Tripped Up Love

by Farley, Julie

  “Sweet! We have this whole place to ourselves!” said Henry.

  “You know one time Peter rented an entire restaurant for us to have lunch in so no one would bother us.” Heather wasn’t sure what possessed her to tell them that. She guessed it was to further impress Henry. He seemed so excited to have the restaurant to themselves.

  “Seriously, you did?” asked Henry.

  “Yep. My friend owns the restaurant, and he just opened it up to the public a little later.”

  “Cool. You must be pretty powerful,” said Henry.

  “Not really powerful,” answered Peter. “So, your mom got some good news this week.”

  Heather’s face turned bright red. She couldn’t imagine he was actually going to tell them, but what if he did blurt it out?

  “Really, what?” asked Gracie, looking at her mom curiously.

  “There are a couple of publishers interested in her book.” Heather breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Cool, Mom. That means we’re going to Hawaii and getting a pool if it’s published, right?”

  “What?” asked Peter.

  “I promised these guys we would put a pool in and go on a trip to Hawaii if my book was published.”

  “Pretty big promises!” Peter smiled, knowing he would be able to make each come true.

  “If we start on the pool soon, it will be ready for the summer,” said Henry.

  “Mom, could we go to Hawaii for Christmas?” asked Gracie.

  “Hold on guys. Peter said publishers are interested not they definitely want it.”

  “Only a matter of time, Heather. Only a matter of time.”

  The waitress took their order. Heather was desperate to have a beer and for a split second forgot she couldn’t. Peter decided not to drink either.

  “You guys want to go night tubing after dinner?” asked Peter.

  “Yes!” said three happy voices. “Can we, Mom?”

  “Of course. Wish I could go but I’ve got this stupid boot.” Heather was so distracted by having to tell them she was pregnant. Heather had a habit, a bad one, of making life harder for herself than it had to be. She hemmed and hawed over everything. Very uncharacteristically, as was everything she was doing with Peter, she just decided to get it over with. Then maybe she could focus on the future, immediate and distant.

  “Guys, I have some other news too.” The table got really quiet. Peter grabbed Heather’s hand. The kids looked scared like Heather might tell them she was sick.

  “Peter and I are going to have a baby.”

  “WHAT?” asked Hayes in complete disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How embarrassing! What will all my friends say when they see you pregnant?”

  “I thought you had to be married to have a baby,” said Henry.

  “No, you dummy, you don’t HAVE to be married but you SHOULD be!” said Hayes.

  Heather took a deep breath. She didn’t want this to turn into a conversation about the birds and the bees. Peter chimed in. “We’re going to get married sometime. I love your mom, and I love you guys. I hope sometime soon we’ll all be a family. I also hope we won’t worry so much about what all of our friends say about this. It’s really only our business.”

  Peter forgot to mention the married part to Heather. She sat in a bit of a stunned silence.

  “Mom, when will the baby be born?” asked Gracie smiling.

  “Sometime in July.”

  “That’s a long time, but at least we’ll have a pool then,” said Henry. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

  “We don’t know yet. You guys can come with us when we find out.”

  Hayes sat at the table with a huge pout. He rolled his eyes in disbelief and slouched in his chair. Heather thought a positive reaction from 2 out of 3 was more than she could have hoped for.

  “Is that why you brought us up here, to tell us?” asked Hayes.

  “It’s one of the reasons. We wanted to get away.” Heather knew she couldn’t tell him it was leaked on Twitter. They were too young to understand that. Heather wasn’t old enough to understand that. Thankfully their dinner arrived so the awkward silence could be filled with eating.

  “You don’t look pregnant, Mom,” said Henry.

  “Well, I’m only a few weeks pregnant. I have a little while before I get fat.”

  “Gracie and Hayes, do you remember when your mom was pregnant with Henry?”

  “I do, a little,” said Gracie. “I remember going to the hospital to meet him. He peed all over Daddy’s shirt.”

  Heather laughed. Gracie was right. Heather was happy Gracie had those memories.

