“Que esto suceda? Let this happen, Mama?” I repeat in English, as I don’t want to hide anything about this conversation from Jake. “I didn’t let anything happen. We didn’t intend to get pregnant, obviously. But it’s something that has happened, and we are both extremely happy about it. I was hoping you would be too.”
“We are happy,” my dad insists.
“Mama?” I press.
“Are you going to give the band up, Jake?” she asks him directly.
“No, he’s not,” I say before he gets a chance to speak.
She sighs loudly. “So he will be on the road touring, and you will be home alone in America with a baby.”
“No,” Jake butts in before I get another chance to speak.
Probably a good thing because I’m so bloody rattled right now.
“We haven’t worked out the fine details yet, Eva, but Tru won’t be home alone with the baby. I’m going to be the biggest part of our baby’s life. I won’t have my child raised the way I was.” The harshness of his tone surprises me, but I can’t blame him. “I see your concern, really I do, but it won’t be that way. I will always be here for them both. I don’t want you and Billy to worry.”
My mum is silent for a tense moment.
“I want you to be happy about this, Mama. This isn’t like you and Dad on the road. Jake’s life is different—”
“Yes, it’s bigger than your father’s ever was. Jake is busy and in demand, and his life is pressured. Look at what happened the last time things got hard for him. He was back on drugs and you found that girl in his bed. You were brokenhearted.”
“Mama!” I cry, devastated she’s bringing that back up.
“Enough, now, Eva,” my dad says. “You know what happened.”
It’s another tense moment of silence, as tears make their way down my cheeks.
“I know I’ve screwed up in the past and let Tru down,” Jake says, breaking the silence. “Trust me, no one knows that better than I do.” His voice is hoarse and it hurts me to hear. “But it won’t ever happen again. I know what I stand to lose, believe me. I love Tru very much. She’s everything to me, and I want her happiness as much as you do.”
I reach out and caress his cheek.
I turn back to the phone. “I thought you of all people would understand this, Mama.” I rub the tears from my face. “That you would be on my side and support us in having this baby.”
I hear her sharp intake of breath. “I am on your side, Tru. I’m always on your side.”
“So then be happy for me…for us. You’re going to be a grandma, and Dad a granddaddy.”
The moment of silence is soft, not sullen. That’s when I know I have her.
“How far along are you?” she asks, her voice wavering a little.
“Six weeks.” A smile bites my lips. “I have some pictures. I can scan one into the laptop and e-mail it to you.”
“I’d love that.”
“Okay,” I say, wrapping the call up. “I’ll scan it in soon and e-mail it over.”
“Tru.” She pauses. “I’m happy for you…for you both.”
Tears prick my eyes. “Thanks, Mama. I love you.”
“Love you,” Mama says.
“And me!” Dad calls in.
I chuckle past the lump in my throat. “Love you too, Daddy.”
“Oh, and make sure Jake doesn’t smoke near you now that you’re pregnant,” Mama starts in, “and you’ll need to start taking prenatal vitamins. No caffeine or seafood…”
“I got it covered, Mama.” I smile. “Don’t worry.”
“Okay, we’ll see you soon.”
We all say our good-byes, and Jake ends the call. I fall back against the sofa.
“Bloody hell, that was stressful,” I mutter, driving my fingers over my aching scalp.
Jake lies back beside me. “You can’t blame her. She worries because she loves you, and I can see where she’s coming from. In her eyes, I’m not exactly ideal husband or father material.”
“Well, she’s wrong.” I turn my face to his and trace my finger over his full lips.
“That may be, but I have to prove it to her.”
“You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”
“I do. To both your mom and dad. I want them to trust that I can take care of you both.” He runs his fingers over my tummy.
“My dad trusts you. He thinks the world of you.”
“He likes me, Tru. We get on great. But I don’t know about trust, especially not with his little girl.”
“Well, I trust you, and that’s what counts.” I take hold of his hand, bringing it from my stomach to my mouth, and kiss it. “Do you want to call your mum and Dale?”
He shakes his head, chuckling. “No, I think we need a break after that.”
“You think she’ll be difficult like Mama was?”
“No, but right now all I can think about is getting you naked and finishing what we started before. I seriously need to get inside you after listening to you get all fiery, talking in angry Spanish like that.”
Laughing, I say, “The food will be here soon.”
“We’ve got time,” he says, taking hold of my legs, pulling me down the couch. He kneels between them and sets to work on removing my jeans and panties, while I remove my top and bra.