Immediate Family by Eileen Goudge Page A

chops better be prepared for a fight,” Franny mock-growled.
    “I’ll drink to that.” He hoisted his beer.
    Her smile faded. “Look, I know we’ve been over this ad nauseam, but now that it’s not just a theoretical kid, I can’t help worrying that it’ll get in the way of you and Viv.” It was as if she’d read his mind.
    “Viv’ll be thrilled,” he assured her. “It was her idea, remember?”
    Some of Franny’s concerns were justified, though. It was complicated with her and Vivienne. Going all the way back to the guy Franny had been so crazy about when she and Vivienne roomed together after college. Vivienne had done nothing to encourage him, but she felt responsible nonetheless for his and Franny’s breakup. Part of the reason she was doing this, he suspected, was to right an old wrong and become the kind of friend she’d always hoped to be, the kind he and Franny were.
    “Still.” Franny continued to eye him anxiously. “Promise you’ll tell me if I’m ever stepping on anyone’s toes.” She frowned, her fingers tightening around his.
    “Cross my heart, hope to die.” He drew an invisible X over his heart.
    She released his hand and sat back, her gaze turning inward—a look he’d come to recognize as that of the secret universe a woman entered when she became pregnant. One with its own language and customs and rhythms, from which men were, for the most part, excluded.
    He felt an instant of panic, then the old Franny resurfaced. In a voice that made him breathe a little easier, she said, “Okay, now that that’s settled, I want to hear all about your meeting. Every detail.”
     
    “Your friends were nice,” Jay commented as he and Vivienne were leaving the restaurant later that evening.
    She smiled indulgently, tucking an arm into his. “How would you know? You hardly said two words to them all evening.”
    He cast her a chastened look. “Sorry. Guess I was a little preoccupied.”
    Throughout the meal all he’d been able to think about was Franny’s news. He hadn’t even had a chance to tell Vivienne. By the time he’d gotten to the restaurant, she’d been immersed in talking to her friends. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could just work into the conversation. Oh, by the way, I just found out I have another one on the way. He could only imagine what Rob and Melissa’s reaction would have been. On the other hand, he’d better get used to seeing some dropped jaws because soon there’d be no hiding it.
    There would be the matter, too, of explaining it to their parents. Vivienne’s weren’t a problem—they were European; nothing shocked them. But his own…They were simple farm people with no frame of reference for a situation like this. How was he supposed to break it to them? Mom, Dad, listen, you know how you were always on me about grandkids? Well, you’re getting two for the price of one. His father would scratch his head and give him that look, the one that said, Son, I don’t know what kinds of wickedness you folks get up to in New York City, but out here we have such a thing as family values. His mother, a staunch Baptist, was under the impression he still regularly attended Sunday services (which he hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to disabuse her of ), and would ask apprehensively if he’d spoken to his pastor about it. Anything not sanctioned by the Bible or the Christian Family Council was, in her mind, suspect.
    “Is something the matter?” Vivienne’s voice broke into his thoughts. “You’re a million miles away.”
    He brought his attention back to her. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”
    “About what?”
    “Franny.” He paused in the middle of the sidewalk, turning to face her. “She’s pregnant.” He kept his voice neutral, waiting to see how she’d react, if she’d be okay with it now that it was an actuality.
    Vivienne’s face lit up. “Really? That’s wonderful!” She looked even more radiant than usual, her cheeks flushed, her