Changing the Game

CHAPTER ONE-2

“Unless…”

“Unless what?”

He put down his fork, still gazing at her.

Talia shrugged. “It must just be a virus. I probably picked it up from Willow. I love those kids, but no doubt they are little germ monsters.”

Harrison was still silent.

She continued, trying to fill the silence. “One time, little Hank handed me a piece of cereal he was snacking on. I didn’t know any better and ate it right out of his hand, which made him giggle. Let’s just say that Auntie Tally was not expecting the slimy baby slobber that came along with that piece of cereal. So. Much. Slobber.” She shuddered at the memory.

Harrison smirked, his expression suspicious.

Talia looked at the piece of bacon she was eating as though it was the most delicious thing in the entire world.

Harrison was watching.

“Don’t give me that look! I know bacon isn’t the healthiest thing to pig out on, but after being sick, I think I deserve a few extra calories!” She had never been known for her healthy eating habits anyway, so why was he judging her now?

Harrison’s smirk grew wider. “The extra calories are the least of what I’m thinking.”

She dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “What do you mean?”

“What if you don’t have a virus?”

Talia’s hand flew to her mouth. “You don’t think it’s something worse?”

Harrison shook his head. “Worse? No.” He cleared his throat. “What I’m saying is that what you have is reminding me a lot of your sister.”

Talia narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“When was the last time Trina was this sick?”

Her sister, Trina, came to mind. Talia thought back to the last time her sister had been... Uh oh. Talia’s heart did a flip. The last time Trina had been vomit sick was when she’d been pregnant with Hank.

In the beginning, Trina hadn’t been able to eat anything but french fries, and not just any kind of fries, but greasy, fast-food fries. Eventually, Trina had started to dip her fries in vanilla milkshakes, but that was all she could stomach.

Talia thought about her own nausea that kept coming and going lately, causing her to feel miserable. She looked down at the half-eaten piece of bacon in her hand. When she lifted her head, her shocked expression met Harrison’s smug look.

No. It’s not possible.

She dropped the bacon and pulled up a calendar on her phone, frantically searching the dates. Her last bite of bacon threatened to resurface, as she realized what day today was and calculated how many days it had been since her last period. At least, she thought it was the last date. She shook her head. She’d never been very good at keeping track of these things. Lately, her period just arrived when it arrived. She had assumed that’s what happened as you aged. Had a month passed…or had it been two? No, it couldn’t have been two. She’d have noticed that for sure. But she was definitely late.

She looked up at Harrison, whose eyebrows were raised in question. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said carefully. “But it’s not possible. You know my past.” Her voice grew husky with emotion. “In all those years, it never happened for me.”

He gazed into her eyes. “That doesn’t mean it couldn’t,” he said softly. “We haven’t done anything to avoid it.”

Talia’s heart squeezed at the hopeful look on his face. She shook her head. “I hate to disappoint you, but even if there was a long shot chance, you know my age. I’m old. Ancient. My ovaries are probably shriveled up like raisins.”

Harrison chuckled. “Your ovaries are beautiful, just like the rest of you.” He put his hand over hers. “I understand what you’re saying, and I’m not disappointed.” He kept his smile in place, and maybe Talia imagined it, but it seemed that the light in his eyes had faded, and now only worry remained. “I just want to see you well again. I’m happy to see you eating, but if you start to feel sick again, I’d like to take you to see a doctor.”

“I don’t think we need to worry. I really feel as though this virus has passed.” She pushed her plate away. “You have practice today, right?” she asked Harrison, as a brave attempt to put this conversation behind them.

“Yeah, I should be back by three.” Harrison finished his breakfast and put his plate in the sink. “Unless you need me to stay. If you’re not feeling good, I can just call coach—”

“No,” she answered quickly. “I’m good.”

“Well…” He eyed her suspiciously. “Okay. But I’m only a phone call away.”

“I know.” She smiled. “And I love that you worry about me.”

“Good. Because that is not changing.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Can I bring you home some lunch?” he asked.

Talia shook her head. “I have a few errands to take care of. I’ll just see you back here around three?”

“Sure. How about we order dinner in?”

“Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” She nodded in agreement, but her mind was busy juggling dozens of conflicting thoughts, tossing them back and forth. She knew he was suggesting something about dinner, but right now, she could only concentrate on what to do next.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, as he pulled her close.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You’re a million miles away, that’s why.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just still trying to shake the last bits of whatever flu I had.”

Harrison cradled her jaw in his hand. “Okay, if you say so.”

She closed her eyes at the feeling of his muscular arms around her and his thumb brushing along her jawline. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation, as her thoughts ran wild. “I could stay here, in your arms forever.” She sighed.

“Yeah, wouldn’t that be great?” He chuckled. Dropping a kiss on her head, he added, “I’ll be back soon. Love you.”

Harrison left her standing in the middle of their kitchen, while he went upstairs to finish getting ready for practice.

Talia finished her coffee and the last few pieces of bacon before moving to the living room to try to relax on the couch for a few moments as her stomach flopped.

Harrison quickly hurried down the stairs and grabbed his jacket. He gave her a quick kiss goodbye, gathered his hockey bag, and waved before leaving out the front door.

She watched him drive away before she slipped on her coat, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed out on her own errand.

Talia didn’t want to offend her sister, but she pushed her coffee away, trying not to gag at the aroma. She’d always enjoyed a nice strong coffee in the mornings, but right now it was not setting well at all with her. The two women were sitting in the sunshine on Trina’s back patio, enjoying the beautiful day.

Somehow Talia had chosen the right day to stop by unannounced for a sisterly talk. Willow and Hank just happened to be at the park with little Ian Lafleur and his nanny. Which was a relief, because she wasn’t sure she could handle her niece and nephew right now. She loved them dearly, but her emotions were all over the place, and she really needed to talk to her sister without any interruptions.

“What’s wrong with your coffee?” Trina asked, frowning. “It’s the blend you recommended to me.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that my stomach still doesn’t appreciate good food and drink, unfortunately.”

“I’m surprised Harrison hasn’t dragged you to see your doctor already,” Trina remarked, before taking another sip of her coffee.

“He has mentioned it. Only about a hundred times.” Talia avoided Trina’s gaze, and gently tore at the corner of her napkin. “I think I’m finally kicking this bug.”

“Except that you can’t drink great coffee.”

“Yes, except that.” Talia smiled. “And chicken broth is out as well.”

Trina’s eyebrows shot up. “Even chicken broth?”

“Strangely, greasy cheeseburgers are in.” Talia delicately slid in the facts one by one, not wanting to drop her suspicions on her sister all at once. Especially if she was getting her hopes up for no reason.

Trina paused her cup halfway to her mouth. “Say what? You know what that sounds like?”

“Don’t even say it. Harrison has already run his ridiculous theory by me. Pregnant? What a joke.” She chuckled, but it was without much mirth. Because as always, the joke was on her.

Trina leaned forward. “Have you checked your dates?”

“I’m late. But—”

“Then don’t be so quick to dismiss it. Your symptoms—the anti-coffee thing, greasy cheeseburger addiction—remind me a lot of my morning sickness and strange cravings.”

Talia put down her now shredded napkin. “Do you really think so? I thought about you and your weird and nasty cravings for disgusting foods.”

“Have you been extra tired? Feel light-headed? Tender boobs? Peeing a lot?”

Talia’s eyes widened. “So tired. I’ve been falling asleep before the sun goes down. And I have had a couple of dizzy spells, but I thought it was just that I hadn’t been eating. Then add in the long hours at the restaurant…”

“And?”

Talia looked down at her lap. “And yes to the other things as well.”

“Girl, you’ve got all the symptoms.”

“But it can’t be,” Talia argued. “You know how many years I tried to get pregnant, really tried. How hard that was, month after month. Being a few days late and taking the tests, only to see big fat negatives. And I know you haven’t forgotten my heartbreak when the doctor said it was impossible. I mean, you were there with the millions of hugs and mountains of chocolate when I was falling to pieces afterward.”

“I remember. But you got one thing wrong.”

Talia raised an eyebrow in question.

“The doctor didn’t say ‘impossible.’ He said ‘almost impossible’. There’s a difference.”

