Fate Actually (Moonstone Cove #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,33

countries? She is extremely worried, and you cannot just ignore this and pretend like nothing in your life is going to change. Beyond the baby, you have to take care of your health.”

“I’m processing, all right? Remember how long it took me to accept that I was a supernatural fucking feelings wizard?”

Megan narrowed her eyes. “I did not put any bad language on your official wizard mug. You take that back.”

“Fine.” Toni leaned her head against the wall. “I don’t want to get rid of this baby, Megan. I just don’t know how any of this is going to end well. Everything about my life is going to turn upside down. And I liked my life.”

Megan put down the happy mommy magazine she’d been perusing. “Before you got pregnant, what did you envision your life was going to look like… a year from now?”

Toni shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t plan ahead like that.”

“Well, maybe that’s the problem.”

“Okay, enough. I know I should have been practicing safe sex; I already got the lecture about—”

“Not that.” Megan smiled. “Maybe it’s not so much that this baby is going to change the life you liked, it’s that you’re going to have to start planning ahead. You’re going to have to start thinking about the future instead of just letting life happen.”

Toni sighed. “Is it worth it?”

Megan’s whole face transformed. “Oh yeah. Yeah, it is.” Her eyes shone. “Being a mom is… It’s gonna sound cheesy, but it’s the greatest joy of my life. And it made me a better person. I was so shallow and judgmental and selfish when I was younger.” She smiled. “And kids are hilarious. You are going to laugh so much, you have no idea.”

Toni stared at the chubby-cheeked baby on the poster on the opposite wall. “Keep talking.”

“I hesitate to say that you’re going to experience love like you’ve never understood before because I think that’s dismissive of other kinds of love in your life, but it’s different. It’s unique. And if you’re the right kind of mom—which I know you’re going to be—then you’re going to understand empathy in a very new and real way. It’ll be one of the most challenging things ever. But one of the most rewarding too.”

Toni nodded. “Okay.”

“Just let your heart open up to it, and it’ll change your life in ways you never expected.” Megan reached over and squeezed her hand. “I promise.”

An hour later, Toni was holding a small black-and-white photograph of something that looked like a lima bean after what could only be described as the worst ultrasound ever. She felt as if she’d been sucked into an alien ship and probed internally. Nothing magical about that motherhood moment, that was for sure. Megan told her she’d only have to do that kind once though, and she’d be holding her to that.

She’d seen the heartbeat. She’d heard it even.

Wild. Weird. Kinda cool.

She wanted to tell Henry. She wanted to share this with him, but she didn’t know how. They’d never talked about the future and definitely hadn’t talked about kids. What if he didn’t want kids?

Are you kidding? That man has peewee soccer dad written all over him.

Toni tucked the small black-and-white pictures in her backpack and started the car. Megan had taken off shortly after Toni’s appointment was over, but Toni was eternally grateful that she’d been there. Megan knew what questions to ask, having done this three times herself, but she never made Toni feel stupid for not knowing about baby stuff.

Baby stuff.

She started imagining what her house would look like. Would her cat like the baby? She’d need a crib and a bunch of stuff. Did she have enough closet space in her house? Maybe she’d need to do an addition at some point.

She was an active enough aunt that she knew babies came with a lot of extra baggage.

Good thing the garage is doing well.

Oh God, she was going to have to tell her dad. Her dad was probably still deluding himself that she was a virgin since she’d never been married and never brought a serious boyfriend home.

“Don’t think about that, Toni,” she muttered to herself as she pulled into lunchtime traffic in downtown Moonstone Cove. “Think about something more pleasant. Something less complicated. Like murder.”

Seriously, why had Marissa and Whit Fairfield been together? Toni was hoping her next appointment might give her some insight.

She pulled into the Depot restaurant a little after two o’clock. Nico had set up this meeting, but she