  “I remember Grandma took us to Build-a-Bear,” said Hayes.

  Heather smiled because she knew it was a positive sign that Hayes was contributing to the conversation at all. “She did, and you guys made Henry a bear with a leather jacket.”

  “Can we do that for this baby?” asked Henry.

  “Definitely,” said Peter.

  “Where are we going to put it?” asked Henry.

  “Not sure yet. We’ll figure all that out soon,” said Heather.

  “Maybe it could stay at Peter’s apartment,” said Hayes. It was too much to hope for to think Hayes would completely accept the situation.

  They finished dinner and were anxious to go tubing. Peter walked over to get the car because he knew coming back up the hill would be hard for Heather and her boot. Heather stood on the observation deck and watched them tube. They made a train with Peter in the lead and went spiraling down the hill. Peter helped Gracie and Henry with their tubes, and everyone seemed happy. Heather could see Hayes talking to Peter. She was curious to know what they were talking about. Hayes was participating in the conversation. She figured it had to be about sports. Either that or he was solidifying his plan to move his half-sibling into Peter’s place - in New York City.

  They played video games in this place called The Dome after tubing. Heather impressed the kids by schooling Peter in Ms. Pac Man. Everyone seemed happy, and Heather saw a future, which was more than she had seen 24 hours ago. Things were looking up.

  Chapter 35

  Heather found herself tossing her cookies in the porcelain throne on Saturday morning. She made her way back into bed with Gracie, trying not to wake her up. But she did.

  “Mom, are you ok?”

  “Yeah, sweetie. Sometimes when you’re pregnant it makes you throw up in the morning. It’s called morning sickness. I did it with you and the boys too.”

  “Want me to get you something?”

  “Maybe a glass of water?”

  “K.”

  Peter came in with Gracie armed with a large glass of ice water. He sat down on the bed next to Heather. He was in his pajamas. Heather realized she had never seen him in pajamas. They didn’t wear them when they had their sleepovers. He had flannel pants and a nice tight white tee on. Heather wished she could pick her head off the pillow to get a better view.

  Peter yawned. He had stayed up and done some work on his laptop. He had let the realtor know he was interested in the mill house. He just needed to take Heather there. Since it wasn’t occupied, he knew he could move quickly on it. Peter also started to plan a trip to Hawaii for Christmas. He wanted to be in the business of making dreams come true.

  “Not feeling so well?” asked Peter.

  “Nope. Can’t believe it started already.”

  “You take it easy. I’ll make the kids some breakfast and take them up to the pool.”

  Heather wanted to hang out with them too, but her nausea was telling her other things. She made her way to the sofa bed so she could at least feel like she was part of things. Hayes was freaked out that Heather was sick. Anytime Heather was vulnerable it made him worry. The therapist told Heather that was normal after a child loses one parent; they will always fear losing the other. She tried explaining to Hayes that this was normal and actually meant everything was fine, but he didn’t seem to worry any less. Swimming with Peter would hopefully take his mi
nd off of it.

  “Is Henry a good swimmer?” asked Peter, realizing he was taking three kids to the pool by himself.

  “He can hold his own. You need to keep a close eye on him in the deep end. Stick to the shallow end.”

  As soon as they were off, Heather checked her email and Facebook on her phone. There were messages of congratulations - news always traveled quickly in her ‘hood - and there were messages asking if it was really true. Victoria sent her an email that simply said Way to hook him! So everyone must think Heather did this on purpose. The desperate little widow snags a handsome and rich author. Another wave of nausea hit, and Heather ran for the bathroom. She brushed away the taste on her teeth, wiped the tears from her eyes, and turned on the water for a shower. She was worried about being alone. Alone with three kids at the house and feeling sick. Heather was sure Peter would stop by more frequently, but the enormity of her situation hit her. It was hard enough caring for the kids and the house on her own, and now she still had a stupid boot and morning sickness. Jenny would help and so would her mom, but Heather was tired of being pitied and needing help. She had hopes of needing less when she met Peter, but the opposite was happening. Her hormones put her on a roller coaster, but Heather got out of the shower, dressed and wiped away the tears. Peter had left a bagel on the counter for her, and she toasted it and tried to eat some. Each of her pregnancies had brought different cravings. She wondered what this one would bring besides crazy morning sickness.

