by Kait Nolan
“I’m not in any kind of rush to the altar, Dad. My generation gets around to that later than yours. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Might as well plant that seed now, because she wasn’t about to be browbeaten into marriage because it was the “right thing” to do.
“Of course not. I’m not trying to imply there is. I just…don’t want to see you put all of yourself into the company and miss out on anything. I want to see you happy.”
“I am happy.” Or she had been before her life went completely off the rails. Tess fought back the tide of grief that she wouldn’t get to simply enjoy being in love. She didn’t have the luxury of regret right now. “I like my life. And I love my work.” No matter what happened with this baby, she had to be able to hang on to that. Especially since she fully expected the love life portion of the equation to go to hell as soon as she dropped this bomb. “I appreciate that you’re having this whole epiphany about work-life balance, and I’m ecstatic that you’re happy. I truly am. But I’m good.”
And if that wasn’t the whole truth, she was a Peyton. She’d work at it until it was.
“Come in! Come in! Have a seat.” Norah waved to one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Would you like coffee or anything?”
Tess’s iffy stomach gave a panicked lurch at the thought. “No, thank you. I’m good.” She’d felt almost human as she’d climbed the steps to Norah’s City Hall office. She wasn’t going to risk changing that.
“How are you feeling?”
Surprise had her dropping the rest of the way into her chair. “Pardon?”
“Oh, Sandy said you’d been sick.”
Right. Of course the family would mention something like that. It was normal—expected, even. She had to get her reactions under control.
“I’m feeling okay, thanks.” Best get this conversation off that track and onto business. “Dad said you’d be the person to start with to figure out the best means of acquiring candidates for the business incubator.”
“I’ve definitely got some ideas. Cecily will, too, so you’ll want to schedule a conversation with her. Do you have some notion of what kind of timeline you’re looking at?”
“The purchase of the property should go through by end of next week. I hope to have contractors lined up by then to begin renovations. Like my father, I prefer to use local labor as much as possible, but I expect that will depend on their schedules. Brody is my preference, since he worked for the company for years, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to get to it as quickly as I need. Do you have any others to recommend?” She scribbled down names and notes as Norah reeled them off.
“What about capacity? How many businesses do you think you can fit in there?”
“Some of that depends on what kind of businesses they are.” Tess went over the refined specs she and Mitch had hammered out.
“I can think of a couple of prospective local businesses that would be a potential fit. But honestly, I’m thinking we’ll want to advertise. Candidates will have to apply, right?”
“Yeah. It won’t be like somebody just coming in to rent the space. The entire point is for them to accept mentorship, so we’ll have to determine if their business concept is a good fit for what we have to offer.”
“How will you go about making that determination?”
“Well, the first part of the application process will be the business plan.” Tess launched into an explanation of the process and felt some of her anxiety smooth out. This was business. This she knew and understood. At least here she still had some control.
“I haven’t finalized the plans, yet but on average, new businesses spend thirty-three months in incubation before moving out on their own. Some programs have formalized benchmarks and graduation. I want to do a bit more research on that front before I present the options to my father, but as our incubator won’t be industry specific, I anticipate a pretty diverse selection of businesses.”
Norah leaned back in her chair. “I’m impressed with the amount of work you’ve already gotten done.”
Focusing on this project was the only thing keeping her sane right now. Every other waking second, she’d been thinking about the baby, and that whole situation was too overwhelming to focus on for long. But, of course, she couldn’t share that.
“This is a passion project of mine, so a lot of the basic groundwork I already had laid out as a concept. I’m just having to adapt it for this location.”
“Trey said you were the one who shifted the focus of the company the first time. That you’d talked him into building stuff instead of breaking it up. No more chop shop.”
“Dad told you about that?”
Norah smiled. “Yeah. He talks about you all the time.”
Tess swallowed against a sudden thickness in her throat. What was that about? She knew her dad loved her. She knew he was proud of her. Why should that make her all emotional? Maybe the pregnancy hormones were already wreaking havoc.
“I took Pretty Woman to heart. It just always seemed to me that if you’ve got the kind of resources Peyton Consolidated has, you have a duty to use them to the betterment of others. Thankfully, he agreed with me. The business incubator is just another way of doing that on a smaller scale. It’s that small scale, start-up part of business that’s always been my particular interest. It’s…personal, I guess. It’s not all about boardrooms and billion dollar deals. And there’s so much hope and excitement. That’s a really good feeling.”
“So you think you’ll stick around to run it after the center is up and running?”
She’d be having a baby. She couldn’t fathom taking that child away from Mitch, and she couldn’t imagine taking Mitch away from here. She couldn’t keep putting off telling him. They needed to discuss the future and make some decisions together.
“I don’t know yet.”
Norah smiled. “Well the building process will keep you here long enough to see if small-town life is for you. I’ll warn you, though, Wishful has a habit of keeping people who had every intention of going. I was one of them.”
