Click.

Renee stared at her phone screen, shell-shocked. Discuss what? There was to be no further discussion. Yes, Tansy was eighteen, but being a legal adult and being an actual adult were two drastically different things.

“Everything okay?” Dr. Dan asked, coming into the doorway.

Tansy used to tell Renee everything, from the moment she got her first period (during a seventh-grade science test, poor thing) to her various crushes throughout the years. Tansy had always been an open book, so the thought of her having a boyfriend, especially one she liked enough to venture off with his family for the entire summer, and never saying a word was mind-boggling.

Renee’s mind whirled: she’d lost track of a toddler for a few terrifying minutes this morning, nearly gotten busy with her boss this afternoon, and now her daughter had announced she was basically never coming home.

What a day.

Things were definitely not okay.

And Renee’s quiet, orderly life?

Well, it wasn’t so neat anymore.

Chapter Eleven

Still clutching Lincoln against her very tender boobs, Sadie nudged open the front door of the house, gasping to find Ethan in the foyer. “Oh! You scared me!”

“You okay?” He narrowed his eyes and gave her a slight frown. “You look pale. Is the morning sickness back?”

Sadie had experienced horrible bouts of vomiting while pregnant with Lincoln, and they tended to hit her at the worst times, though puking in an elevator crowded with her firm’s executives definitely topped the list. She’d never forget the sight of her morning Cheerios splashed across Stuart Dillon’s shiny loafers.

“It’s actually been a lot better this time around.” She briefly considered telling Ethan about her scare with Lincoln on the beach but ultimately decided against it. Her legs hadn’t stopped shaking, and her heart was continuing to race over all of the what-ifs. With a second child on the way and now this pie shop possibility—as improbable as it was—Sadie was more determined than ever to appear calm and capable.

She was already fumbling as a stay-at-home mom. What made her think she could handle a job in addition to parenting? She was certainly not her own mother, who seemed to manage both motherhood and a career with such effortless ease.

And Ethan was so damn practical.

How was she going to convince him that this was a good idea? How was she going to convince herself?

“Yeah? Well, that’s good to hear. I wish your pregnancy headaches weren’t so awful, though,” he said, genuine concern in his eyes. “A package just arrived for you. It looks like it’s from my mom.”

The only other time Annette had sent Sadie a package, it had contained a variety of cleaning products, an issue of Midwest Living, and a throw pillow embroidered with famous Ohio landmarks. She’d even included a note about the importance of keeping a clean home and encouraged Sadie to “reach out with any questions you may have.”

“I bet it’s some sort of Easter surprise for Lincoln,” Sadie guessed. “Why don’t you take him into your office to play for a bit? I don’t want him sneaking a peek at any treats.”