by Eden Finley
I slept in because the late-night shifts and pregnancy were beginning to kick my ass. And while it was my night off last night, I went to bed at eight PM and slept thirteen hours straight.
Stumbling into the kitchen, I had to pause at the sight.
“Ready?” Spencer asked Cody.
They were standing by the burners and Spencer turned the handle of a frypan towards my son. Spencer had always been Uncle Spence, but seeing them bonding over pancakes did something to me.
God, what was wrong with me? My eyes were watering over breakfast, for fuck’s sake.
“What if I miss again?” Cody asks.
“We’ll give that pancake to your mother.” He turned to me and winked. He knew I was standing there, watching. “If you miss, we try again. And if we run out of batter before we flip one successfully, I’ll take you and your mum out for breakfast.”
Cody reached for the handle. Spence stepped back as Cody tossed the pancake. When it landed back in the pan, he got so excited he dropped the whole thing to the floor.
Metal hit tile and I had to cover my ears from the clang.
“So close,” Spencer said with a laugh as he jumped back. “Next try we’ll do it without dropping the pan, yeah?” He nudged Cody with his elbow and smiled.
“But I did it,” Cody exclaimed.
“You sure did,” I said and stepped farther into the kitchen.
“You saw?” Cody’s face lit up.
“Yup. Now let’s see it again.”
We spent the morning in laughter, trying to flip pancakes, but it was almost ten by the time we got to eat anything thanks to half of them landing on the floor.
Cody was finished eating and back in his room before I’d made it halfway through my meal. Spencer got up at one point and fiddled in the kitchen. When he came back, he slid a coffee in front of me.
“Thank you. And thank you for distracting Cody this morning while I slept in.”
“Are you all right? You slept for a gazillion hours.”
“You try being pregnant,” I snapped.
“I would if I could, but I lack that important thing known as a uterus.”
Our banter and conversation was back to normal, as if Friday night never happened. I was relieved, but that didn’t stop disappointment slamming into me at the same time.
“I wish we were seahorses.” I sighed.
“Because seahorse sex is better than human sex?”
“Because the male carries and gives birth to the babies.”
“Ah. Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything I can get you, or—”
I waved him off. “I’m fine. Exhaustion comes with the territory.”
“So, uh, should we start talking about names? Or is it too early for that?”
“To be honest, with everything that’s happened, I’ve barely had time to register that I’m having another child, let alone think of names. But we can definitely discuss it.”
“Oh. Okay. Umm, I’ve got nothing.”
I laughed. “Then why bring it up?”
“I was hoping you had something.”
“Maybe we could come up with a list each. There’s no rush. We might decide on a name, and then he pops out looking nothing like it.”
“Sounds good. And, umm, I also have a bit of a favour to ask.” He averted his gaze, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he might’ve been sweating.
“Okaaaay?”
“Do you think you’d be able to come with me to tell my mother? She’ll want to meet you, and I’d feel better taking you and showing her this situation isn’t a one-night stand with some random girl type thing and that we’re doing this together … even though we aren’t together.”
I smiled.
“What?”
“I think it’s cute you’re scared of your mother.”
“Yeah, yeah, not much of a shock that I’m a mumma’s boy. I grew up with no dad and three older sisters. I needed someone to run to when the girls were beating me up.”
“You tattled on your sisters?”
“Constantly.” He laughed.
“I’ll go with you. When were you going to tell her? And what about Cody?”
“He could come, or maybe Cole could take him an extra night? Up to you. Cody’s my son’s older brother so I’m sure Mum would want to meet him too.”
I nodded. “Let me know when.”
“Umm, next Sunday?” His voice broke.
My fork dropped to my plate and made a loud clatter. That was really soon. I thought I’d have a few weeks or maybe a month to psych myself into it. “Sure.” At least my voice sounded confident.
“Okay, I’ll let Mum know you’re both coming.”
“Great.” Yeah, not so confident that time.
***
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” he murmured when we pulled up to his mother’s house.
“For what?”
“That car”—he pointed to an older Camry parked in the driveway—“is Tammy’s car. And that one”—he pointed to a minivan on the street—“is Becca’s car. And though I can’t see Chrissy’s car, she’s probably inside because she lives a block that way.” He points behind us. “I guess Mum called them and told them I was bringing a girl home. They haven’t met any of my girlfriends apart from Shayla, and they all hated her.”
“You’re not exactly making me excited about meeting your family.”
He waved me off. “You know what I mean. My sisters already know about the baby, but Mum probably assumed I was bringing you to introduce you as my girlfriend. God, I’m about to break her heart.”
I reached over and touched his arm. “It’s okay. Yeah, she’ll be disappointed, but we’re handling this. We’re trying to be mature and work this out. If she can’t see that, someone once told me that we’re at an age we can tell our parents to”—I glanced back at Cody in the backseat but he was distracted by his iPad. I lowered my voice—“fuck off, and they can’t do anything about it.” I winked.
He laid his hand on top of mine. “Thank you for doing this with me.”
“Come on, let’s go see if your mother’s heart is in working condition.”
“Might have to have an ambulance on standby,” he said dryly.
