Oh, God. They'd been trying to get pregnant for a while now and were having no luck. And here I was, pregnant and newly married.
She didn't look directly at me, but I wanted to get up and go give her a hug.
Clayton stared at her back for a moment, his expression just as hurt as hers. He started to reach toward her, but eventually dropped his hand.
I wanted to yell at him to talk to her, but now wasn't the time. It was also such a touchy subject. I hadn't realized that she was so upset about it because she always seemed fine when I saw her around town, smiling and laughing.
Danielle hurried to the hall that led to the bathroom, her head down, and Clayton watched her the entire way.
My heart ached for my brother and his wife. I also felt bad for giving him a hard time last Sunday night. It was obvious he loved Danielle and wanted her to be happy. And it was just as obvious that she was hurting and utterly unhappy.
What a mess.
I knew I couldn't fix it. I could talk to Clay until I was blue in the face, but if he didn't want to listen to me, it wouldn't do any good.
I only hoped he pulled his head out of his rear end before things got too much worse between them.
"Here you go," J.J. said, coming back up to my chair with two white bar mop towels in his hands. "I figure you could put your feet on one and dry them with the other. I know Cam likes to mop in here daily, but it's nearly impossible to keep a restaurant floor perfectly clean."
"Thank you," I said to him, laying the towels in my lap.
I wasn't sure what to do with the pan of water, but J.J. saved me from that issue too because he picked it up and carried it back into the kitchen. He returned in moments and made his way to the buffet. My brothers saw him coming and quickly moved away from the food, empty plates in hand, and gestured for him to get what he needed.
Huh. Maybe my mother's punishment had gotten through to them after all.
"Hey, darlin'."
I looked up and saw my dad standing next to me, his sandy brown hair combed but nowhere near neat. His bright blue eyes were sparkling and he was dressed in his best dark wash Wranglers and a button-down white shirt with a string tie. His belly wasn't quite as big as it had been last year, but he was still round and cuddly, if a bit smaller.
"Hi, Daddy. Come sit with me until J.J. gets back."
I placed my feet on the towel J.J. had left for me and started rubbing them with the other.
"How are you feelin' today, baby girl?" he asked. Then, he paused. "You're not gonna get mad at me for callin' you that now that you're married, are you?"
God, I loved my father so much. He wasn't perfect, but he never made a secret of how much he loved all of his children. He never withheld his affection, even when he was mad enough to spit nails at all of us.
"No, Dad." I sat up and leaned into his side, giving him a hug. "I may not be a baby anymore, but I'm always your girl."
He hugged me back, just tight enough to steal my breath. "I can't believe you're married and havin' a baby," he murmured into my hair. "Seems like just yesterday I was teaching you to ride your bike or how to plant seeds for the garden."
I squeezed him back harder. "Robert said something similar about Corey on Sunday night. I hate to break it to you, but we do grow up, Daddy."
"I know, I know. But I don't always have to like it."
I laughed and released him. "I was worried you and Mama would be angry about all this," I confessed. I hadn't talked to my father much since I broke the news to Mom, mostly because I was worried about how he might react.
"I can't say I'm glad you got pregnant so early in your relationship with J.J. but he was a good boy when he came around years ago and he's an even better man. I think y'all might have a rough start, but you'll figure it out."
It seemed he and my mother were of the same mind on this.
"Do you really think we can make it work with everything that's happened?" I asked, studying his face. My father was affectionate, but he was also honest. I don't think he'd ever lied to me, even when it would have made his life easier.
He leaned back and looked at me. "I really think that depends on the two of you, Lee. You're both kind, intelligent, hard-working people. Those are three characteristics that can improve a marriage. If you both apply yourself, I don't see why it couldn't be a nice life, or even a happy one."
"But what about love?" I asked.
He took my hand. "Baby, if that man can't fall in love with you, then you deserve better. I know a lot of men my age would go on and on about what's good for the children in this situation, but I think the best thing for a child is to be in a home with two people that love each other and aren't afraid to show it. But love can take time. Are you willing to give him time?"
I nodded, looking over toward J.J., who was piling two plates high with prime rib, potatoes dauphinoise, and roasted asparagus. He even snagged four rolls and put two on each plate. My eyes bugged out of my head. I couldn't eat even one of those plates in two meals, much less one.
My dad chuckled next to me. "If he doesn't love you yet, Lee, I think he will. It's already obvious how much he cares just based on the amount of food he's going to bring you. It's that hunter instinct. Feed woman. Care for woman."
I nudged him with my elbow and we both laughed. "Well, we have at least six months before the baby comes and he wants to be there to help while he or she is still little, so I think we have some time. I just hope I don't make a mess of things."
"Well, there is one strength you have that your brothers lack," my dad replied. "You are damn good at cleaning up messes."
With that, my dad rose to his feet, removed his cowboy hat, and leaned over to plant a kiss on my forehead. "I love you, baby girl, and I am always here for you if you need me."
"I love you, too, Daddy," I said, sniffling a little. "Now, go away before I start crying again and the boys try to drag J.J. back out in the alley because they think it's his fault."
My dad laughed and sauntered away, heading straight for my mother, who was still trying to get the last bit of the buffet line organized on the row of tables Sierra and Cam had put together.
"What's so funny?" J.J. asked as he came back to our table and put the plate in front of me.
"You," I said. "I hope you're planning to help me eat some of this food because even though I'm pregnant, eating for two is a figure of speech and not what I actually need to do."
J.J. grinned. "Well, I figure we can pack up the leftovers and take them home for a midnight snack."
At the sight of that beautiful smile and the word "home" falling from his lips, my heart stuttered and slipped. He was talking about my home as though it were really ours. As though he were happy that he was going to be there. With me.
"That's a brilliant plan," I replied.
"I'll go get us something to drink. You want tea?"
I nodded. "Can you grab some silverware too?"
He glanced down and realized that he'd brought me a huge plate of food but no fork, knife, or napkin.
"Uh, you want an apron for your dress?" he asked. "So you don't mess it up?"