.”
“She’s not coming back this time, Bob. And even if she did, you couldn’t take her back again. Not this time. My God, she took your kids! She took your kids to live with that hill jack. How could you even want her back?”
“When I married her I said for better or worse, in sickness and in health. I keep thinking, maybe she’s sick. You know? And she’ll get better, and then she’ll come back.”
Bryn shook her head. She was feeling queasy again.
“It’s his fault,” Bob suddenly exploded, rising. He walked around the room, carrying his drink. “It’s that bastard’s fault. He took advantage of her.”
“Listen, Bob, I could buy that if this was the first time. But this is the third time. She’s not a child. She made a choice—an active choice.”
But he wasn’t listening.
“You know how she met him, right? He was going to give Micah guitar lessons. Instead, he ends up sleeping with Wendy. What kind of predator takes advantage of someone like that?”
“He’s a prick,” Bryn agreed softly, battling a wave of nausea. “That’s why you’ve got to get a lawyer, so that prick doesn’t end up raising your kids.”
“Are you okay?” he asked suddenly, stopping directly in front of her. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks so much,” she smiled weakly.
“I mean it, Bryn. You just don’t look like yourself.”
Bryn sat silently, running her hand through her short-cropped hair. She felt her lip begin to quiver. Oh no, she thought. Don’t cry.
Stop it! She felt a tear slide down her cheek.
Before she could stop she heard herself say it out loud. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God, Bryn. That’s great!” Bob dropped to one knee beside the couch. “That’s great! Are you having a lot of morning sickness? Is that what’s wrong?”
“Yes, I’m sick. No, it’s not great.” Bryn felt the tears welling in her eyes now, let them spill over and run down her face. “I don’t want to be pregnant. Paul doesn’t know. He doesn’t want a baby. I can’t have a baby!”
Bryn was sobbing now, her face buried in the couch.
“It’s not fair,” she cried. “Why didn’t this happen for Corrie? She wants a baby, she wants one so much.”
Bob sat on the floor by the couch, rubbing her back softly. “Shhh,” he said. “Stop with that. It’s not your fault Corrie can’t have a baby. She’ll be happy for you. You just worry about taking care of yourself right now. I remember when Wendy was pregnant with Micah—”
“Stop it! I’m not happy about this, okay? You don’t understand. Paul doesn’t want a baby. He’s never wanted a baby. And me? God, can’t you just see me, a mother?” She buried her face again. “This just isn’t fair.”
“You’re right, life isn’t fair,” Bob said quietly. “But yes, Bryn, I can see you as a mother. Maybe not a traditional, cookies-and-milk mom, but any kid of yours will have a free-spirited, unconventional, loving mom.” He cupped her chin in his hands and looked directly into her eyes. “You can do this.”
Bryn looked up at him and tried to smile. “You’re such a sweet man. But you just don’t know . . . you don’t understand. Paul doesn’t want a baby.”
“What about you? Do you want a baby?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, shaking her head and pulling away from him. “I didn’t think so. But now that I’m pregnant, I keep thinking . . . I don’t know, maybe. I mean, I’m thirty-two. Maybe this is the only chance I’ll get.”
She stopped and shook her head again, grimacing. “I can’t even believe I said that. Don’t pay any attention to me. I think I’m losing my mind. I can’t have a baby, and that’s that.”
“You haven’t told Paul yet?”
“No,” she said firmly, “and I’m not going to. It would just make him mad.”
Bob took her face in his hands again and looked into Bryn’s eyes.
“You’ve got to tell him,” he said firmly. “You can’t do anything until you tell him.
“She’s not coming back this time, Bob. And even if she did, you couldn’t take her back again. Not this time. My God, she took your kids! She took your kids to live with that hill jack. How could you even want her back?”
“When I married her I said for better or worse, in sickness and in health. I keep thinking, maybe she’s sick. You know? And she’ll get better, and then she’ll come back.”
Bryn shook her head. She was feeling queasy again.
“It’s his fault,” Bob suddenly exploded, rising. He walked around the room, carrying his drink. “It’s that bastard’s fault. He took advantage of her.”
“Listen, Bob, I could buy that if this was the first time. But this is the third time. She’s not a child. She made a choice—an active choice.”
But he wasn’t listening.
“You know how she met him, right? He was going to give Micah guitar lessons. Instead, he ends up sleeping with Wendy. What kind of predator takes advantage of someone like that?”
“He’s a prick,” Bryn agreed softly, battling a wave of nausea. “That’s why you’ve got to get a lawyer, so that prick doesn’t end up raising your kids.”
“Are you okay?” he asked suddenly, stopping directly in front of her. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks so much,” she smiled weakly.
“I mean it, Bryn. You just don’t look like yourself.”
Bryn sat silently, running her hand through her short-cropped hair. She felt her lip begin to quiver. Oh no, she thought. Don’t cry.
Stop it! She felt a tear slide down her cheek.
Before she could stop she heard herself say it out loud. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God, Bryn. That’s great!” Bob dropped to one knee beside the couch. “That’s great! Are you having a lot of morning sickness? Is that what’s wrong?”
“Yes, I’m sick. No, it’s not great.” Bryn felt the tears welling in her eyes now, let them spill over and run down her face. “I don’t want to be pregnant. Paul doesn’t know. He doesn’t want a baby. I can’t have a baby!”
Bryn was sobbing now, her face buried in the couch.
“It’s not fair,” she cried. “Why didn’t this happen for Corrie? She wants a baby, she wants one so much.”
Bob sat on the floor by the couch, rubbing her back softly. “Shhh,” he said. “Stop with that. It’s not your fault Corrie can’t have a baby. She’ll be happy for you. You just worry about taking care of yourself right now. I remember when Wendy was pregnant with Micah—”
“Stop it! I’m not happy about this, okay? You don’t understand. Paul doesn’t want a baby. He’s never wanted a baby. And me? God, can’t you just see me, a mother?” She buried her face again. “This just isn’t fair.”
“You’re right, life isn’t fair,” Bob said quietly. “But yes, Bryn, I can see you as a mother. Maybe not a traditional, cookies-and-milk mom, but any kid of yours will have a free-spirited, unconventional, loving mom.” He cupped her chin in his hands and looked directly into her eyes. “You can do this.”
Bryn looked up at him and tried to smile. “You’re such a sweet man. But you just don’t know . . . you don’t understand. Paul doesn’t want a baby.”
“What about you? Do you want a baby?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, shaking her head and pulling away from him. “I didn’t think so. But now that I’m pregnant, I keep thinking . . . I don’t know, maybe. I mean, I’m thirty-two. Maybe this is the only chance I’ll get.”
She stopped and shook her head again, grimacing. “I can’t even believe I said that. Don’t pay any attention to me. I think I’m losing my mind. I can’t have a baby, and that’s that.”
“You haven’t told Paul yet?”
“No,” she said firmly, “and I’m not going to. It would just make him mad.”
Bob took her face in his hands again and looked into Bryn’s eyes.
“You’ve got to tell him,” he said firmly. “You can’t do anything until you tell him.
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