Paradise Valley (Virgin River #7)(81)

“I have to check with Cameron, but—”

“Cameron?” Vanni laughed. “Would this be the Cameron who begged you to be his roommate so he could be at your beck and call? The same man who can’t keep his hands off you in public? Oh, you’re a riot. Pregnant women really are a little out of reality, huh?”

“I get your point….”

“And just for good measure, we’ll invite your mothers….”

“Oh, now wait just a minute,” Abby said, gripping her belly as if it would fly away.

“Don’t worry,” Vanni said. “They’re both on deck to get down to Virgin River the second the babies come, right? They’re not going to come now, for heaven’s sake. Not on such short notice with the births imminent. It would be crazy.”

Abby just kept shaking her head, but she picked up the phone and called Cameron at the clinic, running Vanni’s plan by him.

“Sure, why not?” he said. “A shower would be fun for you. And Vanni’s right—our mothers aren’t going to descend on us now.”

So, Abby called her mother, Cameron called his. And both sets of parents commenced packing at once.

“Oh God,” Abby moaned, leaning back on Vanessa’s couch, rubbing her belly.

“Don’t wig out on me,” Vanessa said. “They have to meet sometime. Not only am I sure everything will be fine, I’m sure they’ll like each other very much.”

Cameron held Abby in his arms, in their bed. “I don’t want you to worry,” he whispered. “We’re going to have a nice weekend.”

“So much for going low profile,” she whispered. “We’re having a party and introducing our parents to each other. Everyone is going to know.”

He chuckled and ran his hands over her belly. “Nothing low profile about this,” he said.

“I’m very close to my mother,” she said. “She’s like my best friend. But even though I’m over thirty, I never could let myself tell her exactly how this happened. Just that I met someone and because of the divorce, we didn’t continue to see each other. She wasn’t happy about the fact that I didn’t contact you, but at the same time I think she was afraid for me to contact you…. In case, you know…”

“In case I was a real bastard, like the first guy,” he supplied. “And what have you told her about us? Now?”

“That I met a wonderful man who cares about me and the babies….”

“But not that I’m the same man?”

“Not yet, no.”

“You’re going to have to tell her now,” he said. “Or my mother will.”

She swallowed. “Do you promise not to leave my side the entire weekend?”

“I promise to protect you from our mothers. My mother’s very nice, in an extremely nosey, interfering sort of way.”

She smiled. “And mine’s very nice, in an extremely bossy, conniving sort of way.”

“But both our fathers play golf,” he said, smiling. “That will keep them busy all weekend, going over every course and every hole they’ve ever played.”

“And our mothers? What do you suppose they’ll be going over?”

He gave her a little kiss. “I promise not to leave your side all weekend,” he said.

Brie called Abby on the Thursday before the shower. “I have an early baby gift for you. I was hoping this would come together in time. I received a very courteous phone call from none other than Ross Crawford himself. We spoke briefly. He wondered why you wouldn’t be accepting any alimony, he wanted to know if you were married.”

“And what did you tell him?” Abby asked.

“Simply, you needed the alimony to pay off his credit-card debt, as ordered by the court, and once that debt was cleared, you preferred to support yourself, as you always had. And that you weren’t married. I did do one thing—I just couldn’t help it. I said that, of course, you had no knowledge of the credit cards, never held them, hadn’t signed for them, had never made a charge of any kind, were never issued copies of the statements, and that it was my opinion you shouldn’t have been responsible in the first place. But what’s done is done and you’d like to move on now—no hard feelings. And like the genius he is, he asked, what credit-card debt? I told him he’d have to check with his lawyer—it was part of the divorce settlement he signed. He said he’d do that and as far as he was concerned, everything was resolved and he sends his best.”

“His best?” she laughed. “How nice of him.”

“I asked him to follow up my letter and our phone conversation with a letter stating that he wouldn’t seek any further compensation from you, signed by him and not his legal staff, saying the matter is successfully closed. He did so, Abby. He couriered it to me. I didn’t want to call you until I had the document in hand. It’s resolved. The prenup is in your past. I’ll make a copy for your file and give you the original. You can safely assume he’s not after you for any reason. How does that feel?” Brie asked.

“I wish I could say I felt ten pounds lighter,” she answered, rubbing a hand over her round middle. “But I’m very relieved. Thank you so much.”

“It must be wonderful to have it behind you.”