Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #4)(104)

“Is anything wrong?” he asked.

When she shook her head, he frowned. “Then why are you over there and not next to me?”

“Because I have something important to tell you and I’m not sure how you’re going to react.”

“Okay,” he said after a brief hesitation, “maybe you’d better tell me now.”

She braced herself, struggling to come up with the right words. In the end she just told the truth, without explanation or embellishment. “I’m pregnant.”

The color drained from his face. The longest minute of her life passed before he responded. “Is the baby Steve’s?”

She shook her head again, then looked up and held his gaze. “The baby’s yours.”

If she thought he was pale before, it didn’t compare to the shock that showed on his face now. “I…asked,” he reminded her. “After that night, I came to you and asked if you were pregnant, remember?”

“I know. I lied. I’d found what I felt sure was damning evidence against you. I was afraid I couldn’t trust you. All I could think of was to get away.”

He leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair. “That explains so much.” Still holding her gaze, he said, “I love you, Colette. I want our baby. I understand why you kept this from me, but please say you believe me now.”

“I do.”

“How can I prove to you that I’ll be a good husband and father? Just tell me and I’ll do it.”

An involuntary smile came then, because she’d never dared hope Christian would want their baby, let alone her. Only in the last month had she begun to feel there might be a chance for them.

“What you found on my computer was only part of the reason you resigned, wasn’t it?”

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.

“The baby played a role in that decision, too.”

Again she nodded.

“Then you sold your house and moved because you didn’t want me to find you?”

“Yes, but you did track me down,” she pointed out, “and for someone with your resources, that couldn’t have been too difficult.” She shrugged. “I wanted a fresh start, a new life for me and the baby.”

“The baby—that’s why you came to see me the night before I left for China?”

“That, and because I’d fallen in love with you.” Colette smiled. “It’s why your aunt was trying to be a matchmaker. But by then, I’d decided I had to tell you.”

“Aunt Elizabeth knows?”

“Three people know—my friend Alix, your aunt Elizabeth and now you. I admitted it to your great-aunt the first time we met.” She’d never intended to, but such were Elizabeth’s powers of persuasion…“All these months I’d kept this secret to myself. Not even my parents know. Then I met your aunt…and she figured it out.”

“Good old Aunt Betty.” It was Christian who smiled this time. “No wonder she demanded I marry you.” He straightened with a startled expression. “I’d want to marry you, with or without the baby. A child—our child—is a bonus I never anticipated.” He looked at her carefully. “You’re six months along?”

“Five and a half. My due date’s September twenty-first.”

“I thought…you know, that you might’ve put on a few pounds, but I never guessed this. I…”

She sat beside him and reached for his hand, which she placed on her stomach. Their child responded as if on cue. The look of astonishment on Christian’s face made her giggle. And then he smiled with such unreserved love and pride and joy, it brought tears to her eyes.

Holding her in his arms, he kissed her again and again, pausing only long enough to beg her to marry him.

“Yes,” she told him, kissing him back.

“Soon?” he asked.

“Soon,” she promised.

CHAPTER 38

“Creating and processing exotic yarns has given new meaning to adding fiber to my diet.”

Kathy Haneke, Haneke Enterprises, Inc., yarn shop and fiber processing mil

Lydia Goetz

I’d hoped that after Brad and I confronted my sister, there’d be a marked change in Margaret’s attitude toward Danny Chesterfield. My niece had made such a poignant plea to her mother that I couldn’t see Margaret ignoring Julia’s feelings.

Julia had impressed me with her insight, and what she’d said revealed wisdom far beyond her years. Julia knew she couldn’t heal until her mother let go of her hatred; she couldn’t move forward in her own life until Margaret did the same.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen the change I’d hoped for in Margaret. This didn’t completely surprise me, since my sister is rarely effusive. I hardly ever know what she’s thinking, unless it’s negative. Then there’s never any doubt. The first day I opened for business was a good example of that. Margaret marched in and told me A Good Yarn was doomed to failure. After that cheery announcement, she promptly left.

I’ll never forget her dire prediction (which of course didn’t come to pass). I also recall, just as vividly, the day I realized how much my sister loves me. A few months after I opened the yarn store, I had a cancer scare. Scare is a mild word to describe what I felt. Panic is more like it.