Harbor Street (Cedar Cove #5)(21)

“Yes…”

“Everything’s all right with the baby?” He sounded afraid, and she didn’t blame him. If they’d had more than one ultrasound with Allison, the doctors would’ve discovered her heart condition before the birth. “Did the ultrasound show anything?”

She leaned against the kitchen wall, almost giddy with happiness. “It did.”

Ian gasped as if this was his biggest fear.

“Ian, Ian, it isn’t anything like that. Oh, Ian, we’re going to have a son!”

“What?”

“The technician had a good view this time, and she showed me his little penis. We’re having a son.”

Her husband was silent for half a second and then let out a yelp that must’ve echoed a hundred miles. Cecilia was sure everyone on the aircraft carrier had heard him. She understood; it was the proof he needed that this pregnancy was different from their first.

Cecilia laughed with joy. They’d been told this second baby was likely a girl and that had only added to her husband’s fears. As Ian had said over and over, everything was the same as it had been with Allison. Cecilia was going to deliver another baby girl while he was away. Ian was so afraid for her, for them both. If they lost another baby…Cecilia couldn’t allow her mind to go down those dark paths.

“They’re sure about the baby being a boy?”

“I know what I saw.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Wonderful. Ecstatic. And very much in love with my husband.”

“I love you, Cecilia.” His voice lowered with the weight of his emotion. “I think of you day and night.”

“Me, too.”

“Working isn’t too much for you?”

“Not at all.” Ian was such a worrier. But this job was vital to her. Without it, she’d sit at home all day with nothing to do. Using her accounting skills and providing a portion of their income weren’t the only reasons Cecilia chose to be employed. “Mr. Cox is so thoughtful and Allison’s coming in to the office every day after school.” Ian already knew this but she told him again. She made sure her e-mails were full of news about her everyday life. That seemed to reassure him.

“Ah, yes. Allison Cox,” Ian said, sighing deeply. “You’re concerned about her, aren’t you?”

“She has that new boyfriend.”

“And you don’t like him,” Ian said.

“Well, I don’t really know him, so I can’t dislike him, but he worries me. Did I tell you his name is Anson? What kind of name is that, anyway? He’s not the boy for Allison. He’s one of those Goth kids, dresses totally in black and—”

Ian interrupted her. “Your father said I wasn’t the right man for you, remember?”

At the mention of her father, Cecilia rolled her eyes. She’d come to Cedar Cove four years earlier in an effort to get to know her father. Her parents had divorced when she was ten, and her memories of him were vague and mingled with her mother’s bitterness. Cecilia wanted to form her own impressions of him. He’d seemed eager to know her, too.

Cecilia’s mother had warned her against having any expectations when it came to Bobby Merrick, but this was something she had to learn on her own. It hadn’t taken her long to discover that her father was unreliable and irresponsible. When Cecilia lost her baby, his idea of comforting her was a sympathy card sent through the mail. He was sorry for her loss, he’d written. But not once had he come to see his daughter in the hospital. Not once had he offered to help her with the financial burden. He couldn’t even be bothered to attend Allison’s burial. The only thing her father had done for Cecilia was get her a job at The Captain’s Galley, where she’d met Ian. For that one small twist of fate, she would always be grateful.

“You’re the right man for me,” she breathed, determined not to bring her father into the conversation. “Oh, Ian, I miss you so much.”

“I’ll be home soon.”

Not before the baby was born, but Cecilia couldn’t think about that. This time she wasn’t alone. Cathy Lackey would be with her and had promised to be her birthing coach. Cecilia had signed up for classes and they’d be starting soon. Cathy would go with her.

When Cecilia delivered Allison she’d been alone, not knowing a soul other than her father. The baby had arrived several weeks early. Her mother had intended to fly out, but couldn’t reach her in time. Friendless and frightened, Cecilia had gone to the hospital on her own.

“We need boy names, Ian,” she said, breaking off those painful memories.

“Ah…I can’t think of anything at the moment. Let me e-mail you a few suggestions. Okay?”

“Okay. But I think our son should have his daddy’s name.”

“Too confusing,” Ian said. “Maybe for his middle name.”

“That sounds fine.”

“Listen, sweetheart, I have to go, but before I do I need to ask a favor for a friend of mine. He asked if you’d mind checking on a girl for him.”

“Sure.”

“Her name is Rachel Pendergast and she works at a beauty place in Cedar Cove called Get Nailed.”

“I know it. Almost everyone gets their nails done there.”

“Nate went out with Rachel a couple of times and seems pretty interested in her, but she doesn’t have a computer. Apparently she writes him a lot, but it isn’t the same as being able to communicate on-line.”