Page 71 of Songs for Libby

He blinked, looking distinctly…humbled. “Really?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. This was an act of faith on my part. I was choosing to have faith in him, to give him as much trust as I could drag out of the wreckage of my heart.

He blinked and smiled and came over to wrap his arms around me. “Thanks for this, Libby,” he said into my hair.

“It’s a safety thing too,” I hedged, not wanting him to read too much into it. “I’m alone,” I said, pulling back. “No family or anything, so it really is good to have someone checking up on me and Little Miss Peanut.”

He chuckled. “Little Miss Peanut, huh?”

I shrugged. “I have a feeling I’m going to be coming up with a lot of nicknames in the next four months.”

“Can I ask you something?”

His asking permission to ask me a question made me wary. “Yeah…”

“You said you’re alone. Does Jonas’s family ever come around?”

My heart fell a little bit. “They visited a few months ago, but no, they don’t visit much. They own a ranch in Vermont, so they can’t be away from it for any significant amount of time.”

“I’m surprised his mom doesn’t want to keep an eye on you and the baby.”

I turned away from him to go sit on the couch with a heaving sigh. “Umm…”

He joined me in the living room. “What?”

I looked up at him and lifted my hands out to my sides in a defeated gesture. “His mom doesn’t know.”

His brow furrowed. “Know what?”

I looked at my hands. “The baby. I didn’t tell them I was pregnant.”

I expected him to be aghast or disappointed in me, but when I looked up, his face was just curious. “Why not?”

I swallowed, overwhelmed by his non-judging. My lips twisted to the side and I sniffed. “Cause she’s my miracle. The part of Jonas that he left with me. And I don’t want to share her.”

He nodded, looking sad for me. “I get that.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

I blinked tears away, relieved at the simple acceptance. “Thanks.” I knew that he might not agree with me. He could have tried to convince me to share the joy and not cling to grief. But he just let me be.