Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

“He is.”

“Staying at the same place you are, apparently.”

“Apparently.”

“I hope you work things out, sweets.” His words were low, and she glanced up at the only man who’d never disappointed her.

“I hope so too.” She got to her feet and grabbed their glasses. “I’m tired, and I want a bath, so I’m heading in. My flight back to Louisiana is Wednesday morning, so I’m home for the day. We’ll do something nice together, okay?”

“Love ya, Sweets.”

She kissed her gramps on the cheek. “Right back atcha.”

Bobbi was tucked into her old bed by ten thirty and fast asleep before her grandfather turned out the last light. She didn’t remember her dreams when she woke up, and felt refreshed and ready to face her day. For the first time in over a week, her nausea passed quickly, and she was able to eat breakfast without losing half of it an hour later.

Her appointment wasn’t until the afternoon, so she spent time in the kitchen cleaning up and then scrubbed two bathrooms. The cleaning lady she’d hired while she was gone wasn’t up to par, and she made a mental note to call with revised expectations. When she was done with that, she ran to the grocery store, happy not to see anyone she knew except Marge Pearson. She’d had to duck down several aisles like a crazy person to avoid her, but it was worth it. Everyone knew Marge was the biggest gossip this side of the river, and Bobbi didn’t feel like chatting about her life with a woman who would ask the questions you weren’t supposed to ask.

She made an apple pie while her grandfather went to meet his old pals at the coffee shop downtown, and it was cooling on the counter when she came down from her shower. She had an hour before her appointment and would have loved to put up her feet and relax, except her sister Billie stood in the middle of the kitchen, with her toddler, Ivy, on her hip.

Billie’s dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and the skin beneath her eyes was paper thin and colored purple. Her sweatpants had holes in the knees, and she’d pulled on an old, faded pink T-shirt that in its prime had been red. Ivy’s nose was runny and her pigtails uneven, but the big toothy grin on her face melted Bobbi’s heart in an instant. When her chubby arms reached for her, Bobbi scooped her up and hugged her close.

“You look like shit,” she said to Billie, who plopped down onto a chair at the kitchen table and sighed.

“I feel worse. I had to cancel hockey camp for the entire week, so a lot of unhappy kids but I barely made it through the last one. Logan’s been so good, though. He took Abel with him to the shop and arranged for one of the McCarthy girls to come babysit Ivy, but they never showed.” She looked up at Bobbi, clearly exhausted. “Why are you back?”

“How did you know I was back?”

Billie made a face that said, Really?

“It’s Tuesday, which means it’s coffee shop day for Gramps. He told Edward Somers, who was on the phone with his son Miles, who happened to be at the shop ordering a new custom ride from Logan.” She paused. “Plus Marge Pearson spotted you at the Super Save.”

“Dammit. She’s good.” Bobbi shook her head.

“And Marge told Eddie McCarthy, who called to tell me that whichever one of his daughters was supposed to watch Ivy had taken off with her boyfriend.” She rubbed the back of her neck and winced. “So why are you back?”

“I have an appointment, which”—she glanced up at the clock—“I’m going to be late for.” Bobbi kissed sweet Ivy one last time, noting the big yawn, and gave the squirming child back to her sister. “Why don’t you put her down here on the daybed and have yourself a nap. We’ll talk when I get back.” She nodded toward the counter. “I made apple. Your favorite.”

Billie made a face. “Nope. This flu is killing me. You go, and I’ll stay, because I definitely need details on Logan and Louisiana and…” Her eyes widened. “Are you going back?”

“We’ll talk later.”

Bobbi figured it was normal to be nervous, though by the time she got to the doctor’s office, she felt clammy and jittery. Breanne, a girl she’d gone to school with, sat in a chair, leafing through a magazine while her daughter played on an iPad. Not particularly close, they said hello like old schoolmates do and made small talk. When the nurse called Bobbi’s name, she jumped to her feet and nearly tripped over Breanne’s daughter.

The nurse, Nancy, took her into the exam room right away. After Bobbi handed in her urine sample, Nancy told her to relax and that the doctor wouldn’t be much longer. About an hour after that, Bobbi sailed out of the doctor’s office, jitters and nerves still present, but also with a feeling unlike any she’d ever experienced before.

She sat in her car for a good ten minutes without starting it, ignoring the heat because her mind was on things. Big things. Big, oh-my-God-I-can’t-believe-this-is-real things. When she realized Breanne was watching her from across the lot, she fired up the car and glanced at her cell. She scooped it up because she needed to hear Shane’s voice, and was disappointed when she got his voicemail. She told him that she missed him and that she’d be back at the bed-and-breakfast late afternoon the next day.

Her grandfather was sitting on the porch when she arrived, and he got to his feet when she made her way up the stairs. “Your pie is ready,” he said. “How about some tea?”

“You got any of that lemonade left?”

She let her grandfather fuss over her because he enjoyed it and because she was still digesting everything. And there was a lot. Good Lord, but there was a lot.

He cut them each a piece of pie, and once she was settled at the table with her lemonade, he sat down across from her with his tea.

“How was your—”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out. God, this is real.