A Week at the Beach (34 page)

            “You are, aren’t you?” she said quietly.

            “What?” I tried to play it off.

            “I knew it!” she shouted.  “I thought something was up when you walked in.  Your boobs are bigger than usual and you always gain weight in your boobs first, you haven’t touched your wine, and you’re marrying some guy you barely know.  What are you, five, six weeks along?”

            I didn’t answer her.  Instead, I just stared at her.

            “What is she saying?” my mom asked slowly.

            “I’m saying that sweet innocent Cami hooked up with sexy pants here when she was at the beach.  Had you done it yet when you called me, or was talking to me some kind of weird foreplay for you two?”  Allison was smirking at me, obviously enjoying her recent epiphany.

            “We didn’t hook up.  We had a short relationship that moved at a very fast pace.”  Nick said confidently.  Next, he turned to my dad, “If it helps, sir, I did ask her to marry me before I knew.”

            “Hold on!” my mom shouted before my dad could say a word. 

            All heads turned to her.

            “Are you saying that what Allison said is true?  Are you getting married so soon because you’re pregnant?” she held my gaze.

            “No, we’re getting married so soon because that’s what we want.”  I took a deep breath then added, “But, I am pregnant.”

            “Ha!” Allison shouted triumphantly.

            I didn’t look away from my mom.  I wasn’t sure what her reaction was going to be, so I didn’t want to miss it.  She reached out her hand and cupped my face.

            “Is this what you want?  Are you happy?” she stared into my eyes with a look full of concern.

            I smiled and nodded.  By the time she’d gotten up out of her chair and wrapped her arms around me, I was sobbing.  As soon as she heard me crying, she started crying.

            “My baby is having a baby!  I can’t believe it!” she said as she buried her face in my hair.

            My dad leaned closer to Nick and said, “Hormones, gets them every time.”

            “She’s doing that because of the baby?” Nick asked.

            “No, because she’s a woman,” my dad said with a smile.  “Get used to it, son.”  He gave Nick a pat on the back and smiled.  “How about if after dinner, us dads go out to the garage, drink beers, and tinker with the lawn mower or something?”

            “Sounds good to me,” Nick said with a laugh.

            “Wait!” Allison slammed her glass down on the table.  “How many times have we been lectured about safe sex, and how disappointing it would be if you had to tell all your friends that one of your daughters was having a baby out of wedlock?  Are you serious?”

            “She’s not having a baby out of wedlock.  They’ll be married well before she even starts to show,” my mom said proudly and smoothed my hair down.    

            “That doesn’t negate the fact that she had sex with a guy she didn’t know and got herself knocked up.  What do you have to say about that?  Where’s the wrath of God you promised in all those lectures?” Allison was getting more upset the more she talked.

             “They may not have known each other for very long, but they were clearly meant for each other.  Their baby was made in love, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.  Do you hear me, Allison Marie?” my mom scolded my sister. She gave my face one last caress then sat back down in her chair. 

            “I can’t believe this,” Allison said with a shake of her head.  “All that time you spent lecturing us, and when it finally happens, all you do is cry and defend her.  Unbelievable!”

            “What lectures are you talking about?” Tori asked.

            “You know, the one mom gives about being smart when it comes to sex?  I’ve heard it like a million times.  Come on, you know the one?” Allison said with an eye roll.

            Tori and I looked at each other from across the table.  She looked to be as perplexed as I was.  The only lecture mom had ever given me was the usual birds and the bees talk.

            “Don’t give me those innocent looks!  You know what I’m talking about.  She gave us the talk before big dances, and every summer before heading back to college.”  Allison looked expectantly between Tori and I.

            I smiled and shook my head.  “Sorry Al.  I don’t know what you’re talking about.  Mom never lectured me about safe sex.”

            “Me either,” Tori said with a giggle.

            “Now don’t go thinking anything irrational, Allison.  I wasn’t trying to imply that I thought you were loose.  I just happened to notice that you were a little less discriminating than your sisters seemed to be,” our mom explained herself.

            “Mom thinks you’re a ho,” I giggled loudly.

            Allison glared at me, “Obviously she was worried about the wrong daughter.”

            “Girls!  That’s enough,” mom stopped us with a firm warning.  “It is my birthday and I would like to enjoy this occasion and the happy news that Cami has shared with us.  Is it too much to ask you to not fight with each other for one day?”

            “Sorry, mom,” I said and lowered my eyes in shame.

            Allison rolled hers, but apologized anyway.

            My dad stood up and said, “Well, Nick, what do you say we head to the garage for some male bonding?”