“Wishful is charming.” And it was. Over the past couple of weeks, she’d spent some time out and about in town, getting the full tour from Mitch and hitting up some of the local watering holes like The Daily Grind and Speakeasy Pizza. The locals had been welcoming, but not in a simpering, suck-up kind of way. And the fact that they didn’t make a big deal about the Peyton name or fortune was beyond refreshing. They accepted her because they’d accepted her father. And they’d accepted him because of Sandy. Tess supposed marrying their favorite mayor was a pretty good in.
“Is that the only thing you’re finding charming?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just wondering how things are going with Mitch. I mean, you were kinda railroaded into it. Are you really okay with this situation?”
“You mean did I say yes just to be polite? No, I didn’t.”
“Why did you say yes?” There was no suspicion in her tone, just genuine curiosity.
Tess considered her answer. “It seemed…expedient. We’re working closely together on this project. And despite my father’s enthusiasm for it, I won’t know for certain for a few more weeks whether everything will work as I expect. Getting my own place this early seems premature. But taking up the most expensive suite in the hotel is also poor business. Plus, I really am in love with his kitchen.” None of that was a lie, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.
“It is an amazing kitchen. But is that really all it is?”
“What else would it be?” Tess fought to keep the panic from showing. Did Norah know something? Had they done something to reveal themselves?
“I thought maybe it was because you were uncomfortable around your dad and Sandy.”
Tess opened her mouth and closed it again. “Is it that obvious?”
Norah held her thumb and forefinger millimeters apart. “Little bit.”
“That was not my intention. Sandy is a really lovely woman. I just…don’t have
any idea how to behave around her. I don’t really have any idea how to behave around your entire family. I am an only child of divorced parents.”
“Me too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I come from prime, Type A, overachiever stock. And I thought for a long time that meant I couldn’t have my career and a solid relationship. The Campbells helped teach me I was wrong.”
“I can see how that would be the case. It seems like everybody in the family is paired off in some ideal relationship.” It still felt a little unnatural to Tess.
“They’re great people. Often nosy, interfering, and overwhelming, but always well-intentioned. And yeah, other than Ava—she’s Reed’s sister. She’s a photojournalist working in Afghanistan right now—and Mitch, everybody’s paired off.”
“You’ve known him a long time? Mitch, I mean.”
“We’ve been friends almost as long as Miranda and I have. I met him when she brought me home with her from college, and he’s always been like my very flirty older brother. But flirtation aside, he’s as loyal as they come. And honorable. So don’t have any concerns that he might take advantage of you.”
“That hadn’t even crossed my mind.” How could it? The idea was laughable. The man had ignored her less than graceful acceptance of his help and taken care of her. He’d fed her chicken and dumplings and watched her favorite movie. And he’d been content to simply hold her. If anything, it had felt like she was taking advantage of him. Especially with this secret hanging over her head. But she’d fix that. And she’d just have to hope and pray that the news wouldn’t be the death knell she believed it to be.
Chapter 10
The house was too quiet when Mitch got home. Tess’s car was in the garage, so unless she’d gone off with somebody else, she had to be here. Maybe she was napping. She’d been awfully tired since that stomach flu. Not that she’d appreciated it when he suggested she was working too hard and ought to take it easy. Tonight he’d opted for sneakier tactics to achieve the same end. He was cooking dinner. It wouldn’t be on par with the Italian feast she’d made or even the everyday gourmet fare she tended toward, but by damn, he could grill. After stowing the groceries he’d picked up on the way home, he went to search her out.
Moving into the dark living room, he switched on a light, pulling up short when he spotted her curled in a chair, a mug in her hands. “Hey.” He knew before the word even fell from his lips that something was very wrong. Her expression was too set, too serious.
“Hi.” She didn’t smile.
Mitch searched her face. Had she been crying? “Baby, what’s wrong? Is there a snag with the project? Did you have a fight with your dad? Has somebody died?”
She shook her head. “Would you please sit down?” The fingers around her mug were white.
Dread curled through his gut as he moved toward her. “Why do I feel like I should do that with a glass of bourbon?”
“You may want some before this is over.”
That didn’t bode well. But he sat without it, taking the end of the sofa nearest her and hating that he couldn’t easily touch her and try to comfort. Or maybe he wanted some comfort for himself.
Tess took a measured breath, staring into the mug. “I’ve been trying to think how to tell you this for days.”
She’s breaking up with me. The sick certainty of it hit him like a sucker punch. He couldn’t imagine any other reason she’d look so grave and uncomfortable. Their days together, both here and in Scotland, spun through his head in a jumbled loop. His mind tried to sift through, to find a reason, so suss out some argument he could use to combat what was coming. But all he saw were the best days of his life. If she didn’t feel the same, how could he change her mind?
She lifted her gaze to his, steeling herself. “There’s no good way to ease into this, so I’m just going to rip the Band-aid off.”
Their living together was too much, too soon. That had to be it. She’d decided she couldn’t handle this. Mitch braced himself for the blow, wondering if the knowing it was coming would lessen the inevitable pain or make it worse.
