Carol and Bethany both rose and hugged her. Carol was a pretty, down-to-earth redhead who favored cargo pants and T-shirts. Bethany, a gorgeous blonde, was equally casual in her dress code. While Carol worked with the grazing animals that roamed the Happily Inc savanna, Bethany and her husband, Cade, were co-owners of a horse ranch outside of town. Bethany’s claim to fame was that she was the adopted daughter of the king of El Bahar and therefore an honest to goodness princess complete with tiaras and bodyguards. While she was in Happily Inc, she lived pretty much like everyone else, but when she returned to El Bahar, she was living the princess life.
“So what’s up?” Renee asked, then paused as the two women exchanged a glance. Her first thought had been maybe some kind of group party they needed help planning, but now she was thinking it wasn’t anything like that at all.
Her stomach clenched as she braced herself for bad news. Was someone sick? Was it worse than that?
“Let’s go back to my office,” Carol said, leading the way down a short hall.
They went into her small, messy office and she shut the door behind them.
After clearing files off chairs, they all found a seat. Renee looked at each of them.
“Just say it,” she told them. “I can handle it.”
“It’s nothing bad,” Carol said quickly. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s actually good news.” Bethany offered a fake smile. “Really.”
“Uh-huh. Why don’t I believe that?”
“I have no idea.” Bethany sucked in a breath. “I can’t do this.”
“You have to,” Carol said gently. “The news is going to come out eventually and the more people you tell, the better you’ll feel.”
“I’m not sure about your logic,” Bethany muttered before looking at Renee. “I’m pregnant.”
Renee blinked. She hadn’t seen that coming. “You are? That’s wonderful. But you’re not happy. Is there something...?”
Bethany quickly shook her head. “The baby is fine. It’s not that. I’m thrilled, Cade is over the moon. We’re both so excited. It’s just...”
Renee had no idea what she was talking about. If they were happy and the baby was healthy, then what could possibly be wrong? They were going to be parents. There would be a new generation and—
“Your parents,” she said flatly. “You have to tell your parents.”
Bethany dropped her head. “I’m having the first grandchild of the king and queen of El Bahar. My brothers are still kids, so it’s going to be years before any of them gets married, let alone has a kid. My mom will be excited, but my father is going to ruin everything.”
She looked at Renee. “He’ll fly over and wrap me in bubble wrap himself. He’ll want me monitored and protected and life as I know it will never be the same.” Tears filled her eyes. “What if he orders me back to El Bahar?”
“Can he do that?”
“He’s the king. He can do anything he wants when it comes to his family. I wasn’t born in the country, so I’m not in succession to the throne and neither is my child, but that won’t matter to him. He’s going to want to make sure his first grandchild is taken care of from conception, or from the second he knows I’m pregnant.”
Renee grinned. “He’s going to be a grandfather. Of course he’ll be excited.”
“He’s a grandfather with superpowers. There’s a difference.”
Renee glanced at Carol. “Am I here to offer advice?”
Carol nodded. “You’re the most honest, sensible, pragmatic person we know.” Her mouth curved up. “I mean that in a good way.”
“Then I’ll take it that way.” Renee touched Bethany’s hand. “Tell your parents. This is their first grandchild and they deserve to know. Plus, you’re making yourself miserable keeping it from them and that’s not fun.”
Bethany scowled. “That’s it? That’s your advice?”
“Not quite. Before you call, take some time to come up with a phrase that defines how you feel and how you want to be treated. For example, something like, ‘Dad, I appreciate that you’re worried about me, but right now I need to focus on taking care of myself and our baby. I need to stay calm and centered and the best way for me to do that is to be with Cade in Happily Inc.’”
Renee shrugged. “Or whatever your version of that is. Then you write it down and keep repeating it until he gets the message. Oh, and have a point of compromise