In-Between: A Hessa Story (1)

Chapter 58: Hardin

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"What do you think about this one?" Tessa pointed at a box on the shelf. We had been shopping for cribs for the past forty-five minutes.

"They all look the same to me, honestly." 

"Well, do you think this is the best one?"  She honestly asked me expecting an answer.

"You're really asking the wrong person." I lifted the box off the shelf. 

"Okay, so we got a crib and a changing table, that's good for now right?" Tessa asked me, but was immediately distracted by a large bookshelf against the wall.

"Wow..." She looked around at all of them, one caught her eye.

The one Tessa grabbed off the shelf is a popular children's book, Goodnight Moon.

She examined it closer. "My dad... he used to read this to me when I was little every night before I went to bed."

A tear streamed down her face, but I didn't even notice she was crying. I rubbed her back as she continued to look at the book.

"Can we buy it?" She looked at me with those innocent, beautiful blue eyes of hers.

"Yeah, of course."

"I can't wait to read this to our little one in here..." She held her stomach. "... just like my dad did. Except, I'll actually keep reading it, not come home at late hours drunk off my ass."

"I think that would be nice." I grabbed the book from her hands and threw it in the cart.

We walked around that store for hours, picking out different items for the baby's room.

That was two weeks before we had the miscarriage.

-

"She has tried to call me." Tessa shoves her phone in my face, bringing me back to reality.

"Well, I think you should speak to her. Even after what she did, she is still your mother." Landon advises Tessa. I hope she heeds his advice. Tessa needs her mother during this time, especially since she is pregnant again.

"Okay folks! Dinner is served!" Nora announces. Finally, I'm starving.

"I'll call her after dinner then." Tessa tells both Landon and me, and I'm relieved. I reach my hand out to help Tessa stand, and we make our way to the dining room.

The amount of food on the table is actually insane. American Thanksgiving is no fucking joke, they really go all out. When I went to my first thanksgiving dinner with Tessa two years ago, I was completely blown away by how much stuff people ate. Tessa tried explaining to me why Americans celebrate thanksgiving, but I still don't really get it. Something about pilgrims and a rock... Back home in England, we never had cheesy holidays like this. My mum and I barely celebrated holidays to begin with besides Christmas, and maybe Easter. We didn't have any family besides ourselves, so it was never a big deal.

Landon walks back into the dining room holding his daughter. Everyone walks over and smiles at her.

"Someone has been sleeping all day." Landon laughs.

"Oh my goodness! Can I hold her?" Lorraine asks, and Landon nods, handing her his baby daughter.

Tessa and I sit in-between the two couples, and Lorraine sits directly across from us. Everyone begins piling their plates high with food. Turkey, stuffing, corn, sweet potatoes, casserole... the food seems endless.