“No,” Astrid said, tearing herself away from the door as Jason began to drive out, followed by his parents. “That’s his mother.”
Clare frowned. “So…he’s a jerk for having a mother?”
“No, forget it.” Astrid walked across the room to set the lamp by the windows that looked out onto the lake, where she was already starting to set up her work area. “So, anyway, I don’t need to unpack. I’m not staying.” She positioned the lamp on the corner of her table, and then turned back toward her friends.
Emma and Clare were standing side by side, arms folded across their chests. “You have three seconds to tell us what is going on with Mr. Hot Stuff from New York,” Clare said. “Or I’m getting in my car and chasing him down and asking him why you called him a bastard.” She held up her index finger and started the countdown. “One.”
“Clare, don’t—”
“Two.” Anger blazed in Clare’s eyes, and Astrid suddenly realized that Clare was really planning to do it, in her defense.
“No—”
“Three!” Clare turned toward the door as Emma pulled it open.
Dear God, she was really going! Astrid panicked and lunged for the door, horrified at the idea of Clare chasing Jason down. “Stop! I’m mad he didn’t introduce me to his parents,” Astrid blurted out, immediately feeling stupid. Hello? She was a little old to be feeling slighted by a lack of parent-intro, wasn’t she?
Her friends turned back toward her. “Seriously?” Clare’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “That’s why you’re upset? Why does it matter? It’s not like you’re dating yet.”
“And God help you if you want to meet his parents because you plan to marry him,” Emma agreed. “You’re way smarter than to do something like get married. I know that. So what’s really going on?”
The gravel crunched under Jason’s tires. As he drove away in his Mercedes, Astrid couldn’t help but remember what it had been like before his parents had arrived. It had been magical, perfect, and beautiful. And now it was gone, stripped out from under her just like how it had happened with Paul.
Suddenly, the world seemed too heavy to bear. With a sigh, she sank down onto the pillows and pressed her face into her palms. “I slept with him twice,” she said. “Once the day he arrived, and then again last night.”
“And how was it?” Emma asked cautiously as she settled next to Astrid. “Just as good the second time?”
“Amazing.” Astrid shifted nervously as Clare joined them on the pillows, aware that the two women were entirely focused on her, and wanting to know everything. It was out of caring, though, so that was okay, right? It made it safe to tell them, didn’t it? She needed to tell them. She needed to trust them. It was too much to handle on her own. “And it wasn’t simply the sex. We connected. It was beautiful.”
Clare’s face lit up. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so happy for you. You deserve it!”
Emma didn’t smile. “So, what happened then? Why are you so upset?”
Astrid swallowed hard and fiddled with the tassel on the pillow, but she knew she was going to come clean. She’d been alone for too long, and she needed to confide in someone. These two women who had showed up at her house with so many gifts…if she couldn’t trust them, who could she trust? “We didn’t use birth control the first time,” she admitted, stumbling over the words as she rushed through them.
Emma’s eyes widened, and Clare sucked in her breath. “You think you’re—”
“You gave me a pregnancy test, remember? I used it.”
Clare was on her knees now. “And?”
Astrid looked at her. “And?” she repeated. “What do you think the result was? Seriously.”
“Holy crapoly,” Clare whispered, her face lighting up. “You’re going to have a baby!” She screamed and hugged Astrid, but Emma still didn’t move.
“No,” Astrid pulled free of Clare’s grasp. “I’m pregnant. That’s not the same thing.”
Emma’s face paled. “You’re going to abort it?”
“No, no, no. God, no.” Astrid looked at her friends, and the truth finally spilled out. “Three years ago, I was pregnant and the baby was stillborn at eight months. Being pregnant doesn’t always mean you’re going to have a baby.”
“Oh, Astrid.” Clare hugged her. “It’ll be okay…”
Emma was still watching her intently. “Do you want the baby?”
“I—” Astrid hesitated, trying to figure out how to answer the question. She’d never even thought about it, but as she did, a strong sense of rightness came over her. “Yes,” she whispered. “More than anything. But I’m terrified.”
