“See? See? That was just so easy. You just went out and bought a house that must have cost, I don’t know, a million dollars or—”

“One-point-two,” she said, lifting her chin a notch.

“Holy Jesus...” He leaned an elbow on his knee and put his head in his hand.

“Close to my shop, close to the doctor, close to the sound of kids having fun, dogs barking as they play fetch or chase birds along the beach, nice neighbors...”

“Do you have any idea how weird that is? That you can just plunk down over a million dollars and—”

“So much for You don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything, Grace, and You don’t have to worry about how I’ll react, Grace. It’s who I am!” she shouted. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be broke and up to my eyeballs in student loans for you, but this is who I am and I’m not a bad person!”

“I never meant to suggest you were—”

“And I’m pregnant!”

All sound and motion stopped. She could tell that Troy didn’t breathe. He just held his breath and looked at her. Finally he said, “Whoa.” And that was all. After actual minutes had passed, he asked, “How pregnant?”

“I don’t know. Not very.”

“I thought you were going to see Peyton. I thought you were going to—”

“Take care of it?” she asked tartly. “I went to Peyton. She said I had a few days to see if my period would just come on its own so I could start on the pill. I was supposed to follow up with her.”

“And you didn’t?”

“A few things happened! I got that note, I tried to electrocute my boyfriend, your friends came for the weekend, my mother showed up with ALS...I forgot. It just slipped my mind. When I realized my period was really late, I used a test and peed on the stick. I wanted to tell you that second, but we were literally on our way to the airport and things were complicated enough. This is the first chance we’ve had to talk.”

“Oh, God,” he said.

“You didn’t remember, either! You never asked!”

“Grace, I take responsibility and you’re right, I didn’t follow up, either. But let’s not panic. It’s early. We don’t have to make any decisions tonight. We can process this.”

“I don’t have any decisions to make, Troy. I have a baby in me. It’s just a little seed, but it’s there and I’m not making it go away just because it’s inconvenient.”

“Okay, fine, right. But we don’t have to make any irrevocable decisions tonight. There’s time to think this through.”

“All right. You go think this through. When you know what you want, you know where to find me.”

“You want me to leave?”

“Yes,” she said. “You have a lot of issues. Whether we’re right for each other, whether we have enough in common, whether the fact that I come from a family with money is going to be a problem for you, what you want to do about a baby. I have no issues. I have nothing I have to process.”

“Okay, now you’re getting mad,” he said. “Be fair, Grace—what can I ever give you if you have everything? If all you have to do is point and it’s yours?”

Right, she wanted to say. The same way I bought the gold medals. Her hand slid over her flat tummy. “I want you to go,” she said evenly. “I want you to process. When you know how you feel about me, about us, about this little seed, you let me know. You’ll get more thinking done on your own. Besides, I’m not lying naked in bed with someone who isn’t sure. That’s too much to ask.”

“Gracie, I love you,” he said.

“Great. Thanks. Doesn’t sound like that’s going to do me much good right now. So let’s take a break while you decide whether this is all too complicated for you. I have to take care of myself, my little seed, my mother, my shop. I don’t have any extra energy to take care of you right now.”

“Are you sure that’s the way you want it?”

“I’m sure,” she said.

Twenty

Early Thursday morning, Peyton stood in the doorway locked in a passionate kiss with Scott while her sister, Adele, waited in the car. When the kiss wouldn’t stop, Adele tooted the horn. Peyton laughed against Scott’s lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she promised. “And you’ll bring my honeymoon suitcase.”

“And you have your wedding dress and will pick up my tux.”

“And you’ll take the kids to the grandmothers.”

“They want to stay at the farm, which is going to hurt the grandmothers’ feelings.”

“Talk to them about that on your drive up, okay? They’ll get plenty of time at the farm, but they do have to visit all the grandparents and take turns and be fair. They know how to share and be fair.”

“I’ll talk to them,” he promised. “But I want to stay at the farm, too. With you.”

“Starting Saturday night we will always stay together and I won’t have to sleep in your mother’s craft room anymore,” she said.

“I never understood that,” Scott said. “She doesn’t do crafts. Not really.”

“I love you, Scott. I’m going to marry you.”

“I can’t believe it. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Are you?”

“I was sure the day you walked into my office. The only reason I didn’t make a pass right away was because I thought you were a lesbian. Lesbian hearts are breaking all over the world and I got you.”

She laughed. “You got me all right. My breasts are actually getting sore already.”

He grinned at her. “Then they’re going to get big.”

Adele gave the horn another toot.

“Think I’d better hit the road?” she asked.

“Call me when you reach the farm. I’ll get to my mom’s tomorrow. I’ll help her with the groom’s dinner if she needs it.”

“Grace is bringing the centerpieces.”

Another quick kiss and Peyton was in the car with her sister. Adele’s baby girl was in the car seat in the back. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to go back in there and maybe have a little more sex before you leave?” Adele asked.