AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was a large picture showing my family tree, going back as far as the researcher had Victor hired could go and following all the way down to Victor and me, with pictures and paintings in place beside the names. It was so thoughtful and required so much work that I knew who had done it. A sly grin was returned as I stared at my husband. He shrugged innocently.
“I didn’t rig it, I swear. Your name just came up!” he said, feigning innocence.
“Uh huh,” I said. “I don’t know how you did it, but I’m glad. This is wonderful.”
“Hey, hang on a second,” Carmela said, looking at the picture a little more closely than I expected any of them to.
“What?” I asked.
“Right here,” she said, pointing to a little empty spot below Victor’s and my names. “There’s a blank spot.”
“Sure,” I said. “In case we have a child and want to put them in it.”
“It’s not blank,” she said, looking up at me curiously. “It looks blank because it’s framed, but it’s not. It just has something over it.”
“What are you talking about?” Mallory said, stepping over. Then when she looked down into the spot between and below Victor’s and mine.
“Oh, I see it,” Allison said. “It’s not White-Out. It’s a piece of cardboard matte pushed over the spot. It looks like there’s writing on the spot like the other ones. Right there, see? Ink.”
“What? No,” I said, shaking my head. But there was no use. They didn’t believe my denial and had the overt looks of women who had begun to figure out the jig.
“Babe,” Victor said, putting a hand over mine and squeezing gently. “It’s probably time we told them.”
I nodded, grinning madly. I had been waiting for this for a long time.
“Tell us what?” Graham said, a bacon-covered cracker in his hand before he tossed it into his mouth and began chewing.
I glanced over at Victor, who smiled wide. He nodded at me gently, and I cleared my throat.
“Well,” I said, “I wanted to wait until we had the party going full swing and either we had done gifts or were about to leave. I wanted this to be one of the last things we talked about.”
“Spit it out,” Allison said, joined in laughter by Mallory and Carmela.
“Yeah, out with it,” Mela said.
“Okay,” I said. “We’re pregnant!”
A chorus of cheers rose up among the close friends who either already had their own, safely at home with grandparents or babysitters until their parents could get home or were happilychildless. Amy and Norma hugged me first, followed closely by Carmela, who squeezed me tightly.
“I can’t believe it,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “Actually, you know what, I can believe it.”
“What do you mean?” I laughed. “Are you saying I look pregnant already?”
“No,” she laughed. “It’s the grape juice for one thing.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “I thought I was so careful not to let anyone know!”
“Well, maybe that would have worked had I not been the one to fill the initial orders,” she said. “I got everyone’s drinks together to start the night and noticed you had grape juice. I thought you’d go for the shiraz, but when I saw grape juice, I knew something was up.”
“Good ol’ Carmela,” Victor said, taking her in a light headlock. “Ever the detective.”
“Congrats,” she said, shaking off the hold and then wrapping Victor up in a tight, short hug. “Seriously, that’s amazing. I can’t wait to play with a little one.”
“Me either,” Victor said. “Kids have the coolest toys these days. I’ve been meaning to find a way to buy them anyway.”
Laughing, we went back to our party and enjoyed the music as it turned back up and dancing the night away.
We all stayed until around nine, when Graham and Mallory said they needed to get out of there. I hugged them and told them Merry Christmas again and sat in the chair by the refreshments. As I watched friends say goodbye to each other, I was againstruck by how beautiful my life had turned out. I had friends who I loved dearly who would do anything for each other and me at the drop of a hat. I had loyal customers who made sure to keep me not only in business, but with their references, they had helped me start to grow again.
Last, but not least was the most incredible husband a woman could have. He was strong and kind and funny and loved me unconditionally. I reveled in his attention in every way and loved the way he looked at me from across the room or across the bed.
The secret of my pregnancy had torn us up as we wanted to tell our supportive and terrific friends. But the second I knew the party was going to be in the store, I knew that was where I wanted to tell them of the impending baby. Every time I saw Mela, it was an exercise in tremendous control that I didn’t blurt it out and celebrate with her for a while in secret. Even though I knew it probably wouldn’t remain a secret.
My life was very soon going to change in a way I could never have imagined only a year ago. Yet it was the greatest change I could have asked for. A husband who I loved and who loved me, friends that surrounded me with love and affection, and a baby growing inside of me that represented the future of the tiny family we were growing together. The family that would continue the legacy my parents laid down for me with the store and would take into the future, well beyond my life.
The End
