Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Miranda stood in the doorway. Just what Harper needed.
“I read my contract. You have to give me two weeks to find a new provider.”
“Correct. Good morning, Cinderella. You’re here first. Would you like to help me get ready for our first activity?”
Sighing loudly, Miranda rebuked her, “Putting the kids to work? Really, Harper. That is incredibly lazy.”
“Here, Cinderella. You put the circles on the floor in a big O for our share time. Do you know what an O looks like?”
When the little girl held up her hands over her head to make an O just like they’d practiced, Harper handed the colorful circles to Cinderella.
“Thank you very much,” Harper said cheerfully to the toddler who was looking back and forth between the adults and trying to figure out if she should get upset. Distracted by the rubber items in her hands, she toddled off happily to put them in a pattern that didn’t resemble any letter of the alphabet at all.
“Miranda, if you are unpleasant, I can void the contract at any time. Feel free to reread the contract. I will not warn you again.” Harper stood straight and looked her directly in the eyes. She was done with being Miranda’s punching bag.
“Your mother would be appalled at you speaking to me like this.”
“On the contrary, she’ll cheer when I tell her I just dropped your grace period to find a new daycare to one week. Yes, I can do that. Feel free to choose to start today.”
“I never,” Miranda huffed and walked to the door.
When the little girl returned to Harper’s side and looked up at her, Harper praised her efforts. After asking her to find all the blue stuffies in the bin, Harper ran to the bathroom to check the results.
Two pink lines and the word ‘pregnant’ looked back at her. What would Colt say? How was she going to tell him?
CHAPTER 20
“What’s going on with you, Harper? You don’t seem yourself,” Colt asked on Wednesday as they got ready for Rio’s surprise party.
“I’m just tired.”
“We’ll come home early from the party so you can go to sleep before your normal bedtime,” Colt decreed.
“Let’s stay long enough to talk to Amber and Rio. I haven’t talked to her since she started her new job.”
“Talk quickly.”
Harper nodded. She knew she had put a distance between herself and Colt. Keeping secrets was so hard for her. Especially from people she loved.
She felt Amber’s eyes on her several times at the party. Harper tried to act normal but knew her friend could sense something was wrong. With a smile on her face, Harper tried to act normally.
When they slipped away into the crowd to head home early, Harper ran into Mr. Murphy. She tried to just smile and slip away but he wanted to talk.
“Harper, you know my baby well. Do you think Rio is good enough for her?”
“I think Rio is exactly what Amber needs to make her happy. I know she’d love it if you’d welcome him fully into the family,” Harper said, trying to help her friend.
“I guess she’s old enough to make up her own mind,” Mr. Murphy said, looking across the room at Amber sitting as close as possible to Rio with his arm around her shoulders. “He always was a good guy. I guess I need to forget he’s older than her.”
“Yes, sir. That would be my suggestion,” Colt added.
“Thanks. I’m glad to see the two of you together. I always thought you’d make a perfect family,” Amber’s father said offhandedly before walking away.
A family? Tears filled her eyes as she was overwhelmed by emotions. Harper turned and ran from the bar.
“Whoa!” Colt wrapped his arms around her waist when she reached the parking lot and lifted her off her feet to protect Harper from an approaching car.
Feeling the air brush by her, Harper stared into Colt’s eyes, frightened to the core by what she almost did. “The baby!” she whispered frantically, putting her hand over her abdomen.
“The baby? Are you pregnant, Little girl?” he asked, scanning her face. Releasing one arm from around her, he covered Harper’s hand over her stomach as if providing extra protection to the life inside her.
“Yes. I’m so scared.”
“I should spank your bottom until you can’t sit down for not telling me immediately. I’ll wait until we get home from the doctor’s office.”
Wrapping his arms around her, Colt whirled her around in a circle, celebrating with as much enthusiasm as Harper remembered when he scored the winning touchdown to win the state title. When he set her gently down on her feet, Colt kissed her tenderly.
“You’re happy?” she asked when he lifted his head.
“I’m ecstatic, over the moon, on cloud nine.” His expression became concerned. “How do you feel about having a baby?”
Harper rubbed her stomach before looking up at Colt. “I’m scared and excited. I love this baby already. It’s part of you.”