She dragged the back of her hand across her cheeks, furiously scrubbing away the traces of tears. She wouldn’t get emotional over baked goods.
“Hello?” Her mom’s voice carried from the other room, and the older woman wandered into the living room. She broke into a huge smile when she saw Tara, and hugged her tight. “I didn’t know you were coming over. Not that I’m disappointed. Do you want some coffee? I’m making bread.”
Tara squeezed back for all she was worth, and tried to reply. Instead a dam burst and she sobbed.
“Oh, a leanbh. What’s wrong?”
Tara tried to bring the crying under control. The longer the tears flowed, the more frustrated she grew with herself. She wasn’t a little girl, she was a grown woman, weeping over something that would get fixed. That didn’t make her feel better.
“Come here.” Mom led her to the kitchen, pulled out one of the padded wooden seats, and guided her to sit. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Tara nodded and tried to compose herself.
A moment later Mom set a box of tissues on the table, and left again. She returned with a tray that held two tea cups on saucers, and two more small plates with thick slices of bread that had pats of butter on top.
“Eat. Drink. If you want to, tell me what’s wrong.” Mom laid out the food and drinks, then took the seat next to her.
Tara drew in a shuddering breath, then nibbled on the bread. She wanted to talk about it, but she didn’t know where to start. She sipped her tea—chamomile and with a hint of lavender. The flavors tugged on additional strands of the past. Mom making her tea and listening to her any time someone broke her heart in high school. When she found out about Marco...
She blinked back a fresh wave of tears. “Nathan and I had a fight. And it was a big one.”
“I’m sorry, Tara hon.” Mom patted her hand. “Was he upset about a boyfriend of yours? Or did something happen with him and Gina?”
Tara choked on a laugh. “No, Mom. It was nothing like that.” It was almost funny how much it wasn’t an issue with either of them seeing someone else.
So he’s not that much like Marco after all.
“What was it, then? He adores you. Whatever it was, I can’t imagine he meant to hurt you.”
Tara frowned into her half-empty cup of tea, watching a tiny loose twig float on top. “He lied to me. And the fallout has been pretty serious.”
Her mom sighed sympathetically. “Is it something you can forgive him for?”
“Yes. No. Maybe.” It should be. A single lie wasn’t enough to tear them apart. Am I overreacting? Tara didn’t know anymore. “Probably. It just hurt so much. I never thought he’d... I thought we were stronger than that.”
“Everyone has trouble. Your dad and I have trouble. My parents did. The fights aren’t as important as if you can forgive each other. Sometimes that’s not an option. But most of the time, it is.”
It was true. Tara could get past this. It wasn’t like her to get so emotional about things. This hurt, though.
Mom took the almost-empty teacup, and saucer from her. “Is this the kind of lie that can be forgiven?”
“Probably.” Tara scrubbed her face. She hated what happened, but she hated even more that she hadn’t seen Nathan for two days, and the last words they exchanged were an argument. She dropped her face into her hands. “I should forgive him.”
“You should talk to him. The two of you are very good at that.”
Tara smiled against her fingers. They were, weren’t they? She looked up. “I suppose so. How do you make it sound so simple?”
“Practice.”
Tara’s gaze fell to her mom’s hands, which rested near a teacup turned upside down on a saucer. She twisted her mouth, and tired amusement flitted inside. “Mom. I don’t need my leaves read.” That frequently came with the tea as well.
“It’s just for fun...” Mom trailed off when she flipped the cup upright. She stared at the damp grounds and the pattern they rested in on porcelain. “Oh.”
Tara wouldn’t ask. She didn’t want to know. “What do they say?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“What? No. I just told you I had the biggest fight ever with my boyfriend. Not a great time to be pushing me about grandchildren.”
Mom shrugged. “I don’t mean it to be pushy. I’m worried about you.”
“I’m not pregnant. I’ve been on birth control for years.”
“Don’t let you father hear that.” Mom feigned a gasp.
Tara rolled her eyes. She’d never been a proper Catholic girl, and it had been more than a decade since she hid the fact that she was sexually active. It wasn’t a dinner conversation, she just never lied about it. “Does he think I’m infertile? Magic?”
“Prove me wrong. Pick up a test at the drug store on the way home.”
“No. I’m not peeing on a stick because the tea leaves told you... what? That I’d get an unexpected visitor soon? I tattoo strangers. That could mean anything.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. This is a bad time for that conversation.” Mom rubbed her arm. “I do worry about you. If you want to stay here for a few days, the guest room is free. Or whatever you need. We love you. We want to see you happy.”