             Nick nodded and scooted his chair away from the table.  Before he stood up though, he leaned over and whispered into my ear.  “Your dad doesn’t keep power tools and weapons in that garage does he?”

            I giggled and turned to kiss him on the cheek.  “Yes, but he doesn’t actually know how to use any of them.”

            Nick flashed a worried grin and followed my dad outside.

            “Even better from behind,” my mom mumbled appreciatively when Nick disappeared from our view.

18.

“He’s gorgeous!” Tori said with a dreamy look.   

            “I have to admit, Cami, you definitely picked an extremely attractive man to knock you up,” Allison said as she dropped a handful of silverware in the sink.

            “Allison, will you please stop saying that.  You know how I hate that phrase!” my mom fussed and took the silverware out of the sink.  “I really wish that you two girls would just put all that petty fighting aside and just be friends.”

            “Mom,” I said dryly, “that’s how she talks to her friends.”

            Allison smacked my arm.

            “I can’t believe you’re going to be a mom,” Tori gave me a sappy look.  “Can I touch your belly?”

            “There isn’t much of a belly there to touch,” I said and lifted my shirt a little.

            Both of my sisters and my mom immediately put their hands on my bare stomach.  It was a weird feeling. 

            “It’s tiny, but there’s definitely a bump there,” my mom said with a grin.

            “Tiny?  I spotted it when she walked in, remember?” Allison flashed a smug smile.  “I bet you’ll be huge by Christmas.” 

            My mouth flew open in surprise, “Shut up!  I will not!”

            “Oh!” my mom pulled her hand back and gave me a worried look.  “Will you still be able to come with us to Grammy and Pop’s, or will you have to go visit Nick’s family?”

            “We haven’t really talked about it, but I guess we’ll go to Grammy and Pop’s.”  I shrugged nonchalantly and turned around to start loading the dishwasher.

            “How do you know Nick won’t want to have Christmas with his family?” Tori asked.

            “Nick doesn’t really talk to his family,” I said quietly.

            “What do you mean?  Why doesn’t he talk to his family?” my mom leaned against the counter next to me.  “Are they upset about him moving here?”

            I sighed, “It’s not about anything recent.”

            “What is it about then?” Tori asked from where she sat on the opposite counter.

            “It’s about stuff from a long time ago,” I answered.  Trying to change the subject, I asked, “What do you all want for Christmas this year?”

             “I don’t think so, missy,” my mom grabbed the sponge from my hand.  “You aren’t going to change the subject.  If this man is going to be a part of our family, we need to know what he’s bringing to the party.  Spill it!”

            I sighed and looked around, as if checking to see if Nick was listening.  “Like he said at dinner, he didn’t have a family like ours.”

            “What kind of family did he have?” Tori asked with a raised eyebrow.  “Was he raised by wolves or something?”

            Allison turned to Tori and gave her a look of disbelief.  She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

            “His dad was an alcoholic who was abusive, so he left home when he was fifteen,” I practically whispered the information. 

            “He’s been on his own since he was fifteen?  How did he get where he is?” my mom’s voice had a concerned tone to it.

            “He stayed with friends for a little bit, and slept on beaches then met a surf shop owner who took him in.  He worked hard to put himself through UCLA and ended up at Davis and Associates.”  I gave them a brief summary of what Nick had shared with me.

            “When you say his dad was abusive, what does that mean?” Allison stared me down, “Was he a yeller?”

            “Among other things,” I answered and looked down at my feet.

            My mom gasped, “Did he hit him?”

            I nodded, “He burned him with cigarettes, too.”
            All three of them gasped. 

            My mom closed her eyes and shook her head.  “How can people be so cruel?” she whispered sadly.

            I turned back to the sink to let them deal with the information on their own.  Part of me felt better for not having to carry the secret around any longer.  However, another part of me felt as if I’d betrayed Nick by telling them.  I had told him that he didn’t need to share that information with my family, and then I told them everything.

            “Cami,” Allison said softly. “Are you sure about this?”

            “I’ve seen the scars, Allison,” I said without turning around.

            “I meant are you sure about him?” she corrected the confusion.  “I’m not trying to be mean.  I just don’t want you, or the baby, to get hurt.”

            I turned around and looked at her.  “I trust him, Allison.”

            “I do too,” my mom said confidently then smiled at me.  “He loves your sister and I don’t think he’d ever do anything to put her in danger.”

            “I agree,” Tori added with a nod.

            Allison exhaled loudly.  “I don’t understand why, but I trust him too.”

            “Do you think we should tell dad?” I asked hesitantly.

            “I think you should let him tell your father.”  My mom picked up the dishtowel and wiped her hands.  “Men have different ways of handling this stuff.”