He closed his book and slid over so she could get into bed. “Hey. Did you talk to Mattie yet?”
“Yeah, I talked to her this morning. She seemed pretty open to the idea, but she wanted to talk to Nick first. What about you? Did you talk to him?”
“Uh-huh. He said he wants Mattie to decide because he isn’t the one who’s gonna have to carry the baby. He said the final decision is hers.”
“That makes sense.” She paused and chose her words carefully. “Mattie is really disappointed in herself, you know. She thinks you’re furious. Please don’t be so hard on her.”
“I can’t help it, Leigh. I trusted them to be responsible, and now look what they’ve gone and done,” he snapped. “If Mom and Dad found out, Mattie, Nick, and I would all be toast. I’m supposed to be watching over her and keeping her out of trouble.”
“Well, if everything works out, they won’t have to find out. And in case you forgot, we were almost in that position once, too. And please don’t make her feel worse because do you know how guilty she’s going to feel if she gets an abortion? She is going to be incredibly depressed, and we have to help her through that, not run her down. Please just be supportive.”
“I can’t promise I will, but I’ll try.”
Meanwhile, Nick walked into the house. He had been driving aimlessly for about an hour. When he got to the living room, he stopped, seeing Madeleine on the couch. He lifted her up and carried her up the stairs with ease. Lovingly, he lay her down on her bed and covered her up after placing a kiss on her forehead. As he walked out, he was stopped by a timid whisper. “Nick…”
He turned around to see Madeleine peering up at him. “Yeah?”
“Will you…will you stay with me tonight?” she asked shyly.
“Of course.” He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed next to her, pulling her protectively against his chest. “Sweet dreams, baby. I love you.”