“I know. I love you too.”
They talked for a couple more hours. Swapping light gossip about Mom’s friends. Discussing future possibilities for Tara’s channel. Tossing around ideas for a family vacation. She managed to pull Dad away from his current woodworking project to say ciao to him as well.
Tara felt a lot better at the end of it all. She wished she could get Mom’s question out of her head. Are you pregnant? She heard that every other week. Why was it sticking with her today?
She gave both of her parents a hug, then climbed into the car Dad called for her.
Are you pregnant? The question kept bouncing in her head.
She wasn’t. Absolutely not. She was moody because of the fight with Nathan. And before that it was because of the stress. That was all expected.
Being home sucked more than she expected. The bedroom smelled like Nathan. The guestroom held hints of Nick. And the main shop was boarded up, making it feel abandoned.
She grabbed a clean blanket from the closet, and curled up on the couch to watch a movie. After making it through all three Lord of the Rings films, she had to admit sleep wasn’t happening.
It was five in the morning. The world was quiet, icy, and dark.
Are you pregnant?
Christ, she was sick of that voice. She yanked on warm clothes, and headed to the twenty-four-hour pharmacy down the street. The best way to silence the stupid question was to give it a direct answer.
A short while later, she was home again, staring at a peed-on stick, waiting for it to change. Once she had that answer, maybe she could take a couple of sleeping pills and pass out in a dreamless sleep for a few hours.
A tiny little plus sign appeared in the window, and her gut sank. She looked between the symbol and the instructions several times. She wouldn’t overreact.
Fuck. This couldn’t be true. She couldn’t be...
Elation and fear bubbled inside. A baby. She was having a baby. Adding another member to her family. Mom would be so happy. Hell, Tara was happy. Was she allowed to be?
Her phone rang, and Nathan’s name appeared on the screen. He wouldn’t be happy. Family was a massive F word to him.
She reached for the phone, but hesitated. What was she supposed to tell him? What if he was angry?
She wasn’t giving this up. It wasn’t even a question. She was going to have a baby.
The ringing stopped.
She lay back on the couch, trying to sort out the jumble of thoughts that filled her head. Giddiness. Fright. Doubt. It all chased each other, vying for her attention, until a knock downstairs cut it all off.
Company wasn’t an option right now. Not with her mess of a brain. Though, if it was Matilde, Tara was in the perfect state to tear
into the bitch.
She padded to a window that looked down on the street. Nathan stood at the front door.
She choked on a sob. The easy answer was to run down there and make things all right. But then she’d have her own secret to keep. What was he going to do when she told him about the pregnancy?
His knocking made her indecision worse, and his phone call destroyed her composure. When he walked away, she let out a laugh that ended in a whimper.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but then he was back, and she still didn’t have answers.
Her phone chimed again, this time with a text. My father is dying. I’m going back to the States. I love you.
Tara’s tears started again, flowing freely. She sank to the floor, hugged her knees to her chest, and tried to hold herself together, rather than let her crying shake her to pieces.
To be continued...
The Beauty Duet concludes in Beauty Awakened, coming February 2019. Click here to grab your copy now.
Also by Allyson Lindt
3d20
3d20 Box Set (Books 1-3)
Love Equation Box Sets
The Love Equation Box Set #1 (Books 1-3)
The Love Equation Box Set #2 (Books 4-6)
Love Hack
Breaching His Defenses
Sheltering His Desire
Securing Her Surrender
Love Hack Box Set
Ridden Hard
Hard Flip
Hard Pack
Riding the Wave
Drive Me Wild
Subscribe, Live, Love
Beauty Claimed
The Love Equation
The Rival and The Billionaire
The Geeks and The Socialite
The Second Chance and The Auctioneer
The Virgin and The Kingpin
The Nerds and the CEO
The Boyfriends and the Matchmaker
Version 2.0
Denial of Interest
Standalone
Paranormal and Loving it!
Toeing the Line
Room for Love: A Roommates Contemporary Romance Box Set
Watch for more at Allyson Lindt’s site.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Allyson Lindt is a full-time geek and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She likes her stories with sweet geekiness and heavy spice, because cubicle dwellers need love too. She loves a sexy happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures together.
Read more at Allyson Lindt’s site.
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