  The kids and Peter came back happy and wet.

  “Mom, that guy’s ripped. He’s got a six pack,” said Henry.

  Peter laughed. Hayes rolled his eyes.

  “That guy can really do a mean dead man’s float,” said Peter pointing to Henry. Last summer the lifeguards had panicked every time Henry jumped in the pool because he always stayed under just long enough to make you worry.

  “Go take a quick shower guys and get dressed.”

  The kids ran off and Peter put his arms around Heather’s shoulders.

  “Feeling better?”

  “A bit.”

  “Wasn’t easy sleeping without you last night.”

  “I’m glad we slept apart. Otherwise you would have heard me hurling into the toilet at the crack of dawn.”

  “I guess I’m destined to see all you have to offer before we hit our two month anniversary. You are keeping me on my toes, babe.”

  “Babe? Did you just call Mom babe? Mom, why don’t you let me call you babe?” asked Henry.

  “She’s my babe and your mom.”

  “I’m starved, babe,” said Henry pushing his luck.

  “Ugh…Henry! Ok, we’ll get some lunch on our way out. Make sure all your stuff is packed up.”

  Peter cleaned everything up and helped the kids get packed up. Heather felt a little better after she ate the bagel, but she was still exhausted. That put-your-head-down-anywhere kind of exhausted that only comes with the first trimester. The ride down the mountain was trying. Heather ordered baked potato soup at lunch and threw it up along the windy roads near Charlottesville. Peter was starting to get worried about her.

  “Were you this sick with the other guys?”

  “Yes, not quite so early though. It’s a good sign but not easy when you need to take care of three other kids.”

  Hayes was sitting in the backseat leaning his head against the window. Heather was worried about all that was on his mind. She thought she might make him another appointment with the therapist. This was a lot for her to handle and was surely a lot for him too.

  “Guys, can you help me get ready for our football partay tomorrow?” asked Peter.

  “Sure,” said Hayes. “Actually, would you stay with us tonight in case Mom needs anything?”

  Heather’s eyes filled with tears, happy and sad tears. So happy Hayes was accepting Peter and so sad he was that worried about her. Peter saw the tears and reached over and held Heather’s hand.

  “Buddy, I wouldn’t dream of leaving you guys at home alone when your mom isn’t feeling well. I’m so glad that you asked me.”

  “You can stay in my room if you want,” offered Henry.

  “No, thanks. I heard you keep dead animals in there!” Henry laughed. “I’ll stay in the guest room. We’ll go right to my place on the way home, and I can pack up some things.”

  All Heather could manage was a thank you as she put her head back and fell asleep.

  Chapter 36

  Peter picked up chicken curry sandwiches from Cafe Noveau. It was the only thing Heather could think of she would want to eat. Peter had kindly, and desperately, offered to go anywhere to get her whatever she wanted. Lucky for him, she craved his brother-in-law’s sandwiches. After dinner and a little bit of TV, Peter and Heather sent everyone to bed. Gracie offered to sleep in her own room as long as she could take the t-shirt quilt with her. Even without Gracie in her bed, Heather wasn’t sure she wanted Peter in the bed she shared with Hank. That was one part of her relationship she was going to have to take slowly. Peter rubbed Heather’s feet, and they watched some old episodes of Friends, a trend that was continuing with them.

  “Did you figure out anything more about the infamous tweet?”

  “No, my people in New York are working on it. Aiden’s supposed to text me if she hears anything.”

  “She knows?”

  “Now she does. The cat’s out of the bag.”

  “What did she say about it?”

  “Not much. She was pretty quiet. She’s worried about me being distracted.”

