She opened the door for Owen. "Right on time," she said. "Let me just put on my shoes."
"Well, Mom told me to get here to pick you up for Sunday lunch," Owen said. "She is rather excited. She wants to see your belly."
"Oh, she wants to see my belly, not me?" Cristina laughed.
"Well, you, too, but this is the first time she'll be seeing you, since you confirmed that you were carrying a Hunt baby," Owen said. "Her first grandchild. She is beyond pleased."
Owen watched as Cristina bent over and put on her shoes. "You know I probably won't be able to do this in a couple months' time," she said.
"Don't worry," he said. "I will always help you put on your shoes, and whatever else that needs to be put on, or taken off, whatever is the case. Though I do prefer to take off."
"I do know that. That is why I am in this state," she said, laughing. "Okay, I am ready."
They got into his truck and took a slow, leisurely drive to the farm. It had been a while, since Cristina had been to the farm. She had forgotten how pretty everything was.
As he helped her out of the truck, she said, "The place looks as lovely as it always has." Owen took a look around. "Yeah, I guess so but when you live around it, every day, you don't really notice it. It takes someone else to notice to really appreciate what you have got."
Mrs. Hunt was anxiously waiting on the porch for their arrival.
"What took you so long, Owen?" she said. "Hello, Cristina." She gave the young woman a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.
"Mom, just giving Cristina the scenic route. I was just giving you a chance to get the dining room table all set up," he said.
"Well, you know I have been waiting here for your arrival. Cristina, let me take a look at you. It is true, all moms-to-be do have that special glow," Susannah said. "Can I touch?" Cristina nodded. Susannah placed her hand on Cristina's stomach. She could feel the roundness of Cristina's stomach. It brought a smile to her face.
"Hey there, Grandbaby Hunt, I have been waiting for you for a long time," Susannah said. "My son has me waiting for a long time before he brought me a grandbaby. Who knows when my daughter will bring me a grandbaby?"
"Mom!" Owen said. Sometimes, he couldn't believe her. "Well, maybe, Mom, I was just waiting for the right girl to come along. And, I don't think Charlotte would appreciate you talking about her like that."
"Yeah, that must be it. You were waiting for the right girl," his mom said. "As for Charlotte, Owen, I am still waiting for her settle down in one place and not gallivanting across the globe. Well, come on in, Cristina. Dr. Webber is already here." Cristina knew that Dr. Webber would have been there and she still felt awkward around him, since she had changed doctors because he was too close to Owen's family.
As they entered the house, Dr. Webber rose from the armchair in which he was sitting.
"I was wondering when you two would get here," he said, coming forward to give Owen, a pat on the back and Cristina, a small kiss on her cheek. He knew why Cristina had changed to Dr. O'Malley as her primary physician. It didn't bother him, much. He understood why, especially since he was the one, who spilled the beans about the pregnancy to Owen. Still, it worked out for the better in the end, as the young couple seemed to be back together.
"Now that we are all here, maybe we should head to the dining room," Susannah said. Dr. Webber put out his arm for her, which she took, as they walked to the dining room.
Owen took Cristina's hand in his own, as they followed the older couple. As they got there, both Dr. Webber and Owen pulled out the chairs for their ladies. "Such handsome gentlemen," Susannah said. Both Webber and Owen grinned.
"As always, Susannah, the food looks delicious. I am sure it will be just as scrumptious," Dr. Webber said.
"I hope so," Susannah said. "When Cristina said she was going to come by for lunch, I wanted to make it extra special for her. So, I made some of your favorite dishes, Cristina, plus we have peach cobbler for dessert."
"You didn't have to go through all that trouble, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said. "I would have been fine with anything."
"No, no, my dear, you are carrying my grandchild," Susannah said. "And you have to eat properly. Don't you agree, Owen?"
"Yes, mom," Owen said, though he did roll his eyes a bit for the benefit of Cristina, who chuckled.
"Let's dig in," Susannah said. The room became silent except for the light clanging of food and knives against their plates and appreciative sighs. As he took a bit of his roast, Dr. Webber said, "You certainly have outdone yourself today, Susannah." Mrs. Hunt blushed. "Oh, go on, Richard."
As the meal progressed, Susannah observed how Cristina was eating. She had eaten far less than Mrs. Hunt would have expected.
"Is that all you are going to eat, honey?" she asked.
Cristina stared at her plate. "This is plenty, Mrs. Hunt." I don't think I can eat much more than this."
"Hmm, you are eating for two," Susannah said. "I know you young girls are so worried about losing your figure but you have to remember the baby is getting his nutrients from you."
"Okay," Cristina said. It was no use arguing with the older woman, even though it was getting her a bit agitated.
"So, tell me, Cristina, what are your plans?" Mrs. Hunt asked. She wanted to know whether the young woman was going to marry her son.
"I don't know what you mean, exactly. I plan to have a good pregnancy and a healthy baby," Cristina said.
"No, no, I mean about Owen," Susannah said. Owen gave his mother a glare. He really had just wanted a pleasant Sunday luncheon with the two women, who meant the most to him. Susannah ignored her son's glower. He really didn't want to upset Cristina because he knew it was a touchy subject with her.
"Um, we are together, now," Cristina said.