“I’m pregnant.”
Her words stopped the montage flying through his brain on fast forward. “What?”
“I haven’t had the stomach flu or jet lag or food poisoning. I am, impossibly, improbably, pregnant.”
They weren’t breaking up. Relief came hard and fast, forcing his breath out on a wheeze. If he hadn’t already been sitting, his legs would’ve gone right out from under him. His worst fear hadn’t come to pass. But what she’d said…. Mitch struggled to kick his brain in gear. Holy shit. A baby. They’d made a baby. How had that even happened? They’d taken steps, used protection.
What did it matter? Tess was pregnant with his child.
This was the why of everything. Why she’d been sick. Why she’d been distant.
It was his wish come true. Maybe not at all what he’d imagined when he made it, but a baby meant marriage and family and everything he wanted, everything he hadn’t gotten a chance to ask for in Scotland because their time had been over too soon. Now they’d get their forever.
“Please say something.” It was as close to pleading as he’d ever heard from her, and he realized she still sat there, white-knuckling her mug, utterly terrified of his reaction.
He surged to his feet, not missing her flinch as he plucked the mug from her hands.
Her face fell. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Honey—” Mitch grasped her hands, tugging her up from the chair and into his arms. “I’m gonna be a daddy! This is amazing!” He spun them in circles before it occurred to him that might upset her stomach.
Tess’s mouth pulled into a frown. “You’re…happy?”
“I’m thrilled! I mean, okay, it’s a shock. But a baby. My mom will be over the moon. The first Campbell grandbaby. Everybody will be over the moon. We’ll have to dive into planning the wedding. And a nursery! That room a couple doors down from ours would be ideal, I think. Good space. Room for a kid to grow. I’ve got lots of ideas. I think I went through about a dozen designs for Autumn and Judd…”
He trailed off as he realized Tess hadn’t responded to any of his ramble.
She stared up at him, expression guarded. “You’re making a helluva lot of assumptions.”
Mitch replayed everything he’d just spouted off, not seeing the problem. “I’m just being logical. We’re having a baby. Of course we’re getting married.”
“No. We’re not.”
As he looked at her—really looked at her—he realized she wasn’t anywhere near as excited about this as he was. He didn’t see any of the bubbling joy. He saw…resignation.
“You’re not happy about this.”
“Of course I’m not happy!” She tugged away from him and reached for a book on the table, waving it at him. “Nowhere in my planner does it say ‘Have affair. Get pregnant. Destroy plan.’” Clutching the planner to her chest, she sank down onto the couch. “I’ve been freaking out for days. I didn’t plan on this. In fact, I planned very specifically to avoid this.”
He sat beside her and laid a hand on her knee, needing the connection. “For right now or forever?” It hadn’t even occurred to him she might not want children. But she hadn’t exactly been for the idea when the topic came up at the diner with Cam and Norah, had she?
“It hardly matters, does it? Like it or not, my entire life is going to change.” The words were bitter, her tone full of frustration. “And this isn’t like a little change to the plan, where I can hide the mistake with washi tape and stickers. This is a have to start from fucking scratch with a new plan kind of change.”
“What the hell is washi tape?” Seeing the narrowing of her eyes, he realized now was absolutely not the moment for that question. “Never mind.”
She hadn’t chosen this. Neither had he. But at thirty-four, he was a lot more settled in his life, in his career. This wasn’t a blessing or the answer to a wish for her. It was an atomic
bomb to her carefully laid plans. So maybe rushing ahead to the happily ever after was premature and telling her they were getting married instead of actually asking had been a mistake. He’d table that for now and rectify it later.
“When are we going to tell everyone?”
The color drained out of her cheeks. “We’re not telling anybody. Not yet. I’m only seven or eight weeks along. I could still miscarry. I’m sure as hell not dropping this bomb on our families until I know for sure it’s going to stick.”
That was fair. There’d be a lot of explaining to everybody that he wasn’t exactly looking forward to. But miscarriage. Jesus. Just the word sent a bolt of fear straight through him. He wanted to scoop her up and wrap her in cotton to protect her and what she carried from the world. That was his son or daughter inside her.
“Have you been to the doctor yet?”
“Miranda.”
“My sister knows?”
“Not about you. I went to see her on Monday to figure out why the hell I’ve been so sick. I haven’t been to an OB yet. My appointment is in Lawley tomorrow.”
“What time do we leave?” He’d cancel or reschedule whatever he had to.
“We?”
Mitch leaned in to cup her face, running a thumb along the arch of her cheek. “I’m in for this, Tess. One hundred percent. You’re not alone.”
After a long moment, she slid her arms around him, resting her cheek against his shoulder, but he could tell she didn’t quite believe him. He didn’t know yet how to make this easier on her. For now, he’d simply be there, every step of the way.
“You can keep your top on, but remove everything on the bottom and take this drape and have a seat on the exam table. Dr. Jenkins will be with you shortly.”
