A Baby and a Betrothal

by Michelle Major

  She took the ice cream and dug in her spoon. Ice cream was her go-to dessert because it didn’t involve any work on her part or elicit comparisons to her own baking. “You’ve been paying more attention than I thought,” she said around a mouthful.

  He leaned in and kissed her, licking a bit of ice cream from the corner of her lips. “Glad you noticed.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone and typed in the passcode. “I bookmarked the website for the radio station that’s broadcasting the music for the fireworks. It should be starting any second.”

  There was a hiss in the distance. Then the sky lit up in front of the mountain.

  Katie let out a breath. “It’s amazing from here.”

  A crack split the night, and golden lights sprinkled down from the sky, followed quickly by a whistle and another pop as a colorful spray of red, white and blue filled the air. Noah inched closer to her, tucking her into his side as they watched. The mountain was a majestic backdrop for the lights and sounds of the Fourth of July fireworks. He balanced the phone on his knee and she listened to the choreographed music swell then soften as the night continued to glow.

  Katie kept her eyes on the display but felt Noah nuzzling her neck after a few minutes. Despite the coolness of the air, her body automatically heated. She squirmed as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “You aren’t watching.”

  “You’re too distracting,” he whispered against her ear.

  “If you don’t stop that,” she said, ducking her head, “I’m going to lose my balance and fall off the roof.”

  “I’ll hold you.” As if to prove his point, he drew her closer against him. But with one more kiss to her temple, he turned and watched the rest of the display.

  Katie couldn’t remember ever being so happy. For many years, she’d worked the Life is Sweet booth at the town’s annual July Fourth party. She’d watched couples stroll by, arm in arm, and always felt a tug of envy. Especially when her friends fell in love and she was surrounded by so much togetherness while she was always alone.

  “I normally watch the fireworks as I’m packing up the booth,” she said softly during a lull in the display. “I’m glad that a couple of the college kids working for me this summer wanted the extra money to run the event. You haven’t been back to Crimson over the Fourth for several years.”

  “I’m usually on duty over the holiday,” Noah told her. “Lots of extra help needed with so many campers in the forest this weekend.”

  She tipped her head to look at him. “Why not this year?”

  “I had more important people to watch over.”

  Katie smiled, then kissed him just as the big finale began. They both turned toward the shimmering ribbons of light. She felt the boom and pop of hundreds of bursts of color reverberate through her, even from miles away. Or maybe it was just her heart beating as the walls that guarded it came crumbling down.

  Chapter Sixteen

  On Monday morning Katie stumbled out of a stall in the community center’s bathroom, only to find Emily Whitaker waiting for her. She grabbed the wad of paper towels the other woman handed her, dabbing at her eyes before wiping her mouth.

  Even with the problems Emily was dealing with from her divorce and her son’s issues, she still looked every inch the society wife, from her demure striped skirt to the crisp button-down and strand of pearls she wore.

  It made Katie feel all the more tired and rumpled, especially since Emily had just listened to her throwing up most of the bagel she’d had for breakfast.

  “Don’t get too close,” she warned as she stepped to the sink to wash her hands and splash cold water on her face. She glanced at herself in the mirror and grimaced. Under the bathroom’s fluorescent lights, her skin looked even pastier, the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced. “I thought I was just tired from being swamped at the bakery and the extra work for the festival. I guess I’ve caught some kind of a bug.”

  Emily balanced one thin hip on the corner of the sink. “You’re pregnant.”

  Katie’s hand stilled on the handle of the towel dispenser. She turned to Emily, water dripping off her face. “No, I’m not.”

  Emily rolled her pale blue eyes. “Are you sure? Noah was lecturing me on how I need to do more for the festival because you’re exhausted.” She handed another paper towel to Katie. “I’ve seen how much you eat during the committee meetings.”

  “I don’t...” Katie broke off. She had been extra hungry lately, but she blamed it on needing fuel to keep up with all of her commitments.