  “Are you worried?” Heather knew Aiden was trying to cast doubt on their relationship

  “Not at all. And so what if I do get distracted? I ‘ve earned a little distraction, and you my lady, have proven to be more than a little distracting.”

  “I hope that’s in a good way.”

  “Most definitely. Thanks for agreeing to let me stay here. I was going to insist. Hayes made it easy for me.”

  Heather told Peter she thought she should take Hayes back to the therapist. He agreed it was probably a good idea, even though he thought Hayes was handling it all pretty well.

  Heather was nervous about the football dinner Peter had planned. Peter went to the grocery store and returned armed with a dozen bags of food and several bouquets of flowers. Heather cleaned the first floor with the help of the three kids and some ginger ale Peter had gotten the night before. Maybe it was because Heather was older, but this morning sickness was not like she remembered. Maybe her memory was failing her as well.

  Peter started the chili, and Heather sat back and relaxed before the guests arrived. Diane, not surprisingly, was the first to arrive for the football chili extravaganza. She was ready to help and in need of being useful. Other than seeing Peter at the baseball field, she hadn’t spent any other time with him. He insisted she have a drink and sit at the bar with Heather while he finished preparing the food. The kids rushed in and gave her a hug.

  “Gram, you hear Mom’s prego?” asked Henry.

  “Yes I did. What do you think about that?”

  “I hope the little rugrat’s a boy so I can pass on all the tricks of the trade.”

  “And I hope it’s a girl because I feel outnumbered,” said Gracie.

  “Looks like they handled the news pretty well,” said Diane.

  “They did. I’ve been pretty sick, so Peter’s staying in the guest room.”

  “I can help anytime you need me. I can take the kids so you guys can have a break too. Don’t want to overwhelm Peter so quickly.”

  “He’s taken to this whole family thing pretty well. Hayes asked Peter to stay with us because he was worried about me.”

  “Wow,” said Diane as the doorbell rang again. Diane offered to get the door as Peter put the appetizers out. Donna, Phil and Lauren and her family all made their way into the kitchen. Lauren gave Heather a tight and lingering hug. Heather started to get teary because there was so much wrapped up between them. Lauren gave Heather a bag of gin
ger lollipops meant to help with morning sickness.

  “I’m going to need these. It’s been pretty bad this weekend.”

  “You were sick with the other three too,” said Donna.

  “I was, but this seems a little worse. Maybe it’s my age. There’s a reason it’s high risk to have a baby after 40.”

  “You’ll only be a few months over 40,” said Diane.

  Phil, Peter and Lauren’s husband, Matt, were getting better acquainted. Heather smiled as she looked over at him in his button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Lauren noticed her watching him, and she wiped her hand across Heather’s mouth.

  “Stop drooling!” said Lauren, but Lauren agreed there was a lot to drool over.

  The doorbell rang again, and it was Janie and her family. They arrived with a huge bouquet of flowers for Heather, beer and a container of chicken curry. Chris handed Heather the chicken curry and said, “I heard this was agreeing with you.”

  Janie and Heather hadn’t met but definitely recognized each other from school functions or passing each other in the aisle at Target. Peter showed Michael and Elizabeth where the kids were in the basement and made all of the other necessary introductions. Congratulations were offered to Heather and Peter. Heather couldn’t help but think “congratulations” wasn’t the right word for their oops. An “oh shit” might be more appropriate. Peter stood behind Heather with his arms around her and with pride, love and happiness oozing out of every pore. There was a collective relaxing of the shoulders as everyone in the room watched them together. They could see the connection, and it was clear this wasn’t a one-night fling.

  “I want Heather to park herself in this chair. Between her ankle and the baby, she needs to take it easy. Phil, will you help me get everyone drinks?” asked Peter.

  Lauren walked over, sat on the arm of Heather’s chair, and asked her how she was feeling. Heather told her how sick she’d been and that Peter was staying with her. Lauren offered to come down and spend a few days with her too to give Peter a break. Janie walked up to join the conversation.