This time, finally, Emma smiled, and so did Clare. “We’ll help you though it,” Emma said. “It’s so awesome. You’ll be the best mom.”
“But what if—”
“No.” Clare put her fingers over Astrid’s lips. “None of that, Astrid. It’s going to be fine. And we’re going to help you, every step of the way.”
Emma nodded. “There’s no way you can leave town now,” she said. “That would be crazy. You can’t do this alone. Clare never would have managed with Katie if she hadn’t had help from the town.”
Astrid sighed. “I know, but—”
“But Jason,” Clare interrupted. “Does he know?”
“That’s why he offered to have me live here,” Astrid admitted.
“And? He’s happy about it?” Clare pressed.
“He wants another child, and I’m the way to make it happen,” Astrid said, not quite able to keep the hurt out of her voice. “I thought there was more between us, but…” Her voice trailed off.
Emma’s eyes narrowed. “But he didn’t introduce you to his parents.”
“Nope.”
“Bastard,” Emma snapped, her voice thick with loathing.
Astrid started to laugh at Emma’s vehemence. “See? I told you.”
“Don’t worry, girlfriend, you have a posse now,” Clare said. “This is your town, and you’ve got a team supporting you. We’ll kick Jason’s ass if he doesn’t shape up. Just think what Eppie will do to him—”
Astrid grabbed Clare’s arm. “God, no, don’t tell anyone. I’m only a month along. Anything could happen over the next eight months.” She hesitated. “I don’t fit in here already, Clare. What if people find out I slept with Jason the day I met him and got knocked up? What will they think of me?”
Clare smiled and patted her arm. “Oh, sweetie, you have no idea what this town is really like, do you?”
Astrid hesitated. “I know that they think I’m different than everyone else. Like I don’t fit in—”
“And that makes you a perfect fit,” Clare declared. “Or haven’t you noticed that this town is a bunch of eclectic personalities? You are loved, by everyone. It was automatic the moment you moved here. It’s what the people here do.”
Astrid’s throat tightened even as she refused to let herself believe that or trust it. “That’s not true—’
“Seriously, Astrid, you don’t need to worry that the town will judge you.” Emma grinned cheerfully. “Jason is the one who should be worried. Very, very worried…” Her smile widened. “I’m really looking forward to people finding out, actually. Jason is going to have to man up.”
Clare started laughing. “God, yes, that’s an understatement.”
“No, don’t tell anyone—” Astrid began, then she heard a low snort from behind her.
Her stomach dropping to her knees, she turned around and saw Eppie standing in the open door, carrying a huge casserole dish and a pair of fuzzy loon slippers. Beside her stood Eppie’s best friend, Judith Bittner, whose gray hair was still rolled up in curlers. Judith’s gold rimmed glasses were perched on the end of her nose, and the gold chain swung gently against her sea-foam green blouse. In Judith’s arms was a box filled with china.
“Dammit,” Eppie said. “I knew the loon slippers weren’t going to be a good housewarming gift. Who the hell knew I should have brought a baby blanket?”
“Oh, God,” Astrid whispered, feeling faint as the two older women beamed at her. “Eppie—”
“And to think that Eppie said your greatest need was a set of nice china to woo the men with,” Judith said, marching into the carriage house, her leather boots thumping forcefully on the wood. “Astrid, I’ve packed up my great grandmother’s china for you, but from the sounds of it, Jason Sarantos doesn’t deserve to be eating on it.”
Astrid scrambled to her feet. “No, please don’t say anything—”
“Say anything? You don’t want us to say anything, even though some out-of-town bastard isn’t doing right by you?” Eppie gawked at her. “You think it’s better just to sit back and let him go on his penis-waving way without calling him on it? Is that all the self-esteem you have, girl?”
Emma started to laugh, and a giggle ripped through Astrid. “His penis-waving way?”
