She stopped laughing. “Like the fast-food joint or the fuzzy red puppet with the annoying voice?”
“Well, I was thinking of the hamburger place, but now that you mention it, that puppet is downright adorable.”
She sat up and glanced back at him from under her lashes. “I’m so glad I know you’re kidding. I’m going in to check on Nemo and then, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap.”
“I don’t mind at all. I’ll wake you up when lunch is ready.”
“Thanks, Devin.” She took a few steps toward the door before turning back. “And thanks for not pressuring me to talk and just being with me. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime.” When the door closed behind her, he laid his head back against the chair. Their relationship was so tricky. And he was sure he was messing it up every day.
But God had brought him through the worst of his addiction and was with him every single day. He knew God was with him and with Lacey and their babies, too, even through all the confusion.
He wanted everything to be okay with Lacey. He would say he wanted to have the relationship they had before, but that wasn’t it. He wanted this relationship. The one they had right now. The one they were building on mutual trust and respect.
And he trusted that God could take what they offered and build them into a family.
His phone rang in his pocket and he looked at the readout. It was Lacey. “Hello?”
“I’m thinking Gomer, like Gomer Pyle, for a boy. I bet he’d be the only Gomer in his kindergarten class.”
“I think you are sleep deprived and you need a nap.” The last thing he heard before the phone went dead in his ear was her laughing. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
His wife was resilient and spunky and beautiful. She was going to be an amazing mother to their babies.
Baby boys... He was sure of it.
He couldn’t wait for the ultrasound—not because he wanted to sleep in, but because every step in this wacky journey they were taking brought him closer to his babies and closer to Lacey. And that was exactly where he wanted to be.
Chapter Eleven
The lights were dim in the exam room. The only sound was the tapping of the technician’s fingers on the keys of the computer. Lacey’d had an ultrasound when the doctor first suspected she was carrying twins, of course, but this one was different.
This time Devin sat at her shoulder, wide eyes glued to the monitor, mouth slightly open. He was so into it and she loved seeing his excitement.
The tech moved the wand across her stomach. “So we’re almost finished with measurements for Baby A. Oh, here’s the little face.”
It was a blur of light and shadow, but Lacey could make out eyes and a nose and a mouth. As they watched, the baby rubbed its hand across its cheek. Devin didn’t speak, but he slid his hand down her arm and linked his fingers with hers.
“And you want to know the gender?”
“Yes.” Lacey glanced up at Devin. He had a twinkle in his eye. She knew he was thinking about the little game they had going.
Once again, the tech moved the wand around, zooming in and out until she stopped and pointed to the screen. “Well, guys, congratulations, Baby A is a boy.”
“Yes!” Devin grinned and did a little I-was-right boogie. “I knew it. You’re cooking breakfast every day for a week.”
Lacey shook her head. He was so predictable. And so ridiculously cute. How was she supposed to use her brain and make wise decisions when he looked at her like that?
“And let’s go to Baby B...” The ultrasound technician guided the wand into position. “Baby B is definitely not a boy.”
“It’s a girl?” Lacey’s hand crept up to cover her mouth. She looked up at Devin. “One of each okay with you, cowboy?”
“It’s one of each.” His voice was delighted, his eyes tender as he looked down at her. “I don’t know why we never considered that combination.”
“Ah, there’s Baby B’s face. She looks like she’s sucking her thumb.” The tech pointed to the screen. “And I could be wrong but it looks like she has a dimple.”
Devin laughed. “Perfect.”
Lacey watched as the technician took the measurements for Baby B, shadows and light stretching and fading on the screen, but she didn’t really know what she was seeing. Boy or girl... It was fun to joke and guess, but she really just wanted to know they looked healthy. “They’re okay?”
The tech shot her a distracted smile as she continued the scan until finally, with a few more spins of the roller ball on the ultrasound machine and clicking of measurements, they were finished.
The tech handed her a cloth to wipe her stomach. “Dr. Lescale’s going to look over the video and she’ll be in to visit with you. You can get dressed.”
She left the room, turning the light on as she closed the door behind her.
That wasn’t quite an answer.
While Devin waited outside, Lacey dressed quickly, nerves overtaking her stomach. Was the tech not supposed to tell them anything? What if something was wrong?
Dr. Lescale entered the room, laughing at something Devin had said. Surely she wouldn’t be laughing if something were wrong with their babies.
Lacey sat in the chair next to Devin, her hands twisted in her lap, as the doctor sanitized and pulled the computer monitor toward her, sliding on her glasses.
After a moment, Dr. Lescale glanced up, looking at them over the top of her reading glasses. “Babies look great. Tracking just right size-wise for their gestational age of twenty weeks. Baby A is a little bit smaller, but that’s not unusual. Any questions?”
“They’re okay?” Lacey’s eyes filled, and she blinked back the tears. “I don’t know why, I just all of a sudden got worried.”
