Oh, her baby. Was she doing the right thing?
Sometimes she thought she’d trade five years of her life for a manual that had all the answers to all of her decisions.
“Do Grandma and Grandpa know?”
That was a little funny. Because in Annelise’s mind, their knowledge of it would legitimize it, maybe.
“They sure do, baby. I knew you would want them to know. And I know what a grown-up, thoughtful girl you are, and I know you’ve been thinking about it a lot even if you don’t tell me all the time. Isn’t that right?”
Annelise nodded.
Taking in the info, like a little accountant, reconciling it against her previous guesses and conjectures.
Oh, for a glimpse into her mind now.
Jasper cleared his throat. “You see,” he began, “your mom and I met quite a few years ago, before you were born. I’ve been traveling a lot for work for years now, so it was really hard for your mom to get a message through to me about you. But when I stopped into your town and saw you, well, I justknewwhen I saw you. Do you know, you look a lot like my mom? She’d be your grandma. I thought you were just the nicest kid, so interesting and funny. I’m proud to have a daughter like you. And I’m very, very sorry I haven’t had a chance to meet you until now.”
These were the absolute perfect things to say. Eden was astounded and grateful and she held her breath and didn’t so much as twitch an eyelash.
Annelise bit her lip.
Color flooded her cheeks until she was as pink as the streak in her hair.
Her eyes glimmered, then welled, then...
Annelise’s face slowly, slowly crumpled, and she dropped her face into her hands.
Bawling like her heart was breaking.
Yikes!
“Oh, baby. Oh, honey. It’s okay. It’s a big thing. I know it’s a big thing.”
“I don’t know why I’m crying.” Annelise sniffed, sounding genuinely astonished and not at all grief-stricken. She pulled her head up out of her hands. “I really don’t know why, Mom. It just happened! It’s j-j-just surprising, that’s all. It’s just big. And it’s cool! I always wanted to know!”
They were all crying, actually.
Jasper knelt on the rug. “Hey, c’mere,” he said softly, jocularly. He tipped his head, beckoning. “It’s big for me, too.”
And opened up his arms.
Annelise went into his hug. Sedately, almost ceremonially. With, Eden thought, a certain noble resignation and drama that cut Eden through while at the same time almost made her want to laugh. He may not be the father of her dreams, but a famous musician dad wasn’t bad as dads went. The hug looked genuine, and painfully sweet, and maybe this would be all right, maybe this would work.
She remembered just in time to take a photo of that moment with the phone in her hip pocket.
And she did it right when Jasper looked over Annelise’s shoulder at Eden wearing perhaps the most complicated expression she’d ever before seen on another human. Raw and unguarded, moved and gratified, surprised and worried, a little beseeching. The very picture of a man who was all emotion and no preparation, because how on earth could he have prepared? He’d probably winged a lot in his life. You couldn’t really wing being a dad convincingly.
The beseeching part was because he was looking for approval, or maybe help. This grown man who was five years older than she was.
And while she was glad he wanted that, and he cared what she thought, and cared about doing the right things, the weight of that look settled on Eden like a lead shawl.
She was accustomed to that sort of inner wriggle and shrug required to shift a new responsibility into place, to move through her days with a new burden, that would hopefully feel like less of one as time went on. She’d adjusted to countless things since she’d become a mom. For Annelise, she could do this.
And yet she couldn’t imagine Gabe turning that beseeching look on her. His instinct was to help and protect, to shoulder what he could. Not beg. Life had carved him out good and deep, like a well or—like Hellcat Canyon itself. He had vast stores to call upon: of patience, of passion, of compassion, of awareness.
Of smoking hotness.
He was entitled to expect, even demand, the same in return, she supposed.