Talia’s heart did a little flip. “I don’t know,” she said cautiously, but the little flame of hope was lit. “I mean, what are the chances? I’m so much older now, and I don’t think many forty-year-old women are getting pregnant all over the place.”

Trina pulled out her phone and typed in a quick search. “There’s a site here that lists thirty celebrities who had babies after they were forty. See? Having them all over the place.”

Talia laughed. “Well, I’m not a celebrity.” There was no way that by dumb luck she could’ve ended up pregnant. Things like that just didn’t happen to her.

Trina was still looking at her phone. “Oh…” she said, before putting her phone down.

“What?”

“Well, I probably shouldn’t have kept reading. But some of those celebrities had a lot of medical help to get pregnant.” She looked regretful. “And some used surrogates.”

Talia’s heart sank, and she couldn’t stop the tears that brimmed in her eyes. “I love you, and I know you think you’re helping, but you’re not.”

Not that Talia didn’t already realize those celebrities had all the money in the world to make their pregnancy dreams come true. But hearing those words out loud was a crushing blow.

“Can I ask a question? Why did you come to talk to me about this, if nothing I can say is going to be acceptable?”

“Because you have all the experience. And because you know me better than anyone.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I snapped. I’m just so on edge from the nausea. But the thing is, I can’t get my hopes up. I’ve checked out other reasons for late periods, and at my age, the most logical thing is that I am in perimenopause.” She picked up a fresh napkin, but Trina snatched it out of her hands before she could start to tear it.

“Well that might seem logical considering a missed period, but it doesn’t explain your other symptoms. What would be the harm in taking a pregnancy test?” Trina asked. “At least you’d know for sure. In fact…I seem to remember I still have one or two stashed in the bathroom from before I got pregnant with Hank!”

“I don’t—” Talia started, but Trina was already up and hurrying inside. Talia grabbed the napkin back and dabbed at her eyes. There was no way she wanted to end up staring at yet another negative pregnancy test. She’d done enough crying over them during her first marriage.

Within minutes, Trina was back, waving a box madly about. “Found one! Want to pee on it now?” She took in Talia’s teary face, and lost the excitement. She smiled gently. “At least you could rule it out. And I’ll look for you, if you don’t want to.”

Talia’s heart sped up a notch. What if? But of course, it couldn’t be. Forty, remember.

Trina slapped the test down in front of her, and stood looking at her expectantly.

It might be the last thing Talia wanted to do, but there was no way out of it. For one thing, she knew Trina was too bossy and wouldn’t give up. For another, she was driving herself crazy with the what ifs. She also didn’t think Harrison was going to give up on this so easily. She hadn’t imagined that gleam in his eyes when he’d considered she might be pregnant. A quick trip to the bathroom, and she’d have the answer. Talia sighed and picked up the test.

“Well?” Talia asked, as Trina frowned over the test stick. “Give it to me straight.”

Trina looked at her, and then back at the stick. “I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just not showing like it should. Are you sure you peed on it properly?”

Talia huffed. “Of course I peed properly. It’s kind of hard not to. Maybe it needs longer,” she said, going over to look.

“I’m sure I’ve timed it correctly.” Trina handed the stick to Talia, and went to check the box.

“You’re right,” Talia said. “It’s not showing, well, anything. No lines at all. What does that mean?” She turned to Trina.

“Well, I guess it could be what you said. Perimenopause and hormones a little bit crazy,” Trina said, turning the box over. “Oh crap,” she said, and tossed the box back onto the table. “The test is expired. It must be invalid.” She put her arm around Talia’s shoulders. “Sorry, sis.”

“So it was a waste of pee?” Talia said dejectedly, as stupid tears welled up again.

Trina rolled her eyes. “Calm down. You’ll make more.”

Talia sniffled. “This was all a waste of time.”

“Oh boy,” Trina said. “I forgot to ask if you’d been excessively emotional. I think we can check that one off as well.” She picked up Talia’s purse and keys and thrust them into her hands.

“Getting rid of me?”

“Yes,” Trina laughed. “Now off you go and buy a fresh test on your way home.”