Face Your Fears

Chapter 8

I peered out the kitchen window as I set my cereal bowl in the sink and saw that the entire city had been blanketed in a thick layer of bright white snow overnight. People out on the sidewalks had their heads down against the brisk cold and were bundled up in coats, scarves and hats. 

Winter had definitely arrived in New York.

"Do you think the snow will stop us from getting to Sophia's?" Hadley asked, setting her breakfast dishes in the sink. 

"No," I said after a moment of thought. "It doesn't look too deep."

"Ugh." Hadley shuddered, wrapping her arms around her growing stomach. "I hate snow."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Since when?"

"Ever since dear Carlo had the bright idea to knock me off Sophia's porch into a mountain of snow a few Christmases ago." Hadley wrinkled her nose and gave another little shudder. "I was so pissed. I was wearing my new boots."

I bit my lip to keep my from laughing. This was such a typical Hadley answer, and typical Carlo behavior. Despite the fact that the guy was turning twenty-four in January, he still acted like a prepubescent teenager. I doubted this had changed since the last time I'd seen him at Thanksgiving dinner.

"That's Carlo," I said. 

 Hadley sighed in agreement. "Right." 

She looked at the time on the microwave above the stove and frowned. 

"We need to get going. Doesn't your mom want to be on the road by eleven?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "You're probably right."

It was December 23rd and we were due to leave the city to head to Albany for Christmas at my aunt Sophia's today. I was a little happy to be getting away from messages and photo sessions and editing and organizing for awhile, even if it was because I was going to be visiting my very loud, very obnoxious family. 

I think Hadley was relieved to be able to get a break from work for awhile, too. Although, if anything, she was much, much more nervous about Christmas with the family than I was. 

No one but Hadley and I knew that she was pregnant - not even my mother. We were going to use the excuse that we wanted to make sure this was the real deal before announcing the news, but in reality, I think the both of us needed some time for it to really sink in. 

There was really no denying it now. Hadley's stomach had grown enough in the past few weeks to where she couldn't hide the fact she was pregnant at all anymore.

I still felt like a considerable dumbass for not realizing that she was pregnant eariler when all of the signs had been so completely obvious. But what was done was done, and now what we had to face at the present was telling the rest of my family.