Free Strong by Jennifer Rivard Yarrington Page A

a quick kiss.
    Chase's mom greets me at the door like I'm some long-lost relative. “Oh, Kate, dear, I'm so glad to finally meet you.” She squishes me as she speaks. She is a petite and somewhat portly auburn-brunette.  Her hug does feel kind of like I'm being squeezed by a big mama bear, but she's not quite the over-protective mommy that Chase described.  In spite of the expectations he had set up for me earlier, I am at ease with her.
    His dad walks in a few moments later. I turn and say, “Hello, Dr. Nichols.  Nice to see you again.”  He shakes my hand with an overly firm grip, but says nothing.
    Just before we sit down for dinner, Chase's sister Chelsea and her husband Michael arrive home from Christmas shopping. They are really down to earth. Chelsea and I click instantly.
    Chelsea is taller than her mom, has the same eyes as Chase, but her hair is a much lighter color than his beautiful brown waves. Her hair is more of an auburn and it gently flows down around her face and shoulders in a way that I can never get my hair to do. She has a rounder face, but she sports the same adorable dimples that Chase has.
    Michael is all blonde hair and blue eyes, but it looks as if he's trying to grow a mustache. Maybe he's trying to look older, since he has quite the baby face. I can relate.
    “ Did you hit the Lamplighter shop?” I ask them. “They have the coolest Christmas stuff in town.”
    “ Yes, we even bought an ornament for the baby!” Chelsea gushes. “For next year of course.”
    I'm glad Chase catches my wide eyes and interjects, “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I'm going to be an uncle.”
    “That's awesome! Congratulations!” I say to him and to the happy parents-to-be. “Can I see the ornament?” 
    Chelsea rushes over to grab the bag and comes back with a Noah's Ark-themed pewter ornament that says “Baby's First Christmas.”  There is an opening for a tiny baby picture at the top of the ark.
    “It's so sweet,” I confirm. 
    The conversation at dinner turns toward talk of babies and showers and nurseries.  Dr. Nichols even lets a smile cross his face at the mention of having a grandbaby.
    I find myself thinking about Chase and how he will be an awesome uncle. I'm sure he will make a great father, too. He is so strong, so grounded. I blush a bit as I realize where my thoughts are leading me. I hope no one notices. But my next thought takes over before I can stop it: Can Chase have kids? I wonder if his spinal injury affected any of that.
    It seems as if Mrs. Nichols reads my mind because she looks directly at me and says, “Chase may have to be satisfied with being an uncle. He may not be able to have children. You know, because of the accident.”
    Chelsea almost chokes on her mouthful of mashed potatoes and yells, “Mother!”
    Chase just looks at her for a moment and then says, “Thanks, Mom. That's really appropriate.”
    Wow. Maybe Chase wasn't exaggerating about his parents – at least his mom – treating him like a child.
    “ What?!” Mrs. Nichols sounds as if she's the one who should be offended. “I'm just letting Kate know what she's getting herself into. The doctors told us that was a possibility after the accident. And I mean, even if you can conceive, having a baby is a lot of work. How is Chase going to even carry a baby in his arms?”
    “ MOM!” Chelsea yells louder this time.
    “ For goodness sake, Carolyn,” Dr. Nichols interjects. “Stop treating him like a child. Kate's just having dinner with us, they're not getting married.”
    He turns his attention to Chase, “You still have a lot of work to do, son.  You're not going to go to medical school or walk down the aisle on crutches. You gotta keep pushing yourself.”
    Chase's face turns to stone.
    Then he slowly looks at his father and says in a steely voice, “Dad, I thought we were past this. You don't think I've been working hard? You think that I've been slacking off, so that's why I can't