The Secret of Strange Waters (The Light Keeper Series Book 2) by Kelly Hall Page B

again, he might still be upset from this morning. He knew something was up.
    “Sorry about lunch,” I apologized as I climbed in the truck after school.
    “It’s okay,” he replied. “I missed you, though.”
    His words made me warm inside. “I missed you, too. Oh, hey, I just remembered. Wednesday, Granny wants us to stall the guys after school. She wants Holly and Meagan to come over, too. She’s getting the guys’ birthday present delivered.”
    He leaned in close, brushing his lips with mine for a soft, quick kiss. “What is it?” he asked.
    “You’ll see. I promised Granny I wouldn’t tell a soul.” I breathed in his scent while he was still so close, and he pressed his lips softly to my neck, giving me kisses down to my collarbone and back up, ending with a bright smile. He was very tempting, but I shook my head and giggled.
    “Fine.” he smiled. “Guess you still can’t tell me Owen’s big secret, either.”
    “No, not yet,” I said with a smirk. “I hear you had a nice close chat with Meagan today.” I changed the subject and watched his smile fade.
    “Holly told you about it, huh? I swear that Meagan chick is impossible. She didn’t shut up the whole time, mostly talking about herself. She didn’t miss Owen at all.” That was no surprise to me. It was obvious Meagan was using Owen. I was pretty sure it was to get closer to Talon. I only hoped I was wrong. Lost in deep thought, I stayed quiet the rest of the ride home.
    We pulled up to find Mom’s car in the driveway. She left for work this morning, so we weren’t sure what was wrong. “Looks like Cate’s sick again,” Talon noted.
    I got out of the truck and ran inside. “Mom!” I called. “Mom, are you okay?” I walked to her room to find her lying across her bed, crying. A pharmacy bag was by her side. I was so worried; a million things ran through my mind.
    “Mom, are you sick again?” I prayed silently that it wasn’t something horrible.
    “No, I’m not sick . I’m pregnant.” She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.
    “What?” I gasped. “How? I mean, how far along are you? When?” I couldn’t gather my thoughts enough to know what to ask first.
    “I’m a little over three months. The baby’s due at the end of February.” She buried her head back into the pillows and sobbed loudly.
    “Three months! You didn’t know until now?” I didn’t understand how that could be.
    “I thought I was menopausal! I’m too old for this,” she cried. “I’ll have to change the wedding again, if he will still have me.”
    “Mom, it’s okay! Sure he will. Haven’t you told him yet?” I wondered if they’d had a fight. Surely she’d told him and he upset her. Why else would she be so upset?
    “We haven’t ever talked about having kids. You two are almost grown, and we were planning on spending our time together alone. I’ve tried to call him, but the voice mail answers, which means he’s still working. It’s not something I can leave in a message.” She sobbed into her wadded Kleenex.
    Talon knocked on the doorframe. “Is everything alright?” He looked as if he was afraid to come in. Mom started wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself.
    My eyes widened. “Mom’s pregnant,” I said. I wasn’t sure how he’d react.
    “What?” His eyes got wide too, and then he smiled. “No way. Really?”
    Mom nodded, still sniffling from crying. She tried to smile; her puffy, red eyes seemed hopeful. “I hope your dad’s as excited as you are,” she said, choking back tears.
    Talon put his hand on Mom’s shoulder. “He will be! Haven’t you tried calling him?”
    “He’s working, I can’t reach him.” She buried her face and started sobbing again. “I’m too old for this.”
    “Obviously you’re not too old. Everything is gonna be fine. We’ll help you with everything. We can even baby sit while you and Tom go out on dates,” I said, with a little too much enthusiasm. Then it hit me.