“I’m okay—but I’m—I’m pregnant.” The words came out between sobs.
She gasped. “Oh. Oh.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I’m so sorry.”
“Ellie, honey,” she said gently, a catch in her voice. “You don’t have to be sorry. Everything will be okay.”
“But I feel so stupid,” I moaned. “I ruined my life and I’m ruining your trip and everything is awful.”
“Shhh. You didn’t ruin anything.” My mother’s voice was soothing. “And you’re not stupid. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Ellie. These things happen.”
“But not to you, they don’t,” I sobbed. “You would never have been so careless. You would never have made such a big fat mistake.”
“Ellie, I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life. And I’ve definitely been careless. No one is perfect.”
“I don’t know how to be a mom,” I cried.
“I’ll help you, sweetheart. You’re not alone.” She paused. “But are you—is the father . . . in the picture?”
“It’s Gianni.”
“Oh, my God.” The shock was evident in her voice. For the first time, she actually seemed rattled. “That’s a surprise.”
“Yeah. For us too.”
“Are you two . . . together?”
“No,” I said. “It happened during the blizzard.”
“Ah.” Her laughter was gentle and shaded with regret. “For a moment I was hopeful you two were in love.”
“No,” I blubbered. “We were just stupid. And cold.”
“Well, it’s probably not the first baby conceived during a polar vortex.”
“No.” I laughed and cried at the same time. “Probably not.”
“Does Gianni know?”
“Yes. And we told his parents today.”
“I’m sure they were surprised too.”
“Yes.” I took a shaky breath. “But supportive, although they were upset that he’s still leaving to do that TV show.”
“He is?” My mother sounded shocked once more.
“Yes, and that’s how I want it,” I said emphatically. “I don’t want to hold him back.”
“What does he want?”
“He still wants to go,” I said quickly, although I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that was the case. “He’s offered to stay, but what’s the point? I don’t need him over the next three months.”
“Are you sure? Pregnancy isn’t easy. It’s nice to have a partner.”
“He’s not my partner,” I said firmly. “And I’ve got other people I can depend on.”
“Of course you do.” Her voice grew stronger. “Everything is going to be all right, honey. I promise. And I’ll get on a plane first thing tomorrow. Dad too.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I guess you have to tell Dad, huh?”
More gentle laughter. “Yes, sweetie. Dad needs to know.”
“It’s just so embarrassing.”
“It’s life, Ellie. It’s just life. And sometimes, no matter how perfectly we plan things, they just don’t go the way we want them to. Or the way we thought they would.”
“Not at all,” I said, surprised at how easy she was taking this news.
“But you know what? Sometimes they end up being exactly right. Life has a funny way of turning out fine, just when you least expect it.”
“You really think that?”
“I really do. Remind me to tell you a story sometime.”
“About what?”
“About the asshole I nearly married who jilted me the week before our wedding.”
I gasped. “What? Did that really happen?”
“Absolutely. And I was devastated. I had my life all planned out with that dipshit.” She laughed. “After he dumped me, I went on our Paris honeymoon alone, with the worst possible attitude you can imagine. I was convinced I’d never be happy.”
“And that’s when you met Dad?”
“That’s when I met Dad.”
“I want to hear more about the dipshit,” I said, feeling better already. “I can’t believe I didn’t know this.”
My mother laughed. “It’s not a piece of my past I’m particularly fond of, but I’ll tell you the whole story.”
“Okay. Hurry home.”
“I’m on my way, love. We’ll see you tomorrow.”