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has to reach out? The one who has to
make the effort?”
    “Who else?
You won’t let anyone tell him where you are.”
    “It’s not my
problem.”
    “I just wish
you could see for yourself that he’s hurting.”
    “Oh, and I’m
having the time of my life?”
    Sighing
deeply, Gina said, “I know you’re hurting, too. I hate to see either of you
this way. I just want it fixed and you both happy and together.”
    “He ruined
it. I’m in Boston with no family except Hope. Instead of running my own
business, I’m working for someone. Instead of having a husband, I’m single and
about to have a baby on my own. He has everything, and I lost everything.”
Emily kept her eyes tear-free and her voice strong. She would not shed another
tear over him.
    “ Em .”
    “Enough.
Drop it. I don’t want to waste any more time, or tears, on this subject. I want
. . . no, I need to concentrate on my career. Concentrate on building a new
life. Concentrate on being the best mother I can be. Concentrate on loving this
baby. But most of all, I need to concentrate on moving on.”
    “Consider it
dropped.”
    “Thank you,”
Emily said curtly.
    “So, have
you picked a name yet?”

 
    When Hope
got home later that afternoon, they decided to go check out the baby shop. They
found several cute outfits, and Emily couldn’t leave without the soft white
bunny toy.
    After
exhausting themselves with shopping, they decided to let someone else cook and
stopped at Legal Sea Foods for dinner. After giving the server their orders,
Hope turned to Emily with her serious eyes.
    “I talked to
Mom today.”
    “How is she?”
    “She’s good.
Have you spoken to her recently?”
    “Over the
weekend, but not so far this week. Been too busy interviewing.”
    Hope nodded.
“Well, you know Jason has been showing up there every day, right?”
    “What?”
Emily asked, sitting up straight and almost spilling her water as she set it
down on the table with a loud bump.
    “Okay, you
didn’t know.”
    “No, I didn’t
know.”
    “I guess he
waits until Dad leaves, and then he knocks on the kitchen door. Mom lets him in,
and he’s been asking every day where you are and how you and the baby are
doing.”
    “Well, at
least she hasn’t told him where I am. Does she tell him about the baby and me?”
    “We didn’t
go into the specifics of what she’s telling him or not. But, she did mention
that he’s confused. Everyone is accusing him of cheating, but he doesn’t
remember a thing about that night.”
    “Oh my gosh.
Gina said the same thing today when I spoke to her.”
    “She’s
spoken to him?”
    Emily
nodded. “At the bar the other night. He cornered her and asked for all the
details. She didn’t give me up, but she said it took all she had not to.”
    Hope moved
closer to the table. “Mom said he’s hurting, a lot. She said he’s beside
himself with grief. He’s devastated.”
    Emily shook
her head and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms against her chest. “I
don’t buy it. He has to remember, and he’s just trying to talk everyone into
believing him. Devastated? Please. He’s devastated because he got caught, not
because I’m gone.”
    Hope opened
her mouth and then promptly closed it. She sat back in her chair and picked up
her water glass. “You’re probably right. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
     “Mama
G and Dad still coming for Thanksgiving?” Emily asked, desperately trying to
change the subject.
    *****
    It was the
week before Thanksgiving and Emily was exhausted. “I’ve been working
twelve-hour days to get things caught up and ready before Baby Girl arrives.”
    “Don’t wear
yourself out, darling. You need to rest as much as you can before she’s born.”
    “I know,
Mama G, but it’s my first real job, and I don’t want them to forget how awesome
I am while I’m out on maternity leave.”
    “Darling, no
one could forget that.”
    Emily
laughed. “You’re still planning to be here