The doctor picked up a tissue and handed it to her. “Completely normal to have some nerves, especially on a big day like today. But I don’t see anything that concerns me. All the signs I look for are good. One thing to be aware of is that it’s very rare for twins to go to forty weeks. That’s nothing to worry about. Babies born beyond thirty-two weeks normally do very well.”
Lacey blinked, suddenly feeling like there was an anvil on her chest. She could possibly have only twelve more weeks of pregnancy to go?
The doctor looked between the two of them. “Any questions so far?”
Lacey looked at Devin. “You have any questions?”
He hesitated. “Yeah. I just want to know... When is the crying going to start?”
Lacey and Dr. Lescale both swung around to stare at him. “Crying?”
Devin shifted uneasily in his chair.
Lacey wanted to be supportive, but inside she was still reeling from the timeline bombshell. She just kept thinking twelve weeks...twelve weeks...twelve weeks. How was that even possible?
“When we were here last time, in the waiting room there was a pregnant lady and she just cried nonstop. Her husband said she’d been crying for weeks.”
To Dr. Lescale’s credit, she didn’t even snicker, just reached across and patted Devin on the hand. “I think you’re in the clear on that one. Crying without ceasing is not a normal part of being pregnant.”
“Oh, what a relief. I mean, I’m here for it, Lacey. Whatever it is. Even crying.”
Lacey shared a look with the doctor, who smiled and made a notation on a sheet of paper and handed it to Lacey.
“I’ll see you in one month, before that if you have any concerns.”
The door closed behind the doctor and Lacey slumped in the chair. The babies could be here in as little as twelve weeks.
And she still didn’t have the foggiest idea what happened after that.
* * *
Devin cranked up the truck, shooting Lacey a sideways glance. She’d been so quiet on the walk to the parking lot. “Talk to me. What’s goin
g on in your head?”
“I don’t want to talk right now, Devin. I just need to figure stuff out.”
He started to put the car into gear and then stopped. “No. You don’t. Or, to be more exact, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Talk to me.”
“Fine. You want me to talk, here goes. If things were different, we wouldn’t have to hurry this. We could take our time and we would know if... We would know if this could work out.”
“You mean, we would know if I’m going to stay sober.”
She lifted her chin. “Yes, partly.”
“What’s the other part?”
“We don’t know anything, Devin. We’re not just pregnant. There are actual twins in here. Actual babies. And in twelve weeks, they could be here and I’m going to be responsible for them.” Her voice broke on a sob and she buried her face in her hands.
Devin froze. So, Dr. Lescale had apparently been wrong about the crying. He put his hand on Lacey’s shoulder and gave her an awkward pat. “It’s gonna be okay, Lace.”
She turned on him, her face flushed, eyes flashing angrily. “How can you say that? We don’t have anything ready. Nothing. We don’t even have names picked out. We’re living with your brother!”
Her voice was rising, and he realized he hadn’t seen her get upset since she’d come to Alabama. She’d been furious with him then, no doubt, but since then she’d seemed to take everything in stride.
Maybe she was due a freak-out. He felt like freaking out.
They’d been rocking along like everything was fine and like there was no time limit on their relationship, but they’d come face-to-face with that time limit today. When the babies were born, that’s when they made the decision. They had to, for all their sakes.
Lacey sniffed and rubbed the tears from under her eyes. “I’m sorry—I’m fine. I want to talk to my dad. I’m just gonna call my dad and tell him that we’re having a boy and a girl.”
“Of course.” Devin put the car in gear and drove out of the parking lot as Lacey placed the call, his head reeling. Emotional whiplash was a real thing. He felt shell-shocked.
He’d been so happy looking at the images of the ultrasound, so overwhelmed with love for those tiny little babies. They had fingers and toes and little faces and they were a part of him and a part of Lacey and, no matter what else happened, they were an amazing gift from God.
And now to realize that Lacey still had so many doubts about their ability to be a family and do what was right... So, she wasn’t wrong. They did have a lot of things to settle and they didn’t have a lot of time left to do it. But every day they grew closer and knew each other a little better. That had to count for something. Unless it just wasn’t enough?
He knew she had family in Oklahoma—he’d met her dad a bunch of times. But hearing her excited voice on the phone talking about the babies terrified him. Before she brought his horse home, she’d planned to have the babies without him. And if they didn’t get their relationship figured out soon, she really might leave.
When she did, she’d be taking their babies with her, a thousand miles away from him.
She hung up the phone. “My dad’s excited. He’s already bought a couple of toddler saddles. I keep telling him he’s got a little while before they’ll be ready to ride.”
Devin guessed maybe it was his turn to be quiet. He didn’t know what to say because he knew that, to Lacey, his words had little value. He’d made promises to her that he hadn’t kept.
He’d left her. And when she was scared about the future, that was what she remembered. Not all the times they’d come through for each other.
She remembered that he’d left.
Pulling over to the side of the road, he turned to her. “I just want to say right now that if you go back to Oklahoma with our babies...” His voice broke and he had to stop for a minute and get his emotions under control before he could go on. He cleared his throat. “If you go back to Oklahoma with Prudence and Elmo, I’m going with you. Our babies will have a dad.”
