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Brittany’s fingers curled around hers. “That’s just it…” She met Jenna’s gaze. “Things went too far.”
Jenna’s brow dipped. “What do you mean?”
The swinging door pushed inward as a nurse backed in, pulling a cart through. She wore her hair in a thick braid twisted into a tight knot at her nape and covered with a hair net. “Miss Berry, it’s dinner time,” she announced.
“That’s Nurse Grey,” Brittany said.
Jenna cast a brief glance at the older nurse and returned her attention to Brittany. “Your dinner can wait a moment. What do you mean things went too far?”
Brittany’s lips quirked on the corners. “My dinner can wait, but hers can’t.” She nodded toward the woman entering the room as she slowly spun the cart to reveal a clear plastic container.
A soft mewling sound grew louder. Movement inside the container made Jenna’s breath catch in her throat. She straightened and turned fully to look into what she now recognized as a hospital bassinet. Inside lay a tiny baby cocooned in a tightly wrapped blanket, its face turning dark pink as it revved up the volume from mewling to full-on crying.
Jenna looked from the crying baby to her sister. “I don’t understand.”
Brittany laughed. “It’s a baby. Jenna,” her sister paused, “meet your niece.”
The nurse gathered the baby from the bassinet and carried it to Brittany, placing the infant in her mother’s arms.
Mother.
“You’re a mother?” Jenna struggled to process this information, though the evidence was as clear as the baby in her sister’s arms. “But how?”
Brittany’s lips twisted. “Really?” She adjusted her hospital gown, exposing a full breast. The nurse helped her adjust the baby’s position, pressing her face to the distended nipple.
At first, the infant didn’t seem to know what to do, but then its little lips latched on.
Brittany sucked in a sharp breath.
“It might hurt at first, but before long, you’ll get used to it,” the nurse reassured her with a smile. “And mother’s milk is best for your little one.” She straightened. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.”
“Thank you,” Brittany said.
When Nurse Grey left the room, Brittany fussed with the baby. “She hasn’t quite got the hang of this yet.” Finally, she looked up, her brow furrowing. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
“Things were on-again-off-again with Larry. We had our fights and made up so many times. I thought it was normal and that I was handling it without help from my big sister. We were pregnant. A baby would make it all work.” She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Until I found out he was married.”
Jenna shook her head. “Every time we talked…”
“I know. I should’ve told you then. But the timing never seemed right. It seems like every time I think I get things right, they fall apart. I wanted to handle this on my own.”
“But this isn’t a rent payment or a new set of tires.” Jenna waved a hand toward the bundle in her sister’s arms. “It’s a baby. A lifetime commitment.”
Brittany’s brow dipped lower. “I know. I should’ve told you, but it’s complicated.”
Afraid to ask, she did anyway. “How complicated?”
Brittany bit her bottom lip. “When I confronted Larry about the fact he was married, I asked him if he was going to leave his wife and kids.” She snorted. “He said no. I asked him if he planned on helping me support our child. He said no. When I asked how he expected me to support the baby, he said he expected me to give it up for adoption.”
“Bastard,” Jenna whispered between clenched teeth.
Brittany stared down at the baby girl in her arms. “After he drank a six-pack of beer, he passed out watching a football game. I packed my bag with what little I owned, took some money from Larry’s wallet and walked out. I drove to the one place I had any family…Bozeman. You were my backup plan.”
“You didn’t call me.”
“I couldn’t,” Brittany whispered. “You’ve bailed me out too many times already. I had to figure out this mess on my own.” She sighed. “Only I think I made it worse.”
