Page 59 of Floodgates

“Oh,” Evan groaned behind me.

So we played musical cups once more, and Cord started chuckling along with my father.

“Did you bring a scone?”

“Eat the rest of mine,” I growled but stopped when Cord pushed my glasses up a little higher on my nose. “What?”

“I like these on you.”

I felt my face heat. “Thank you.”

“Are you going down?”

“I am,” I announced, passing by him and then descending to the first floor.

I realized as I walked into the kitchen what I was wearing. Sometime in the early morning I had woken up and changed into a white T-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. Everyone else looked great, as it was a little after eleven thirty, and I was a slob. Fantastic. Beth looked stunning, and Joanna would have looked good too if her eyes weren’t swollen from crying.

“Good morning,” I greeted her, walking over and staring down at her.

She looked up at me and sighed heavily.

I forced a smile before turning to my ex and his one-night stand turned baby mama.

Celia Hughes looked like she was maybe thirty, with a flawless golden complexion and straight blonde hair that had highlights of bronze and wheat threaded through it. It fell to her shoulders, and wisps of layers brushed her face. Her eyes were pale seafoam green with traces of laugh lines around them. She was a startlingly beautiful woman. Her face was simply luminous. I didn’t know what to do. I had not brushed up on the etiquette for this situation. All I could think to do was to extend my hand to her.

“I’m Tracy Brandt.”

She took my hand and squeezed it back. Not wimpy, not too strong, just enough to tell me she was there. “I’m Celia Hughes.”

“Can we talk?”

“That would be great.” She nodded, rising after I gestured for her to follow me into the living room.

Breckin started to say something, and I saw Celia wince. When I turned to him, I noticed how wrung out he looked. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

He furrowed his brows but nodded before I led Celia away.

In the living room, I took a seat in the overstuffed chair by the fireplace, and Celia sat on the couch where I had fallen asleep the night before. I told her to put her feet up on the coffee table, and she thanked me before stretching out her legs.

“How far along are you?”

She placed a maternal hand on her swollen abdomen. “Four and a half months, now.”

I wasn’t sure how that could be since she’d only slept with Breckin four months ago but I knew from other friends that there was a way to count back from when you missed your period, and it was math I didn’t understand. When Ira and Courtney had kids, when my brothers got married, I would pay better attention to how that all worked. Right now, my interest in my ex’s child, beyond hoping it was born healthy, was nil. “Can you feel the baby move yet?”

“Yes, I can.”

I nodded, then took another sip of coffee.

She took a deep breath. “God, that smells so good.”

“What? The coffee?”

She smiled and nodded.

“I thought caffeine was okay.”

“Some say yes, some say no. I figure it’s better to not tempt fate at thirty-six.”