I turned to face Cody. “Come on, buddy, time to put the tablet down.”
“Muuum,” he whined.
“My nieces are probably inside,” Spencer said. “They’re a bit younger than you, but I’m sure they’ll want to play.”
Cody shot me a look to let me know he wasn’t happy with that idea.
“Can you give us a sec?” I asked Spencer.
With a nod, he exited the car.
“Cody,” I started.
“Okay, okay, it’s gone.” He threw his iPad on the seat next to him.
“Bud, I know this is weird. But remember a few weeks ago when we sat down with your dad and explained Spencer was your little brother’s dad?”
“Yeah.”
It was an odd conversation. He took everything on board, but it all seemed too easy. I was worried Cody was hiding resentment towards the baby or even Spencer. Maybe Paige for being with his dad. Cody seemed fine on the outside, but I was his mother. Something was brewing; I just didn’t know what.
“Well, this is Spencer’s family we’re going to meet tonight. They’re going to part of our lives because they’re related to your brother. Do you understand what I mean?”
He shrugged.
I didn’t know how else to explain it. “We won’t be here long because it’s a school night, so please be on your best behaviour.”
“Whatever.”
I clenched my jaw. “What have I said about using that word?”
He rolled his eyes. Man, he was getting into this teenager attitude a tad early.
“That I’m not old enough to not care what you say yet. Newsflash, Mum, I am old enough.”
I threw my head back on my headrest and silently mouthed “Lord, help me.”
Despite his protests in the
car, Cody was more excitable on the walk to the front door.
Me, on the other hand, I was running worst-case scenarios through my head. They were all going to hate me.
I tried to reassure myself that if Spencer’s family were anything like him, they’d be nice and welcoming.
Are you anything like your family?
Fuck.
“They’ll love you. I hope,” he said.
“Thanks for the courage booster.”
“You’ve got this. They’re good people.”
“You might be biased. Also, your sisters scare me.”
He smiled wider. “They’re all adults now. I swear they haven’t beaten me up in, like, two years.”
“Booger!” a blonde woman screeched as she answered the door.
“Okay, they’re all adults except for this one. Tammy, this is Reece and her son, Cody. Tammy is the crazy one who at thirty-two doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up.”
“And I love being introduced like that. Is that the thing I’m going to be famous for? My headstone will read ‘Tamara Crowley. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life.’”
I immediately liked her. Hell, that could’ve been written on my headstone.
She stepped aside to let us in. “It’s nice to meet you, Reece.”
“You too.”
I leaned in to whisper to Spencer as we entered the foyer. “Booger?”
“Tell anyone at the office and you’re fired.”
I grinned. “Now I know how Trevor feels.”
Before he could respond, a girl around five years old came running up to Spencer and jumped into his arms.
“Uncle Spence!”
“Lily!” He screeched back and lifted her into the air.
The woman I remembered from high school walked into the entryway. The child in her arms looked a year or two too old to be carried around. “Hi, Reece. It’s good to see you again.”
I gave her a nod. “Becca.”
“This is Charlotte.”
“Charlie,” the little girl said while burying her head in Becca’s neck. With Charlie’s free hand, she reached up and pulled on her mother’s mousy brown hair.
“She’s shy,” Becca said.
“Hi, Charlie,” I beamed and glanced above her head to Becca. “Seems you’ve got your hands full these days.” The girls couldn’t have been more than eighteen months apart.
“That’s an understatement. I should’ve gone your route and had a large age gap.” She winced. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I keep forgetting Mum doesn’t know yet.”
Spencer put Lily back on the ground. “That’s about to change.” He turned to my son. “Here, Cody, I’ll put the TV on for you.” On the right was a large living room with kids’ toys splayed on nearly every inch of carpet.
“Thanks,” Cody said and threw himself on the couch. At least he’s remembering his manners.
When Spencer grabbed hold of my hand again, I gulped so loud he turned and smirked at me.
He dragged me through the decent-sized house until we found his mum in the kitchen.
The aroma of garlic made my mouth water. If the smell of the food was anything to go by, I’d probably ask to bathe in it if I couldn’t control myself.
My stomach growled, but I ignored it.
Spencer’s mum was younger than I was expecting. Spencer said she was a retired nurse, but she was definitely younger than sixty. I wondered how a single mother of four could’ve retired early. She had short blonde hair, in a cute pixie cut that was a similar shade to Spencer’s and Tammy’s. She was tall and lean, just like her kids.
“Yo, Mum,” Spencer called out.
She turned with a huge smile on her face. “My baby boy.”
“Oh geez,” he muttered. He didn’t let me go as she came over and hugged him.
When she pulled away, her eyes set on me, then our conjoined hands, and then finally my tiny baby bump.
“Hi, Reece. I remember you from Spencer’s school days.” She stepped forward and awkwardly hugged me.
“You do?” I asked, surprised.
She stepped back. “Of course. He talked about you nonstop.”
“Thanks for that, Mum,” Spencer mumbled.
Her eyes flew to my stomach again and then to Spencer. “I don’t want to assume anything here, and I’m incredibly sorry if I’m jumping the gun, but it’s not a large lunch that made her belly stick out like that, is it?”