“Everyone in this room knows about penis-waving, so let’s not pretend we’re a bunch of virgins in here.” Eppie dropped the loon slippers on the floor. “Lordy, girl, you need a protector, and damn lucky for you, Judith and I are available. We’re the best there is in a hundred miles in any direction.”
“A hundred miles?” Judith snorted. “Try the whole damn world.” She pulled a beautiful crystal champagne flute out of her box. “Come on girls, we need to celebrate this properly. Our Astrid is going to be a mama, and we’ve got ourselves another grandbaby coming to our town.”
Everyone ignored Astrid’s protests, and within moments, five women were armed with the most beautiful champagne flutes Astrid had ever seen, glasses that Judith had declared were now Astrid’s. Amber liquid bubbled in all five glasses, but Astrid’s was a concoction of apple juice and sparkling water, whipped up by Eppie. As the quintet raised their glasses in honor of Astrid, she felt the strangest sensation settle on her. Warmth. Belonging. Contentment. Safety. And utter bewilderment. “I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“Say you’ll stay in town,” Eppie said.
“Not that it matters,” Judith said. “We’ll just track you down, hogtie you to the bumper and haul your ass back here if you try to take off.”
“No more being nice,” Eppie agreed. “It’s too late for nice.” She leveled her champagne glass at Astrid. “Girl, you’ve just become a ward of the town. Don’t mess with us.”
Emma grinned and slung her arm over Astrid’s shoulder. “Amen, sistah,” she said, tapping her glass against Eppie’s. “Astrid belongs to us now. Screw Jason. She’s ours.”
Tears began to burn in Astrid’s eyes as Clare beamed at her. “Welcome to Birch Crossing, sweetie. I think you finally belong.”
Chapter Thirteen
“These ovens look good.” Mack Sarantos, Jason’s dad and the owner of the very first pizza store in Munson, Minnesota, peered intently into the ovens Jason had installed. “I like them. Nice work.”
“Thanks.” Jason glanced over at his mother and Noah, who were huddled up at one of the new tables, reading one of the books that his mother had brought Noah. He swore, watching them together. After not seeing his parents for so long, it felt surreal to see his mom hanging out with Noah. But it was good. Really good. He had his memories of sitting in his parents’ pizza shop doing homework, and there was something so satisfying about seeing Noah beginning on that same path. “Shit, Dad. It’s been a long time.” Since he’d seen them. Since he’d talked pizza with his dad. Since there’d been any real sense of family in his life.
But as much as he was being affected by the sudden reappearance of his family, he was restless as hell being with them, when all he could think of was the way he’d ditched Astrid. It had been the perfect night, far beyond what he ever would have expected, even in his fantasies. The sex had been great, yeah, no doubt about that. But it had been more than that. It was the first time in years that his mind had quieted enough to let him sleep. When he’d woken up wrapped around Astrid… yeah… it had been right. So right.
Until he’d heard his damn parents outside. He almost laughed at the memory of how fast he’d hauled ass outside, all his adrenaline gushing on full cylinders. The moment he’d realized his parents were there, he’d been able to think of nothing but protecting Astrid from them.
The first thing he’d thought of when he’d realized his parents were there was how they would treat Astrid. He’d been through their judgments once with Kate, and he knew how brutal they could be if they found his choice lacking, which they always had with every woman he’d dated. Part of the reason he’d stayed away from them for so long was because of his loyalty to Kate. His parents had been brutal to her, judging her as superficial and cold, and unworthy of being their son’s wife or their grandsons’ mother. No woman he’d ever dated had met their standards, and Kate was no exception.
This morning, still basking in the glow of Astrid’s warmth and confessions of the night before, his first instinct had been to protect her. He wanted his parents to stay far away from Astrid. He’d seen too much of her vulnerability to think that she could withstand what his parents might throw at her.
“Yeah, it has been a long time.” Mack closed the oven door and leaned against the counter. “Looks like you have a lot in place,” he said, the pride evident in his voice. “But you’re going to be hard pressed to be ready to open in four days.”
