Chapter 42 - Safe Haven
Wearing her first official maternity dress, Mimi felt like a radiant goddess standing before the full-length mirror in her mother's room. She turned this way and that, admiring her body and how it was taking a shape she'd never thought it would. She ran her hands over the tight roundness of her belly. They'd had to buy her new bras last week. The girls had been overfilling the lacy cups of her fancy underwear.
Some days she felt like a ripe fruit, and others she felt like a dairy goat carrying triplets. Today she felt pretty. The peach confection of a sundress made her feel beautiful. The drape of the fabric did an outstanding job of highlighting the cuteness of her bump and the growing fullness of her breasts. Adam could not keep his hands off of her, and every night he explored each day's tiny changes.
As she rested her hand on the top curve of her belly, she felt the bubbling tickle of the baby moving. "Hello, little friend." She'd been offering Adam ridiculous name choices. So far, she'd used the names of several barn cats, one ornery goat, and her first pony. The sweet man had tried his best to act like he wasn't horrified, but he insisted that no child of his was going to be called Oats. Mimi'd tried to hold herself together, but her eventual laughter at his suppressed horror had given her away.
They had invited both sides of the family to the baby shower and she was having second thoughts about that decision. What if they hated each other? Adam had been insistent that delaying the inevitable wouldn't help the situation. Turning to check the back of her dress, Mimi decided she looked presentable.
Adam's dad had refused to come, but Ann, Dillon, and Adam's cousin Juliet had responded to their invitations. Adam's cousin was only a year older than Sarah and Dillon was convinced the two would hit it off. Of late, Mimi's morning sickness had all but dissipated. Well, unless she smelled turnips. The baby did not like turnips. Neither did Adam, it turned out. They'd found that out one Sunday at her folk's house after church.
Noah burst into her parents' room. "Come on. Adam's family is here." He giggled. "A fancy-looking man is carrying a cake container. You should see Mom's face. They are staring each other down in the kitchen."
"Oh, crap." Mimi made her way around Noah and headed toward the kitchen.
Her bare feet slid on the hallway rug as Mimi came around the corner into the hallway. Her Mother and Dillon were facing each other down in the kitchen as Ann and her father headed down the back stairs out toward the farm. Mimi was torn about which way to go.
In front of the big farm sink, her mother squared off against poor Dillon, who looked bewildered. Mimi's choice was made. Lady Ann could hold her own against Mimi's father. The kitchen was her mother's kingdom, and she took that seriously. Her mother addressed Dillon in an unfriendly tone, "I assure you. We have enough to feed everyone." When her mother lifted her chin and placed her hands on her hips, Mimi stepped toward the kitchen tile.
Dillon looked down at the cake he was carrying and turned to glance toward Mimi. "Didn't you say that your mother loved lemon cake?"
Mimi nodded from the doorway. "Absolutely."
Her mother's mouth shaped into a surprised o. Pink tinged the woman's cheeks as she realized the cake was a gift, not a snub. Mimi was pretty sure most of her siblings had no clue at all what her mother liked or didn't, but she prided herself on paying attention to what people preferred.
As if this was his 100th visit, Dillon made his way toward the fridge. "Do you want me to put your lemon cake in the fridge or do you have another preference? It is better cold, but it would be fine on the counter. I figured after all your hard work, you might like a little treat of your own later."
Her mother's hands froze on her apron and a soft smile appeared. "I can't believe you brought a cake for me. That is so thoughtful!" She shooed her hands toward the fridge. "Almost everything is set out. There is room in this fridge for your lovely cake."
"Of course." He smiled. The man was handsome. Her mother's love for Mimi's father was so deep that Mimi doubted the woman even registered that part. "It is my mother's recipe. I could slip out and purchase you something different if you have a craving."
Her mother waved her hands, flustered. "That is unnecessary. A lemon cake will be delightful later. You will have to share your mother's recipe with me." As Dillon placed the cake box into the fridge, her mother dropped her kitchen towel onto the counter.
"Would you care for a cup of tea? Mr. Dillon is it?"
Mimi let out a breath and left the two alone to get to know each other. Those two were going to be just fine. Ignoring her barefoot state, she stepped down the stairs into the yard. In the distance, she could see Sarah and a girl who must be Juliet with Noah. They were leading a saddled pony out to the far pasture. Mimi laughed at herself. What on earth had she been worried about?
The soft summer grass felt amazing on her feet, springy and yielding. The morning breeze was keeping some of the day's heat away. Mimi found Ann and her father in the barn, talking shop in a way that made her raise her hands to her lips to hide her grin.
Ann stood on the packed dirt floor in red-bottomed shoes without having her heels sink into the earth. The woman had magical abilities. The graceful creature listened with interest as her father bragged about the new goats that were going to be arriving soon, thanks to Adam. Ann brought up how they had been considering adding stables to their camp. Her father regaled Ann with the ridiculous cost of keeping a horse healthy and explained how they were as fragile as hummingbirds... but kids loved them. And in her house, they had. Her first pony had been the joy of her universe for years. Penny had been her first best friend.
