the hormones being pregnant had sent coursing through her body. But part of it was the same old story. The same doubts that she had deep down that she wasn’t good enough.
“Mercy.” His voice was soft as he came into the living room. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
He came over to the sofa, and the remorse and caring on his face sent the first tear trickling down her cheek. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him.
“Please don’t cry,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to hers. “I’m sorry.”
She pulled back and shook her head, wiping her hand over her wet cheek. She gave a little laugh. “I’m trying not to. The baby is partially to blame since the hormones have put me on an emotional rollercoaster.”
He reached up to cup her cheek. “But that’s not all of it, is it? Part of it is about the phone call and how I reacted when you asked me about it, isn’t it?”
She hesitated for a second. Did she really want to get into this with him? “You don’t have to talk to me about it. I was wrong to push.”
“No, you weren’t. You should be able to ask me about anything. I was in the wrong for trying to push you away.”
“Then why did you?” She shifted so that she was facing him and a small distance developed between them. She reached out and took his hand so that at least one part of them was still touching. There was comfort to be had holding on to him and she figured that she might need it.
“Because the conversation I had with my mother wasn’t exactly a good moment for either her or I. If you hadn’t overheard it, I wouldn’t have brought it up. I didn’t want it to color what you would feel when you do eventually meet my mother.”
“But I overheard it, so why not just talk about it with me?”
“Because it doesn’t matter, not to you and me.”
“How can you say that? They're your family.”
He sighed and brushed a piece of her hair away from her face. “I know I told my mother that she wasn’t going to be a part of my life if she didn’t accept you and the baby. It will not come to that. This is just a shock for her since I think we can both agree that this pregnancy was unexpected. She wants grandchildren and once she gets over the shock of the suddenness of it, she’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” She wanted more than anything to believe him. To believe that it was just the shock of the news that had caused his mother’s reaction. And maybe it was. He knew his mother better than she did since she’d never even met the woman.
“I’m positive. I don’t want you to worry about this, because there is nothing to worry about. All my mother needs to do is meet you and she’ll come around.” He let go of her hand and reached up to cup her face. “I have to go to work, but I don’t want to leave unless I know that we’re good. Are we?”
She moved her lips into a smile and leaned toward him. “We’re good.”
He smiled back at her and moved his face toward her. He took her lips in a kiss that was soft and tender and almost sent tears prickling in her eyes again. She sank into him, and he put his arms around her and held her close as he deepened the kiss. She wished for a moment that he didn’t have to go to work, that she could lose herself in the oblivion that came from finding her release in his arms.
He gave a groan of regret and pulled away from her.
“You are too much of a temptation woman.” He gave her one more quick kiss and then he stood up. “I have to get to work. Maybe we can continue this when I get home?”
She gave him a smile and nodded. “I’ll take a nap so that I’ll be nice and rested when you get home.”
The smile stayed in place on her face as he went into the vestibule and got ready to go. It fell away as soon as she heard the front door close, and she sighed as she stood up and went to the kitchen.
She put the kettle on so she could make herself some tea and went back to her laptop. She stared at the screen and by the time the kettle whistled she knew that she wouldn’t be getting any more work done. She closed her laptop and got up and turned off the burner the kettle was sitting on and moved it off.
She made a pot of tea and looked out the window. Despite his saying that there was nothing for her to worry about, she was worried anyway. His parents were his family, and although he said it wouldn’t come to it, what if he pushed them away? What if his mother didn’t accept her, didn’t want her to be a part of her son’s life once she met her?
She poured herself a cup of tea and sat back down at the kitchen table. She wrapped her cold hands around the mug as she thought about what it might mean for her and Alex down the road. Would he eventually come to resent her for the wedge that her being with him had put between him and his mother?
She took a sip of her tea, and it didn’t soothe her like it usually did. And she wasn’t any closer to an answer. Maybe Alex was right, his mother just needed time to get used to her and the baby and that once they met, she would accept Mercy.
She drank her tea and tried to put it from her mind. He wasn’t worried and he wouldn’t want her spending her time stewing over this. She understood now why he hadn’t wanted to bring it up and she wished she could rewind the clock and not have gone down the hall where she’d heard him yell at his mother.
But she had heard it and no amount of wishing would take that moment away. And she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if his mother couldn’t accept her.
A few days after his phone call with his mother, Alex had finally finished cleaning out the small room and turning it into an office. He had waited until yesterday, his first day off to take what he wanted to give away to the thrift store. When he went there with his donation, he spied the cutest desk along with a matching chair and it had come home with him.
The office looked plain with only the desk and chair in there, but he figured that Mercy could turn it into her own space and set it up the way she wanted it. She’d been pleased with having her own space, and she’d been happy as a clam working away in there yesterday while he’d puttered around the house.
There was one big box that didn’t go to the thrift store or to the dump. It held Christmas decorations, he’d shoved it into the closet in the office while he figured out what to do with them.
He hadn’t bothered putting up a tree or decorations since his parents had started going south a couple of years ago. There seemed little point since it was only him in the house. And Logan always threw a Christmas bash at his house for the members of the pack, and that seemed enough for him. The thought of putting up a tree had only made him feel lonely, so he’d skipped it and spent Christmas Day watching movies and ignoring how empty his house felt on the one day of the year that was meant to be spent with family.
But as he thought about that box of decorations, an idea came to him. This year could be different. Mercy was here, they were having a baby and it could be their first Christmas together, one of many to come.
He went into the office and took the box of decorations out of the closet. Mercy was still in bed asleep, and a grin crossed his face when he remembered how late they’d stayed up last night. Their appetite for each other was
insatiable, and when he’d woken up this morning he was tempted to turn to her and wake her with kisses. But he thought better of it and let her sleep.
He came out of the office with the box in his arms and almost bumped into her as she came out of the bathroom. He looked at her and she seemed to be fine. The morning sickness was not as bad as it had been when she’d first told him she was pregnant, and he was glad for that.
She smiled at him and looked curiously at the box. “Whatcha got there?”
“Come out to the living room and see.” He walked down the hall and she followed behind him. He set the box on the coffee table and looked out the window. It was snowing again and he thought that it seemed appropriate. “Take a look.”
She came forward and opened the box. “Decorations for Christmas. Are we putting them up?”
Excitement lit up her face, and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her. His love for her flooded his body as he brought his mouth down on hers. He kissed her for a long time until he reminded himself that he had all the time in the world to enjoy her, and she seemed excited about putting up the decorations.
He took a step back and her eyes drifted open. There was such a warm look in her topaz eyes that he was tempted to say forget the decorations and drag her back to bed. But there would be plenty of time for that.
“Do you want to go out and get a tree?”
“I’d love to. I haven’t had a Christmas tree for years, well not since my mom died. I usually just went to Honor and Quinn’s for Christmas.” She looked rueful for a minute. “A lot has changed this year. I know they wouldn’t say anything, but I don’t know if Rafe and Honor would want me intruding on their first Christmas together.”
“Well, you won’t need to. I haven’t put up a tree since my parents started migrating south for the winter so it will be a nice change for both of us. It will be our first Christmas together.”
He looked at her closely, and there was a flicker in her eyes for a second before it disappeared.