“Mum,” Tammy said, coming into the room. “What if Reece is just chubby?”
I tried to swallow an inappropriate giggle, especially when Spencer’s mum paled.
“Mrs. Crowley—”
“Elliot,” Spencer corrected. “Sorry, I should’ve told you Mum goes by her maiden name.”
“But you can call me Beth. Ms. Elliot makes me feel older than I’d like.”
“Beth,” I said like a moron. “I, umm …”
“You were married to Spencer’s friend, Cole, right?” she asked.
“I was. Uh, we divorced a few years ago. Our son is currently watching your TV.” I thought I should add that in case it was about to get loud in here.
“And this,” Spencer said, putting his hand over my bump, “is my son.”
“Son? How far along are you? You don’t look big enough to know it’s a boy. Did you need in-vitro testing?” She may’ve been a retired nurse, but those instincts obviously never went away. “Is something wrong with the baby? A grandson? My first grandson?” Tears pooled in her eyes as she rambled off her questions. It was cute.
I laughed nervously.
“Your first grandson, Mum.” Spencer ignored her other questions.
“How long have you been dating? Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?”
“Mum,” Tammy said, “slow down.”
I loved Spencer’s sister. I mouthed “thank you” to her.
“Mum, maybe you should sit down. Tam, could you take over cooking dinner?” Spencer asked.
“Where’s Chrissy? She knows how to cook, unless you want the taste of charcoal mixed in with your food.”
“I’m here. I’m here.” Another voice came from the doorway. “Sorry I’m late. Has he told Mum she was a one-night stand yet—” She stopped short of the archway to the kitchen. At our widened eyes, she stuttered. “O-oh, shit. I guess not.”
“One night?” Beth croaked.
Unless you count him mauling me on his couch last week.
Yeah, don’t say that.
“Sit,” Spencer said, gesturing to the dining table. “Chrissy, take over in the kitchen.”
“I’ll help,” Tammy said.
As Beth took a seat at the table, Spencer leaned in to me. “Tammy is literally going to stand there and listen in.”
I chuckled.
“So,” Beth said and then looked at us expectantly.
I sat in the chair, my head bowed like a scolded schoolgirl.
“So,” Spencer said, “you know Reece and I have been friends since high school.”
“No one got pregnant by being friends, Spencer.” Beth raised her eyebrows at her son.
“We … uh—” Spencer stammered.
“I was having a lost moment,” I cut in. “Spencer was there for me, and one thing led to another …”
“We’re still good friends,” Spencer said and reached across the table to hold my hand. “And we’re doing this together. We’re just not a couple.”
Beth leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. “I have one question: why?”
15
SPENCER
That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?
Why weren’t Reece and I a couple? Why were we doing this together but separately?
After Blair’s pathetic excuse for a pep talk, I realised he was right. And I wasn’t ashamed to admit I was now playing dirty.
My sisters? I invited them. They were all under strict instructions to make Mum accept Reece and me and defend us again
st her questions which I knew were coming. Why we weren’t together was the first one I was expecting, and she didn’t disappoint.
Not many people would use their family as a secret weapon to win over the girl they were chasing, but not all families were like mine.
Reece had grown up with people who always deemed her not good enough. In my family, it didn’t matter whether you had a one-night stand and raised a kid on your own. It didn’t matter if you were in your thirties and had no direction. It didn’t matter if you were a housewife, looking after two girls while your husband worked crazy hours to provide for you. It didn’t matter if you were a single mother of four kids. As long as you were a decent person, my family would’ve accepted you. And Reece needed to be accepted.
She’d done some shitty things in the past, but everyone was capable of doing nasty shit. And it wasn’t as if she’d killed someone.
I slept with my best friend’s ex-wife when I knew she had a fiancé. I got arrested for a bar fight. I was certainly no saint. But I knew I was a decent person.
All Reece had heard all her life was she wasn’t deserving. She wasn’t good enough because she wasn’t as smart as her brother and sister. She was a bitch for leaving Cole instead of helping him through his issues. She was a slut when she cheated on her fiancé with me.
I didn’t see it that way, but I guessed she did. She didn’t focus on the positives. She was an excellent mother, and everything she did was for her kids.
I’d be there for her when she finally realised she was worthy of happiness. I was in it for the long game.
“Why aren’t you two trying to make a go of a real relationship?” Mum asked. “Just sitting here with you, I can already tell you respect each other, you like each other, you keep holding hands—”
I pulled my hand out from Reece’s. With a rehearsed answer already in my head, I went to open my mouth, but Reece cut me off.
“When Spencer and I got together, I was in a bad place. I was trapped in a relationship I didn’t want to be in.”
I wasn’t expecting her to tell my mother that. This conversation might’ve just taken a turn for the worse.
“My fiancé was nice, and he treated me decently, but I was only with him because I knew he’d never hurt me like my ex-husband did. I dunno if—”
“She knows what happened between you and Cole,” I said. It was probably wrong of me to tell my mother their business, but when it happened, I was angry, and Mum was the only one I was comfortable talking about it to because I didn’t know how to handle it.