She stared at him, her expression unchanging. “Prudence and Elmo. What about Gomer?”
Saying their names, she started to laugh again, which frustrated him. He didn’t want to hear laughing.
He wanted to hear that they were in this together.
But when her giggles finally quieted, she put her hand on his. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m a total mess. When the doctor said we could have the babies in twelve weeks, I freaked out. I’m the girl who always has a five-year plan. There are so many questions about our future and we don’t have any answers.”
“I know.” He brushed the hair away from her face with a gentle hand and wished that he could hold her close and tell her everything would be okay and that she would believe it. “I’m scared, too. But we’ll figure it out. Just promise me we’ll figure it out together.”
She drew in a deep breath, her eyes searching his. She raised her shoulders and let them drop. “Okay. I promise.”
He put the car in gear and pulled back onto the road. They still had a lot more questions than they had answers, but for this minute at least, they were committed to figuring out the answers together.
* * *
“What in the world?”
Lacey looked up at the sound of Devin’s voice. There were cars going every which way in front of their farm stand. People were milling about. One couple was taking a selfie by the old red truck filled with flowers.
Devin pulled over. “I guess we better see what’s up.”
She got out of the car just as Tanner strode out of the crowd with an empty barrel. He had a wide grin on his face. “I just had to refill the corn and the okra. The zucchini brownies and the cookies are gone. Wiped out in the first hour.”
“I guess I better make some more.”
Devin looked dazed. “How did this happen?”
Tanner shrugged. “All I did was a little ten-minute interview with the local paper. They ran it as a feature today. I had no idea so many people would want to come and check it out.”
Jordan Sheehan pulled up next to them with her window rolled down, red hair in a high ponytail on her head. “Did you make these cookies, Lacey?”
Lacey nodded.
“The color’s really all natural? Levi can’t have anything artificial.”
“No artificial anything. Unbleached flour, organic sugar, natural coloring, pure vanilla.”
Jordan laughed. “Do you know how hard it is to find a cookie that kid can eat? I’m so excited. I’m going to bring him by after school tomorrow.”
Lacey flicked her thumb toward the house. “I’m going to make more cookies.”
“Hey, you okay? You look a little shell-shocked.”
“Yeah. I’m fine. We just had an ultrasound. It’s a boy and a girl.”
“Aw! Congrats! It’s all feeling pretty real about now, isn’t it?” Jordan’s eyes were kind and Lacey felt tears well up again.
“So real.”
“Let’s get some lunch soon and I’ll tell you the story of how my oldest joined our family. It’s a doozy. Let’s just say I can relate to how you’re feeling right now.”
“Lunch sounds great. Text me the details and I’ll be there.” Lacey waved as Jordan pulled away. She looked around for Devin, who seemed to be deep in conversation with someone, so she started for the house. Apparently, she was going to have to make more brownies and cookies.
She smiled to herself. She’d had her doubts about whether the roadside farm stand would work or not, even though it was her idea. She was so thankful that something, at least, was going according to plan.
A frantic moo detoured her to the round pen, where she stopped to rub Nemo’s head. He was so soft and so sweet. So loud. Devin was right. He needed a buddy.
In the kitchen, she laid all her ingredients out before st
arting the food processor to shred the zucchini. She had to admit that slamming the vegetable into the processor and whizzing it to shreds was kind of therapeutic.
So the dream of her future wasn’t turning out the way she imagined it and she had feelings about it. Big deal. She was about to be a mother. She didn’t have time for unresolved feelings. It was time to get rid of them.
The first zucchini she named anger. She jammed it into the processor and turned it on. Anger, you are shredded.
She felt a little silly, but oddly enough it really did help.
Next came fear. She held up the zucchini and shook it. Fear, you do not have a hold over me. She shredded it.
Sadness, shredded. Disappointment, shredded.
A tear ran down her cheek. She always tried so hard to find the joy in the moments, to look for the good in things. In people. And usually, she was successful.
In this situation, she was just so out of her depth.
She knew she couldn’t do it alone. She could shred all those bad feelings and let them go, but she needed something in their place.
She needed Devin. She needed her family.
And she needed Jesus.
She let her eyes drift closed and took a deep breath, just acknowledging the letting go and the filling up. I need you, Jesus. I need you to fill all the empty spaces I’m feeling right now.
“Hey.” Devin spoke softly from the doorway. “You good?”
She opened her eyes and smiled. And for the first time in a long time, she really did feel better. “I’m okay. Taking out my feelings on the zucchini. Talking to Jesus about it.”
Devin’s smile deepened. “I know we talked about this a little bit in the car, but I just wanted to tell you that I understand having doubts and being scared. I’m scared every single day. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t figure out what to do and be good parents. You’re gonna be a great mom.”
“Thank you.” She lifted her shoulders. “You’re right. I am scared. I want to be able to take it all in stride but I can’t. I need help.”
The Cowboy's Twin Surprise Page 10