  “And...” Emily waved a hand toward Katie’s blouse. “No offense, but I don’t remember you being quite so...well-endowed.”

  Katie glanced down at her chest, her eyes widening at the cleavage on display. She quickly fastened another button on her chambray shirt. “Maybe it’s a new bra.”

  “Is it a new bra?”

  “I... That doesn’t mean...” She inhaled, her lungs suddenly constricting. “No, it’s not new. Why are you in here anyway? Can’t a girl puke in peace?”

  “I was using the restroom and wanted to make sure you’re okay.” She leaned forward. “Are you, Katie?”

  Katie placed her hands on the cool porcelain of the white sink, ignoring the slight tremble of her arms. She did the math in her head and moaned. “This can’t be happening. We used protection,” she mumbled, her stomach rolling once again.

  “Nothing is foolproof,” Emily said. “Is it safe to assume the baby is Noah’s?”

  “Of course. If there is a baby.” Katie glanced up at Emily in the mirror. “I need to take a pregnancy test. Nothing is certain until then.”

  “Noah’s going to be a father.” Emily tapped a finger on her chin, one corner of her mouth lifting. “At least I won’t be the most messed-up person in the family anymore.”

  At this comment Katie straightened and turned to Emily. “Noah isn’t messed up.” She hugged her arms to her stomach. “And my baby...” She paused, let the implications of those two words sink in. My baby. “If there is a baby,” she clarified, “that’s not messed up, either. Noah will make a wonderful father.” There was that stomach rolling again.

  Emily arched one eyebrow.

  “But don’t say anything,” Katie added quickly. “To anyone.”

  “You’re not going to tell Noah?”

  “There’s nothing to tell until I take the test and talk to my doctor.” She bit down on her lip. “I don’t want... Things are so new between us, you know? I don’t want to freak him out if this is just me getting regular sick. It’s the first morning I’ve thrown up, so it could be nothing.”

  “He cares about you.”

  “But he’s not... We’re not...” She brushed away a tear from the corner of her eye. “I told him I wanted a family. What if he thinks this is a trap? I don’t know if he’s ready for this. How can he be?”

  “Are you?” Emily’s voice was gentle.

  Katie breathed through the panic that constricted her lungs, and the next instant it was gone. She took a few more breaths, put her hand on her chest and found her heartbeat returning to its regular rhythm. “Yes.” She nodded once, suddenly sure of this one thing. “Yes, I’m ready. If I’m pregnant, I’ll love that baby with my whole heart. I’ll give him or her the best life I know how to create.”

  Emily’s normally cool expression warmed as pink colored her cheeks. She took two steps toward Katie and wrapped her in a hug. “Congratulations, then. Being a mom is the best and hardest job in the world.”

  Katie opened her mouth to tell Emily that nothing was certain yet, then stopped herself. Her fingers drifted to her belly and she knew. “I’m going to be a mom,” she whispered and looked at Emily with a new understanding. “Watching your son struggle has to be the hardest part.” She didn’t ask a question, but stated the obvious fact.

>   “More than leaving my marriage and my life or crawling back to Crimson after I’d sworn never to return.” Emily bit down on her lip. “To me, Davey is perfect, but no one in Boston saw him that way. If I could take away what he has to go through, the challenges that his life might hold, I’d do it in a millisecond. But I wouldn’t change him. I love him for the boy he is, not who he might have been if things were different.”

  “He’s lucky to have you.”

  “And my brother is lucky to have you, Katie. You might be the best thing that ever happened to him.”

  Both women turned when the door to the restroom slammed shut. Katie took three steps forward to peer around the entrance to the community center’s main hallway. No one was there, but something had made the door move. She opened it and looked both ways down the hall, but it was empty.

  As Emily came up behind her, both women stepped out of the restroom.

  “Weird,” Emily murmured.

  “You don’t think someone was eavesdropping?” Katie asked, her voice a nervous croak.

