Page 260 - It Ends with Us

rea sons . I’m no t wea ring a materni ty shi rt but my bump is almost

impossible to hi de witho ut a jacket . Espec ially from a mothe r.
“Hey, sweet ie! ” she says.
I walk int o the kitchen and give her a side hu g whi le she layers
chees e over the top of the lasagna . Onc e the lasagna is in the oven, we
walk over to the dini ng room table and take a sea t. She lea ns back in
her cha ir and takes a sip from a glass of tea .

She’s smiling . I ha te it ev en more tha t she looks so ha ppy right
no w.
“Lily,” she says. “There’ s somet hi ng I need to tel l you.”
I don’t like thi s. I was coming over here to talk to he r. I’m no t
prep ared to receive a talk.
“Wha t is it?” I ask hes itant ly.
She grips her glass of tea with both ha nd s. “I’m seei ng someo ne. ”

My mouth drops open.
“Rea lly?” I ask, sha king my he ad. “Tha t’s . . .” I’m about to say good,
but then I grow ins tant ly worried tha t she’s just put hers el f in a similar
situation she was in with my father. She can see the worr y on my face,
so she grabs my ha nd s in both of hers .
“He’s good, Lily. He’s so good. I promise. ”

Rel ief washes over me in an ins tant , bec ause I can see she’s tel ling
the truth. I can see the ha ppines s in her ey es . “Wow,” I say, no t
ex pec ting thi s at all. “I’m ha ppy for you. When can I meet hi m?”
“Toni ght , if you want ,” she says. “I can inv ite hi m over to ea t with
us.”
I sha ke my hea d. “No,” I whi sper. “Now’s no t a good time. ”
Her ha nd s squeez e around mine as soon as she rea lizes I’m here to

tel l her somet hing important . I start with the bet ter part of the new s
firs t.
I stand up and remo ve my jacket . At firs t, she does n’t thi nk
any thi ng of it. She just assumes I’m making mysel f comfortable. But
then I take one of her ha nds and I pres s it agains t my stomach.
“You’re gonna be a grand ma.”

Her ey es widen and for sev era l sec ond s, she’s stunned speec hl es s.
But the n tea rs beg in to form. She jumps up and pulls me int o a hu g.
“Lily!” she says. “Oh my God!” She pulls back, smiling . “Tha t was so
fast. Were you trying ? You ha ven’t ev en been marri ed for very long .”