One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 31

CHAPTER

THIRTY-ONE

Quinn

Grayson is frozen in shock. For a minute, I’m not even sure he heard me. I say his name again, and it finally breaks him out of his trance.

“How are you?” He asks.

My heart swells that that’s the first thing he asks. I’ve imagined this conversation a million different ways, but him asking about me was never something I thought of.

“I’m good. I’ve been a little sick, but it’s manageable. I’m a couple of days shy of 11 weeks,” I reply.

His eyes flick to my belly and then back to my face. “Wow,” he breathes out. “There’s really a baby in there?”

I laugh. “Yeah, I saw it on an ultrasound. It’s just a tiny little bean right now.”

Grayson perks up at this. “You saw it?” He asks. His voice peaks with curiosity and what I think is a little bit of excitement.

“Do you want to see?” I ask.

I can see the excitement visibly now as he nods. I slide back inside quietly, ready to make some excuse to Gertie, but I hear the bathtub running, so I quickly dash to my room.

Grayson stands when I come back outside, and for a moment it’s so formal that I want to laugh. Then I realize what it really is, he’s eager. I hand him the small black-and-white picture and watch as his eyes roam over it. The baby is just a tiny spot that might not even be distinguishable if it wasn’t for the arrow and the word “baby” next to it. Grayson is quiet as he studies it. For a minute, I wonder if I missed something on the ultrasound with the intensity which he’s looking at it.

“This is amazing,” he finally says. My heart stutters at his words. I’ve imagined this scenario over and over again, and honestly none of them ended like this.

I clear my throat and ask, “Amazing?”

He finally meets my gaze now and smiles. “Yeah, amazing. Right? You’re happy, right?” He asks.

I pause. I haven’t asked myself that question yet. I hadn’t even thought about it until the ultrasound. But, I loved that baby the second I heard the heartbeat.

“Yeah, I’m happy,” I admit.

“Me too,” he says and pulls me into a tight hug. He squeezes me and then curses and pulls away. “Sorry! I hope I didn’t hurt you!”

I laugh, “I’m fine.”

“I know we have a lot to figure out, and I know I’ve been kind of a mess,” Grayson says, glancing at his leg. “I would have never planned this, but also, somehow, this is the exact thing I needed to pull myself out of my pity party. I’ve been so caught up in my own life and the what-ifs and the negativity, but how can I do that now when this amazing thing has happened? I know we can figure out the rest of it together,” Grayson says. I can hear the pure emotion in his voice as he speaks, and it makes me tear up.

I can’t answer past the lump in my throat, so I just step closer and kiss him.

“You’re being a little too nonchalant right now,” I laugh as we pull apart. “It’s kind of freaking me out.”

He laughs. “You were expecting me to freak out, weren’t you?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Did you freak out?”

“Not exactly. I was in denial for a bit, but honestly, I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and maybe this isn’t the most ideal situation or how I thought it would happen, but I’m still happy about it,” I answer.

He nods. “I get that. I love kids. I’ve always wanted to have them someday.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I never expected someday to be this early, but we can figure it out.”

“It’s going to change things for us,” I say. I watch his face closely for any reaction or hint of unease there.

“It could change it for the better,” he answers.

“Or worse,” I counter.

He laughs. “Let’s take it one day at a time.”

“You’re joking,” Gertie says. Her face is serious as she stares back at me. After telling Grayson, I could finally tell Gertie. I sat in the chair next to her and just came right out with it. I couldn’t wait to do anything special or fun; I couldn’t hold it in for one more minute.

“No,” I reply. “I’m 11 weeks along.”

“Oh Quinn,” she says. It comes out like a sigh. I’m not sure what she means by that. I can feel myself tense. Maybe I need to be ready to defend myself. I really didn’t know how this conversation was going to go.

I wait for her to say something else. Her face is unreadable, and I squirm uncomfortably.

“What are you thinking?” I finally ask.

“Well, to be frank, I’m thinking a lot of things. My immediate reaction was horror and disappointment. But then I had to back myself up a bit. That’s my own generational trauma screaming at me, and I’m not putting that on you. But there are still things to think about. How does Grayson feel? You haven’t been together long. That’s a whole mess right there. You have to think about split custody and living arrangements, and it gets messy real quick.”

I bite my lip trying desperately to keep my tears at bay. She’s not saying anything untrue, and she’s not saying it harshly, but I’m instantly emotional. I’ve been caught up in my own happy bubble for a few weeks, and now that Grayson and Gertie know, it feels like the world is there trying to pop it.

“But after all that, if I can be selfish for a minute, I’m excited,” Gertie continues. I look up in surprise and see a smile on her face. I wasn’t expecting that reaction.

“You are?” I ask.

She chuckles, “Well, of course I am. I’m going to have a great-grandchild!” Then she adds, “Don’t worry, you’re a good grandchild, but you aren’t great.”

I roll my eyes and laugh while officially letting the tears fall. Gertie pulls me into a hug, and I breathe in her sweet, comforting scent.

“I think I’m excited too,” I say.

“Good. Hold on to that,” she replies.

Gertie was right about needing to hold on to the excitement that I was feeling because pregnancy symptoms seem to hit harder than ever now. Suddenly, I’m stuck with food aversions, and nothing sounds good. When Grayson asks if I want curry, I gag. Normally, I love curry. I spend most of my days trying not to even think about food because nothing sounds desirable in the slightest. Work has gotten more challenging because of all of the different smells. I try to breathe through my mouth and put my favorite lotion on my hands so I can get a break.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Tatum asks, cornering me.

“What do you mean?” I feign ignorance.

She puts her hands on her hips and stares at me. “Don’t play dumb with me, Quinn! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re pregnant.”

I try really hard to keep a straight face as she says that, but I watch her face when she realizes she’s right.

“Shut up,” Tatum’s mouth falls open. “You’re pregnant?!”

“Sh!” I say quickly, trying to quiet her down. “I don’t want anyone to know or treat me differently!”

“Well, you’re acting differently,” she laughs.

I give her a pointed look, and she stops laughing.

“I can’t believe this,” she says, still staring at me. “Is it Grayson’s?”

“Yes!” I smack her arm. “You think I’m just sleeping around?!”

She shrugs nonchalantly. “I mean, I don’t know.”

“So how did he react?” she asks.

“Surprisingly well.”

“Really? Wow.”

“I thought he might be a little freaked out, but I think he’s actually excited,” I continue.

Tatum laughs again. “He must not know what having a baby really means.”

My stomach squirms uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve never met a guy that was excited for the responsibility that comes with having a child.”

I think back to our conversation. None of it was about anything important or about any of the responsibility that comes with having a child. It was primarily focused on the excitement and surprise of it all.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to freak you out,” Tatum says gently.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine,” I reply quickly.

“Well, that is going to be one attractive kid,” Tatum replies. “I mean, you and Grayson’s genes together? Geez, that kid won the lottery.”

A soft chuckle escapes, and Tatum smiles. “You’re going to be okay,” she says. “I’m more than happy to be the cool auntie.”

“Thanks Tatum.”