揑t抯 about a baby,?Haley said. 揑抦 going to have a baby, and we were discussing whether I should tell the father. I was about to say that someday I will be honest and tell my baby why there抯 no father in the picture.?
揅ongratulations,?Daisy said. 揇o we get to still live here??
揙f course,?Haley answered. 揑 might even need a babysitter on the nights when I work at the bar.?
揑 love babies,?Lily said. 揑抣l take the job anytime you need me.?
Jessica rounded the table and bent to hug Haley. 揥e抮e here for you. Anything you need, you just remember that we抮e going to be the best aunts in the whole universe to this baby.?
揃ut, Haley, don抰 you think you should tell the father??Mary Nell joined them, making it a three-way hug.
揘o, I do not. I抳e thought about it a lot, and he doesn抰 deserve to know,?Haley answered.
Risa pushed back her chair and got in on the hugging business. 揥hatever you decide, we抮e behind you.?
Haley grabbed a napkin from the pizza place and wiped tears from her eyes. 揑 don抰 want to be the cause of his new marriage failing. That woman that I helped choose a cake is a nice person, and she doesn抰 deserve to have her life turned upside down. I wouldn抰 marry him if he was the last man on earth. Marriage means trust, and after what he did, I wouldn抰 trust him as far as I could throw him. Mary Nell, I know Oscar has been fussing at you about a grandchild. You can tell him that he can be grandpa to my baby since the little critter won抰 have any grandparents.?
Jessica, Risa, and Mary Nell moved back to their chairs, and the twins rushed over to hug Haley.
揟his little baby will be like us now that we抳e been tossed out, but Oscar is a wonderful grandpa role model, and he抣l be so good with this new little girl or guy.?Daisy finished hugging Haley and went to the refrigerator, where she took out a couple of Popsicles. She handed one off to her sister and went on to say, 揥e抮e proof that kids can get along just fine without a daddy.?
揧ou are so right,?Risa agreed.
揇addy will be elated, and believe me, he will be first in line to babysit for you,?Mary Nell said with a smile. 揕ook at us, solving problems.?
揋od, I抦 glad to get that off my chest.?Haley sighed and paused for a moment. 揟hank you all for your support. Guess it goes to prove that the one percent chance of getting pregnant on the pill is a reality.?
Risa nodded toward her girls. 揑 hope you are hearing this loud and clear.?
揧es, ma抋m,?they chorused.
揥hat if the baby is a boy? None of us have brothers or know anything about boys,?Jessica asked.
揥e抣l learn, and besides, Paul has five brothers and all of them have sons. I抳e got a pretty good idea about how not to raise boys,?Risa told them.
揂nd we抳e got Wade and Daddy to help us out in that area,?Mary Nell said. 揘ow that the shock is over, I抦 excited for you and for us. I抣l be your birthing coach.?
They all began to offer their services for coaching at the same time, and then Lily stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled. For the second time everything went quiet in the kitchen.
揥e抮e happy about a new baby, but that抯 not going to happen for a while. Daisy and I have come up with a plan that we would like to talk about right now concerning the protest Granny Stella is threatening us with,?Lily said.
揥e抮e all ears.?Haley nodded, glad to have the conversation turned to something else so she could catch her breath. She had expected support, but the extent of what she had just gotten put a lump in her throat as big as a grapefruit.
揧ou抳e got the floor,?Mary Nell said.
Daisy pulled out a chair at the end of the table and sat down. 揥e figure that they抣l show up in the parking lot with their hymnbooks. So we thought we抎 set up a table on the porch with bottles of cold water and some store-bought cookies on a pretty plate.?
揟hat抯 sweet of you,?Jessica said.
揘ot really,?Lily told her as she dragged a chair across the floor and sat down beside her sister. 揥ay we figure it, we don抰 want any one of those old folks having a heat stroke out there in parking lot, so we抣l make sure they have water, and the store-bought cookies are kind of a slap in the face.?
Risa refilled her tea glass. 揌ow is giving them water and something to eat an ugly gesture??
揥ell,?Daisy said with a giggle, 搈e and Lily are going to put another table out back between the church and the barn. We抮e going to make cookies all day tomorrow and have the good-tasting ones on our table, right next to a tub full of cold soda pop and beer. Then the two of us are going to play the banjo and fiddle for the folks who come around to the backyard. We抣l entertain them until the last one leaves.?
揙h. My. Goodness.?Risa gasped. 揗other will have a fit.?