"Really, you think so?" Susannah said. "You live in the cottage and he lives here on the farm. And for a while there, I know things weren't really right between the two of you. He was lucky to even get his foot inside the cottage. I don't like seeing my son that way. He was quite unhappy. So I was wondering if you have a fight again, will he be cut out from your life and the baby's life?"
"Mom," Owen said, shaking his head.
"No, Owen, these are hard questions that need to be answered," his mother said. "You are going to have a baby in a couple of months. A baby that needs both his mother and his father. I think Owen deserves the chance to be a full-time father. Therefore, I would like to offer you a proposal."
Everyone was dumbfounded. What kind of proposal was she talking about?
"Cristina, I want to protect my son's interests not only in the relationship but also in the baby's life. I know my son loves you very much and I hope you love him as much as he loves you. What I am proposing is that you move out of your cottage and back on the farm," she said. "I am sure Owen would love it, if you were here. I know right now, he doesn't want to scare you away but I know my son well enough to know that this is something he would want."
Owen looked first at his mother, and then at Cristina to gauge her reaction. His mother did know what he wanted and he did want Cristina to move back to the farm, more than anything else. But he knew Cristina was a very obstinate, young woman. One could not make her do things, unless she decided it for herself.
"It's okay, Cristina, you don't have to move to the farm, if you don't want to," he said. "I know my mother means well but please don't feel pressure to do this." He tried to smile but it was difficult to do so with the amount of tension in the room. He squeezed her hand to reassure her that he understood if she didn't want to move to the farm.
She looked at him. "Owen, do you want me to move to the farm?" she asked, softly.
"Cristina, it doesn't matter what I want. It is what you want to do," he said.
"It is important for you to say what you want, Owen," his mother said. Owen glowered across the dining room table at his mother. He wanted her to keep quiet. She got the message and zipped her lips.
"She's right, Owen. It is important to say what you want, how you feel," Cristina said. "You are going to be as much a parent as I am."
"Are you sure?" he said. She nodded.
"Yes, Cristina, it would mean the whole world to me, if you moved in to the farm," he said. "I would love to wake up next to you, every day. I would love that we could have breakfast every morning, together and then I would take you to work. I would love that we could sit on the porch and watch the sunset, every evening. I would love that when the time comes, I will be right there to take you to the hospital in Brewster to have our baby. Yes, Cristina, I want you to move in with me. I love you."
Susannah looked pleased. Her son finally said what he was feeling, what he had been bottling up. She knew she had butted in where she wasn't wanted. The onus was now on Cristina to make up her mind on what she wanted to do.
With the three faces looking at her, Cristina decided to be diplomatic. She could not give them a decision, right there and then. "I will definitely think about it. There are very compelling reasons for me to move to the farm, I know that. But I may have my own reasons on why I would want to stay in the cottage." If she was being honest with herself, she didn't particularly want to live in a house on a long-term basis with Mrs. Hunt. There was nothing wrong with staying a few days but the farmhouse would always be Mrs. Hunt's and Cristina would never the lady of her own house, as she was at the cottage, even if it was a tiny little space.
This was not working out the way that Mrs. Hunt had envisioned. The girl was not budging. She knew she had to play her trump card.
"Well, I know that I am sticking my nose in, again. But maybe this will help you make up your mind, Cristina," Mrs. Hunt said. She reached over and held Dr. Webber's hand. He gave her an encouraging smile.
She continued, "Dr. Webber has asked for my hand in marriage." Both Owen and Cristina opened their mouths in surprise. "And, I have accepted to become Mrs. Webber. Well, say something."
"Um, congratulations, Mom," Owen said. He was still in shock at this turn of events.
"Yes, congratulations to you both, Mrs. Hunt and Dr. Webber," Cristina said, as she finally found her voice.
"Well, since we are both older folks, we plan to get married, really soon. We are not spring chickens and we want to spend the rest of whatever life we have together," Mrs. Hunt said. "This brings me to our living situation. I plan to move into Dr. Webber's house in town and I am going to leave the farm."
"You're leaving the farm?" Owen could not believe it. "You have lived here for nearly 35 years."
"Yes, I know but it is time for a new generation," Susannah said. "You're already running the farm mostly by yourself, and I am sure you are going to continue to make your dad proud the way you have looked after the farm and the business."
She turned to Cristina, "This is why, Cristina, I was hoping that you would move into the farmhouse with Owen. I don't want him to be alone, out here. I want his family to be with him. His family is you and this baby that is going to come in a few months."
That certainly put a whole new different spin on things, Cristina thought. Still, she was not ready to make any sort of definitive decision.
"You've given me a lot to think about, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said. "So when is the wedding?"
"In two weeks," Susannah said. "We didn't want to wait."
"Mom, two weeks!" Owen said. "That is not a lot of time to plan a wedding."
"Yes, that is why we have to get started, immediately," Susannah said. "Here are my plans…"
For the next hour, Susannah laid out her plans for her wedding, while everyone listened, intently. If there was one thing, Susannah Hunt could run a tight schedule. Each person was given a specific set of duties that needed to be fulfilled. This wedding was definitely going to happen in two weeks.
Later that evening, as Owen dropped off Cristina to the cottage. "So, have you thought about moving in?" he asked.
"Yes, I have," she said. He looked hopeful. "On the day of your mom's wedding, I will let you know," she told him.
A/N: Please leave your comments. I love reviews and reading what you think.