“I know.” Jason rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, still trying to process the appearance of his parents. “Why are you here?” He’d seen them only twice in the last thirteen years, and not since Noah’s birth. He’d been in touch with them more since Kate’s death, but he still hadn’t seen them. He hadn’t gone home, and he’d never invited them to New York.
Mack leaned against the counter and eyed his son. “I told you. We wanted to see our grandkid. We haven’t seen him in too long.”
Jason shook his head. It didn’t ring true, not at all. There had to be more. He hadn’t seen his parents in too damn long for them to simply show up unannounced after six years to see Noah. “What’s the truth, Dad?”
Mack glanced over at his wife, and then back at Jason. He laughed softly. “You’re still a stubborn cuss, aren’t you?”
“Dad.” Jason needed to find out their agenda. The last two times they’d visited, the purpose had been to undermine his marriage and try to get Jason to walk out on Kate and move back to Minnesota. It was all done out of love, in their opinion, but it had cut deep into Jason’s ability to trust them.
Mack picked up a pizza cutter and examined it. “Nice choice, son. You did good.”
Jason couldn’t help the slight swell of pride at his father’s words. His parents hadn’t been proud of him much during his life, and he was well aware of it. Jason had chosen not to sacrifice his desires just to make them happy, so he’d chosen med school and New York instead of staying in town and making pizza. He was used to living without their approval, but to have his dad beaming with satisfaction over what Jason was doing felt surprisingly good. When he’d graduated from med school and decided to stay in New York, they’d thought he was selling out for money when he should have moved back to Minnesota to hang up a shingle in their small town. Not a moment of pride. Just insult. “But what’s up with the visit?”
Mack finally met his gaze. “Jason, you walked away from the family thirteen years ago. You rejected every value that we’d raised you and your sisters to believe in and went off with that woman who had no values at all.”
Jason ground his jaw, unwilling to listen to the lectures that had created the rift between them. “Dad, let it go. I’m in Maine, now. I quit my job. You should be happy about that. All the other crap is in the past.”
“Yeah, it is.” Mack eyed him. “It’s been breaking your mother’s heart, watching you and Noah suffer for so long, but we didn’t know how to reach out to you. You seemed so far away and disconnected. We felt like we didn’t know you anymore.”
Jason narrowed his eyes, already resenting the guilt trip. “So, why now? What changed?”
Jason blinked in surprise at his father’s confession. “You came out here to help me with the store?” Not to give him grief for his choice, or to tell him to move back to Minnesota and do pizza there?
“Yeah.” Pride gleamed in Mack’s eyes. “You finally came into the family business, Jason. Do you know how happy that makes me? I brought all my recipes. Every damn one of them. They’re yours.”
Jason stared at his father. “You did?” He still remembered the day his father had quit his job as an appliance salesman to open a pizza store using old family recipes. His parents had stopped being around the house after that, spending every hour at the store, so Jason and his sisters had grown up at Mack’s, behind the counters, in the kitchen and socializing with everyone who came into the store. By the time Jason was in high school, Mack’s Pizza was the place to hang out in town. He and his sisters were substantially elevated in status because they were members of the inner circle at Mack’s.
Today, his parents had seven stores in Munson and the surrounding towns, and had even managed to get their pizzas into the frozen food section of three local grocery store chains. It had been hard work, but there was no doubt that their pizzas were a cut above their competition.
His parents had never let anyone, even the kids in the family, know the specific ingredients of the crusts, the sauces and the cheese blends. His parents would always mix things up after hours, and then the workers simply assembled.
Mack and Henrietta had kept the recipes a secret even from their family because they didn’t want their kids to be put in the uncomfortable position of being pressured to turn them over to someone who might want them.
And now…“You brought the actual recipes? For me?” Jason still couldn’t believe it. It was a gift. Having Mack’s pizza in his store would be a sure-fire winner.
Fairytale Not Required Page 15