  “I think the only people here this early are on the festival committee, and I’m sure any of those women would have announced themselves.”

  Katie glanced at her watch. “The meeting was scheduled to start ten minutes ago. I need to get in there.”

  “Do you want me to handle it?”

  Katie glanced at Emily.

  “Not the festival,” she quickly clarified. “But today’s meeting. If you give me your notes, I can go over things with everyone. Organizing volunteers is one of my few useful skills.”

  Katie hesitated. She didn’t like to depend on other people. It made her feel as if she wasn’t pulling her own weight, weak and useless, even though she understood that was just the leftover dysfunction from her childhood. “That would be great,” she said after a moment. “Jase will be there, too, and he can answer any questions that come up from the subcommittee chairs.”

  “Of course.” Emily’s smile was wry. “Perfect Jase can handle anything.”

  “He’s not—”

  “Never mind,” the other woman interrupted. “All hands on deck and whatnot.”

  “Thank you.” Katie took the binder from her tote bag and handed it to Emily. “I’m heading to the pharmacy—”

  “You might want to—”

  Katie held up a hand. “To the pharmacy over in Aspen where no one will recognize me. Then to my doctor if the test is positive. You promise you won’t tell Noah?”

  “Promise.”

  With another quick hug, Katie walked out of the community center into the morning light. This day was going to change her life, of that much she was certain. She just hoped the change wouldn’t cost her Noah.

  * * *

  Three days before the Founder’s Day Festival, Noah turned his truck off the Forest Service access road and headed for town. He’d been up most of the night, investigating reports of teenagers partying near one of the campsites above a popular hiking trail. The local emergency dispatcher had received an anonymous call about possible vandalism and a bonfire. The vandalism was bad, but a fire could potentially be catastrophic to the area.

  Noah had had plans with Katie last night, like he had almost every evening since July Fourth. They took turns at her place or she’d come to dinner at his mom’s. With Katie at his side, he’d even managed through a family barbecue with John Moore, who was quickly becoming his mother’s steady boyfriend.

  It had been strange to see another man in his parents’ kitchen, gamely helping his mom chop vegetables for a salad and making beer runs to the garage refrigerator. Logan and Olivia had been there now that she was feeling better, along with Jake and Millie. Jake and John had done some shoptalk about the hospital, but Noah had to admit the older doctor was comfortable with all of them. And his mother had radiated happiness.

  Noah understood that feeling, barely able to keep the goofy grin off his face every time he looked at Katie. He loved her. Was madly in love with her. He hadn’t told her yet, but he planned to later tonight. As promised, he’d made a reservation at a five-star restaurant in Aspen. His relationship with Katie had been casual for too long. He’d taken her for granted and was determined that she understood how much he’d changed.

  Something was off with her, and he worried it had to do with not trusting his feelings for her. She was quieter, sometimes staring off into space as if she was a thousand miles away. When he asked her about it, she claimed she was tired but it felt...different. He’d walked in on Emily and her arguing in the kitchen of his mom’s house, both women startling when he came into the room. They’d said it was simply a disagreement about the Founder’s Day Festival, but he didn’t believe them. That night Katie had clung to him as they made love, holding on as though she thought he might slip away at any moment.

  She didn’t trust that he wasn’t going to leave her. He needed to tell her how he felt so she could relax. The idea of talking about his emotions made him prickly all over, but he was in love with Katie. He hadn’t felt like this for so long—his whole life, maybe—and he was ready to risk opening himself up again.

  He took a quick shower then picked up a bouquet of flowers on his way through downtown. He couldn’t resist a visit to the bakery before heading to his office. One night away and he needed to see her face before he started his day. He laughed, wondering what his friends would think if they could see him now. He didn’t care. He finally understood why some of his buddies looked so content as their women led them around on a string. Nothing mattered more than wrapping his arms around Katie.

