Chapter 14

"What a nice surprise," said her mother. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

Cecelia's hands went to the bulge that clearly showed through the T shirt she was wearing. The jeans she had on were the last pair she could still wear, and they had to be pushed low to be comfortable.

"Where is your suitcase, darling?" asked her mother.

Cecelia wanted to shake her head to clear it. She was sure her mother must have seen by now. She looked at her father, who was staring straight at her hands, and then back to her mother, who was looking right at her face. She glanced at Bob, who was looking up and down rapidly.

"Hi," he said. That was it. Just "Hi."

"I left it in the car," Cecelia said weakly. "I was going to get it in the morning."

"Your father will get it for you," she said. She blinked. "Unless Bob wants to."

Realization began to set in. Bob could only be here for one reason. And the fact that her mother even CALLED him Bob, instead of Mr. Hawkins was proof positive that he had ratted her out to her parents.

"You TOLD THEM!" she yipped, staring at Bob.

"You didn't," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I was GOING to!" she rasped.

"I'm glad," he said, darting a glance at her mother.

"Go on, dear," said her mother to Cecelia's father.

Her father got up and started to walk past Cecelia to go outside. He stopped suddenly and gathered his daughter up in hug.

"Welcome home," he said softly. "I said yes."

He kissed her on the cheek and stood back.

"Yes?" She blinked. Her eyes were all fuzzy and she blinked more rapidly to clear them.

"Uh huh." Her father grinned at her and then went out the front door.

Her mother got up. "I'm going to get some tea. Would you like some dear?" She reached for the cup Cecelia was holding and had to pull steadily to get it away from her daughter. She turned to Bob for some reason and said "It should take me ten minutes or so. Is that all right?" He nodded.

When her mother was gone she turned to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to them," he said. "They're nice folks."

"You shouldn't have done that!" she barked. "I should have been the one to tell them!"

"Maybe," he said shrugging again. "You were upset on the phone, so I thought maybe they deserved some warning."

"I was upset on the phone because you were so STUPID!" she yelled.

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry." He frowned. "It's just that you sounded so sad, like something was horribly wrong, and the worst thing I could think of was that ... well ... you know."

"I was sad because I'm pregnant," she said.

"I understand that now," he said. "Actually, I don't understand it, but I get what you mean."

"What don't you understand? I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby in April. I won't have a job, and I'll have to beg my parents to live with them until I can get one somewhere. Horace has already made his excuses about how I'll never have a job here."

"What are you talking about?" asked Bob. "You sound like you're in this all alone."

"I'm not making any claims on you," she said. "I mismanaged my birth control. It was my fault. I'm not blaming you."

"Is that a fact," he said. "Well that's a heck of a load off my shoulders." The front door opened and her father trudged in, carrying her suitcase and pillow. Bob looked at him. "John? You know that question I asked you a while back? Well never mind. It appears your daughter doesn't want me to have anything to do with this baby."

"Now hold on there, Bob," said her father, setting the suitcase down. "She's just like her mother. Don't let what comes out of her mouth get you all worked up. Just let her calm down and she'll get civil again."

"Daddy!" yipped Cecelia. "I can NOT believe you said that!"

Cecelia's mother came back into the room holding towel she was drying her hands with. She saw the two standing tensely.

"Did you ask her yet?" she asked.

"No," said Bob "I'm not sure this is the right time."

"Yes it is. Now hurry up. The tea is almost ready and it needs to be drunk right out of the pot, while it's nice and hot." She turned around and went back into the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder and told her husband to come with her.

"What on earth is going on around here?" moaned Cecelia. "She's acting so strangely!"

"It was a stupid idea I had," growled Bob. "I came over here to ask your father for your hand. He said yes, but your mother grilled me for two hours. She finally said yes too, but it was contingent on you accepting. I was supposed to ask you to marry me when you got here, but you've made it quite clear you want nothing to do with me. I don't know why. I'm quite sure, after you screamed at me that it's not another man and based on the timing, I'm sure I'm the father, but I'll be the LAST person on earth to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

Her mouth dropped open.

"So I'll just go on back home," he said. He turned and headed for the door.

"Wait!"

He turned.

"You want to marry me?"

"Of course I want to marry you. You're pregnant with my child."

"What if I wasn't pregnant? What if this was just a beach ball?" Her hands went to cup her belly.

"I'd have asked you before you left, but I knew you'd say no."

"How do you know?"

"You wouldn't even tell your parents about us," he said, exasperated. "And when you found out you were pregnant, you didn't tell ANYBODY for months!"

"I told the doctor," she whined. "I've been to all my checkups."

He sighed. "What do YOU want, Cecelia? I know what I want, but what do YOU want?"

"I didn't think I could have what I want," she said softly.

"Why not?"

"Because it was clear that Mr. Grimes was never going to offer me a job. If I lived with you I'd just be a drag on your already tight finances.

"Why do you think Horace will never offer you a job?"

"He SAID so. He said he had nothing for me!"

"At mid term," said Bob.

"Yes, of course."

"Did it ever occur to you that he might be telling the truth? That there just aren't any openings in the middle of this year?"

"Well of course, but he knew about us, and we talked about how if anybody found out it would ruin things. And he didn't tell me he'd hire me if he could or anything like that. He just said to check back after I graduate. I thought he was brushing me off because he disapproved of us being in a relationship!"

"Cee Cee, Honey, don't you remember me telling you about the pool about us? He set up the rules on who could be offered a slot in that pool!"

"Don't yell at me, Bob. I did the best I could!"

"Honey, I love you. Don't shut me out of this. I want to help you. I want to love you. I want to marry you and raise this baby together."

"You do ... really?"

"YES!" he shouted.

In the kitchen John and Anna Carter stood as close to the open doorway as they could without being seen. They heard most of what was being said.

"She's just as stubborn as you," whispered Anna, turning her head briefly.

John grinned at the back of her head. Everyone who knew them knew Anna was the stubborn one. He felt his wife's body leave his as she started to march into the living room, and grabbed for her waist.

"Let me go!" she hissed. "That fool girl is going to let him get away!"

"He's not going anywhere," said John. "This is none of our business, Anna."

"In a pig's eye it's none of our business. That's my grandbaby in her belly out there, and it's high time I had one! And that's my son-in-law out there too, and I like him. And if she thinks she's going to live here and disrupt this house with a baby twenty-four hours a day instead of living with the man who made that baby with her, she's got another think coming!"

"Let them work it out," said John, pulling his wife back. His hands went around her and grasped her breasts, squeezing.

"Stop that!" she hissed, but she didn't make him stop.

"Speaking of babies," he whispered in her ear.

"You old goat. You haven't been so interested lately."

"Seeing my daughter like that puts ideas in my head," he admitted.

"I'm supposed to be taking them tea," whispered his wife.

"They don't need tea right now ... and neither do we."

"Let me go!"

"All right, but you stay here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the husband and I said so, that's why!"

John walked into the living room.

"Cecelia!" he barked.

She whirled.

"Do you love him?"