Chapter 21

The remainder of August passed in a haze for Anelise. She was grateful that her final classes were electives, requiring minimal mental effort. All she needed was to maintain a B average to keep her GPA high enough for graduation with honors.

Her professor was impressed with her thesis, returning it to her for final edits. The deadline for submission was October 25 if she wanted to be considered for graduation. Anelise felt like she was on autopilot, just going through the motions of life.

Leslie and the Rothschilds were their usual supportive selves, doing their best to help her heal her shattered heart. But Anelise was physically exhausted and mentally and emotionally drained.

They invited her over for meals, took her shopping, and treated her to manicures in an attempt to lift her spirits. Anelise appreciated every effort they made. Her parents called, wanting to know about her trip.

Talking to them was difficult for Anelise because they kept mentioning Ollie and Michael, telling her how often Ollie spoke about her and how worn out Michael looked from work. Ollie seemed to be enjoying his new daycare and had started potty training.

They nearly broke her heart when they mentioned how Ollie carried around a picture of them in a plastic frame that Susan had made before they returned to Iowa. She ended the call shortly after that and broke down in tears again.

After their Labor Day weekend break, classes resumed in full swing. When Leslie returned home from a picnic at her parents’ house, she found Anelise weeping on the bathroom floor.

“Oh Ani! What’s happening?” Leslie rushed in and knelt beside her. “You can’t keep doing this, Ani! You’re going to drive yourself crazy!”

Anelise looked at her, grabbed some tissues, and handed her friend something.

Leslie took it, looked at what was in her hand, and sank down next to Anelise, stunned. “You’re pregnant…”

“Yeah. What am I going to do?” Anelise sobbed.

“You know what you’re going to do. I know you, Ani, and you know we’ll all be here for you. My dad will be thrilled to have a baby to spoil! He’s tired of us being grown up and not having kids.”

“And can you imagine Mom? She’ll be over the moon!” Leslie said, chuckling, trying to distract her best friend from her current state.

Anelise nodded, attempting to calm down. “What do I tell my parents?”

“We’re not going to worry about that right now. Let’s get you off the floor, get some soup in you, and get you back to bed. We’ll figure out the rest later,” Leslie said.

Anelise did as her friend suggested, and they curled up in Anelise’s bed after eating and making some plans for the upcoming week.

After Anelise fell asleep, Leslie went to her room and called her mom. “Houston, we have a problem!”

“What’s going on, sweetheart?”

“Ani is pregnant.”

Naomi sat on the edge of the bed, taken aback. “Well, shit.”

Leslie was surprised. Her mother was a proper southern lady and ~never~ swore. “Wow, Mom!”

“I have an appointment tomorrow, but I’ll be over on Wednesday, and we’ll make some plans,” Naomi said before hanging up.

“Everything okay, love?” Johnathan Rothchild walked in and removed his watch.

“Well, yes and no,” Naomi said, looking at her husband. “Ani is pregnant.”

Johnathan was shocked and sat on the bench at the foot of their bed. “Wow... She was the last of the kids I would have expected to be in this situation. I was waiting for JJ to announce he got some girl pregnant. But Ani? Never in a million years!”

“I know. I’m going over there on Wednesday to see what I can do,” Naomi sighed.

“Well, let me know how I can help and just remind her that I love her, okay?” Johnathan said.

“I will. You’re a good man, Johnathan Rothchild,” Naomi smiled and squeezed his hand.

--

Michael had his entire family over for Ollie’s third birthday, along with some friends. He appreciated the distraction of having people around so he didn’t have to dwell on the pain in his chest.

He didn’t know how he was going to get through this. It didn’t help that Anelise had sent Ollie the perfect gift, and every time he saw it, he was reminded of her.

His three nieces and two nephews were running around, along with a few kids belonging to his friends. Ken and his wife Judy and Craig were mingling with the others, watching their friend drift aimlessly.

Ken and Craig were the only ones who had seen how Michael and Anelise interacted and the deep connection they shared.

Michael’s family wanted to know more. So, when everyone else had left, the cousins were in bed, and Michael was trying to get Ollie to sleep, they questioned the two men.

“All I can say is that the first time Michael saw Ani at the airport, this look came over him. It was like he had discovered a new planet and won the lottery at the same time,” Ken said.

“And I can vouch for the fact that when she walked into that business dinner, I swear, you could see and hear his heart beat differently, just for her,” Craig added.

Michael’s younger sister Lisa asked, “But how does this compare to Kara? How—”

“There’s no comparison!” Craig interrupted. “What he feels for Ani is ~so much more~ than what he ever felt for Kara.”

The rest of the family sat back, stunned, until Michael’s older sister Monica sniffled. “It’s so sad that they aren’t together! Michael deserves someone who loves him, and it sounds like Ani does. Can we get him to change his mind?”

Dennis shook his head. “He feels like he would be limiting her because he’s much older and has Ollie ~and~ she has so many opportunities; she’s just graduating.”

The family thanked the men and let them leave just as Michael was coming back. James, Lisa’s husband, handed him another beer, which he gratefully accepted.

“Michael, are you doing okay?” Lisa asked.

“Work’s been rough, what with all the reports for London and the meetings that come with it. But yeah, I’m holding up,” he said, giving a nonchalant shrug.

“But Mickey, we’re talking about the other thing... about Anelise...,” Monica treaded lightly.

“I don’t have a choice but to be okay. I can’t hold her back by tying her down to an older guy with a three-year-old kid. She’s turning twenty-one next month. She’s got her whole life ahead of her.”

“I love her enough to let her go, to let her live her life. I’ll move on eventually, and we’ll see where life takes me,” he said, standing up. “Can we drop this now?”

“Mickey, we’re just trying to help,” Susan said, her hand gently rubbing his arm.

“I know, Mom. And I love you guys for it. It’s just going to take some time, that’s all. I’m heading to bed now. Make sure to turn off all the lights. Goodnight.”

They watched him ascend the stairs before they retreated to their own rooms. It tore them apart to see him like this. If they knew how many sleepless nights he spent reminiscing about her and their shared moments, they’d be even more heartbroken.