  The bakery was crowded with both locals and summer tourists, the two young women behind the counter hustling to fill orders. Katie wasn’t part of the action, which surprised him. Normally she was front and center with customers during peak hours. He waved to a few people he knew, then walked to the edge of the display cabinet.

  “She in back?” he asked Lelia.

  “Um... I think so,” the woman muttered, not meeting Noah’s gaze as she bent to select a pastry from the cabinet. “But she’s kind of busy this morning. Do you want me to tell her you stopped by?”

  “I’ll tell her myself,” he said, holding up the bouquet. “No one is too busy for flowers, right?”

  He opened the door to the bakery’s kitchen quietly. If he could manage it, he wanted to sneak up on Katie, wrap his arms around her and hear her squeal of surprise before she melted into him.

  But it was Noah who was in for the surprise, because Katie wasn’t alone. She and Tori stood at the far counter, in front of the deep stainless-steel sink. Katie was shaking her head, clearly distraught, as Tori spoke. Noah started to move forward, anger gripping him that his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t leave Katie alone. He froze in place when he heard her hiss the words pregnant and liar.

  Katie’s gaze slammed into his. So many emotions flashed through her brown eyes—love, guilt and regret. He shook his head as if denying it would ward off the truth of the scene unfolding in front of him.

  Tori turned after a moment, her eyes widening at the sight of him. “This isn’t exactly what I’d planned,” she said, visibly swallowing. “But I guess the secret’s out now. Or is about to be. How much did you hear, Noah?”

  “Enough,” he said through clenched teeth, keeping his eyes on Tori. He’d thought she was perfect when they were together, but now her expensive sun-kissed highlights and flawless makeup made her appear to be trying too hard. And like before, what she was trying to do was ruin his life.

  She gave the barest nod, took a step toward him. “Then you know I wasn’t the only one guilty of hurting you that night.”

  “You were having sex with one of my friends.”

  “It was stupid,” she agreed. “A meaningless fling before you asked me to marry you. You were going to propose to me before graduation.”

&nbs
p; “But I didn’t.”

  “Because of the anonymous note,” she all but spit. “Now you know who wrote it. Your precious, oh-so-perfect Katie-bug. You think she cared about you, but she only wanted to break us up so she could have you all to herself.”

  He saw Katie close her eyes and shake her head.

  “Now you’re stuck with her,” Tori continued. “But she still won’t tell you the truth.” She whirled on Katie. “Was this all part of some master twisted plan?”

  “Of course not,” Katie answered, her voice shaking. “I didn’t mean... This isn’t...” She seemed to shrink in on herself, crossing her arms over her stomach as she spoke. A baby was growing in her stomach. His baby. Noah’s knees went weak at the thought.

  “Get out of here, Tori.” He pointed to the door. “This is none of your business anymore.”

  “I understand.” Tori’s voice turned to the whine he remembered so well. “But she isn’t—”

  “Get out,” Noah yelled, flipping his arm wide, sending several baking sheets drying on the counter crashing to the floor as he did. Katie jumped at the noise and Tori suddenly looked unsure of herself. Noah wasn’t known for his temper. Even when he’d discovered Tori cheating, he’d simply compartmentalized his feelings and walked away. But now, in this moment, he could barely contain the emotions that rattled through him. It felt as if a virus had infected his body and was eating away at his heart even as it still beat in his chest. The pain was almost unbearable.

  “I just want you to know I’m not the only one who deceived you,” Tori said then stalked through the door to the front of the shop.

  Lelia poked her head in a moment later. “Everything okay?”

  “We’re fine,” Katie said in a shaky voice at the same time Noah growled, “Get out.”

  When they were alone, Katie spoke in a whisper. “I’m sorry, Noah.” He felt her step toward him but kept his eyes on the ground. “I never meant—”

  “Don’t.” He held up one hand. He could not bear it if she touched him right now. All that need for her had warped, and turned ugly in the space of a few moments. He hardly trusted himself to speak, but if she touched him he’d be a goner for sure.