“Of course.” I nodded and laughed.
“Is it too early to start picking out names?” He raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“Names? Oh god…” I blinked a couple of times as the realization hit me that I hadn’t even considered names. “Are there any you’re attached to?”
“If it’s a girl, we could name her after my mother.” Everette nodded. “Mildred.”
“Um…” I couldn’t hide the grimace.
“Then maybe if it’s a boy, we’ll name it after my father—Wilfred.” His nodded again.
“Your parents are Mildred and Wilfred?” I shook my head in disbelief.
“No.” He looked down and laughed. “My dad’s name is Bob, and my mom’s name is Pam.”
“Pamela isn’t too bad.” I wrinkled my nose in contemplation. “I wouldn’t mind Robby—not so sure about Bob.”
“Yeah, I’m not particular to that one myself. We’ll make a list—I’m sure we’ll come up with something that we both like.” Everette leaned over and picked up his laptop.
“Oh, you mean—like right now?” I exhaled sharply. “Okay, let’s do it.”
We spent a couple of hours coming up with names and talking through some other concerns. Everette wanted to make sure I had a good obstetrician, and I certainly didn’t mind trying someone new. The OBGYN I normally went to in Los Angeles didn’t have the best bedside manner, and even my mom had been talking about switching to a new doctor. I was determined to finish school, even if I didn’t know what my major would be in the fall. I was still leaning towards becoming a teacher, but I wasn’t ready to make that decision quite yet. It might be best to see if I could handle one child on my own before I tried to take responsibility for a classroom full of them. Everette thought I would make a great teacher—and encouraged me to give it some
consideration.
“I should probably go home.” I looked towards the window. “My parents haven’t turned off the lights—they may be waiting up for me.”
“I’ll walk you to the door—and stay outside in case I need to try beating it down again,” he chuckled under his breath.
“I don’t think that will be an issue. The worst of it is probably over.” I leaned forward and started to stand.
I felt a lot better after discussing everything with Everette. He walked me to my door—we had one more hug and a rather long kiss before I finally went inside. My parents were waiting for my return, but they were a lot calmer. We had a lot more civilized discussion, but it was still tense. My father wanted me to promise that I would finish school, and I had no problem making that one. They brought up the subject of marriage—I wasn’t ready to have that conversation. I knew Everette would be there for me whether I had a ring on my finger or not, and I didn’t need a ceremony to prove his devotion to the family we were going to have together. I wasn’t opposed to marriage, but it would happen when the time was right. I certainly didn’t want Everette to feel like he had to marry me because I was pregnant—the fact that we were still together was good enough for me.
“Okay, I love you both, but I really need to go to bed now.” I looked towards the stairs and sighed.
“You can sleep in tomorrow if you need to.” My mother leaned forward and patted my hand. “I think I can handle Thanksgiving dinner without your help.”
“Is he coming to have Thanksgiving dinner with us?” My father raised an eyebrow.
“Is he invited?” I tensed up.
“He didn’t need an invitation to knock up my daughter—why does he need an invitation to eat here?” My father stood up and walked towards the stairs.
“He’ll—come around.” My mother sighed once my father was at the top of the stairs.
“It’s a lot to take in. I realize that.” I nodded. “I promised Everette I would go with him to his parents’ house tomorrow. We have to break the news to them. I’ll save room for some of your stuffing and—maybe a few slices of pumpkin pie.”
“It’ll be here whenever you’re ready.” She looked down and smiled.
Hopefully the Weston household will be excited like Everette said—I’m not sure I’m ready for World War 4 after barely surviving World War 3.
The next day
“Are you serious?” Mrs. Weston’s eyes lit up and immediately filled with tears. “Oh my goodness, I’m so happy!”
“This better not some kind of prank.” Mr. Weston narrowed his eyes—much like Everette did when he was questioning something.
“Dad, it’s not a prank,” Everette laughed. “Holly and I have been together for a few months now, and we took precautions—but miracles don’t care what kind of obstacles you put in front of them.”