#Chapter 73: Keeping Secrets

Edrick

“Edrick…” My mother dropped her tone of voice and leaned closer to me. She took my hand in hers and gave me a serious, knowing look that only a mother could have. “Is she pregnant?”

I frowned, hiding the fact that my heart had just started beating rapidly. “What?” I said, shaking my head. “What makes you think that?”

My mother folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Edrick, I’m your mother. You can’t lie to me.” There was a long silence after she spoke, but her eyes never wavered from mine. Even in her old age, she was still just as astute and level-headed as ever. I had never been able to lie to my mother, and she knew that. Finally, I caved.

“Yes,” I replied quietly. “She is pregnant.”

“I knew it,” my mother said. I could tell that she was hiding a bit of a smirk at her miniature victory, but at the same time, she was dead serious. “Is it yours?”

I didn’t answer right away. I felt a lump rise in my throat after being put on the spot. Sure, I was planning on telling my mother eventually, but now? Like this? It felt so out of the blue, and I had no time at all to prepare an explanation.

“It’s not—”

you, for the daughter you already have, and the baby. Not to mention the emotional toll it would take on that poor girl to feel like she birthed a baby that could never

hide my lie even

were very put out by the entire

once more. “She doesn’t have anyone else, and those human doctors…” What was I supposed to say? That I cared about my daughter’s nanny out of the kindness of my heart and didn’t want her visiting some shoddy doctor

said with a slight sigh, leaning back

set the tray down, then

mother said, standing. “I only wanted to pop in for a few minutes. I should be going

conversation was over for now. At the same time, however,

to do. I would have to address this soon; eventually, my family would find out. I couldn’t hide it forever, and already I was on thin ice for blatantly lying to my mother’s face like that in a way that no son ever should. But what was I supposed to do? I was put on the spot, and

done with Ella, and she was

join Ella and Moana. They were already sitting at the table when I arrived. Moana was tucking a napkin into the

little late,” I said, sitting down in my chair. “Work got ahead of me this afternoon.” Of course, I wasn’t going to divulge to Moana that I’d actually spent the afternoon doing nothing but pondering how to tell my mother about the baby, and I especially wasn’t going to tell

from my steak, I saw her glaring at me. She quickly looked away and popped a bite of glistening steak into her mouth, chewing slowly, but I saw the look she gave me. It was akin

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