We were gatheredin the dining room, seated around Shannon's antique table with a beautiful meal, all by Andy's hand, laid before us. My siblings were busy passing platters and bowls, loading up their plates while Will listed all of Abby's achievements to date. He was particularly proud of her ability to grip his finger and openandclose her eyes in his presence, and anyone who suggested that those behaviors weren't extraordinary could go fuck themselves.
"Erin, honey, it is such a joy to have you here. You have to tell us about Iceland. Bill and I haven't been there yet. It's on our list for next year, and we need some recommendations. But I'm dying to know," Judy said, smiling at me as she patted her fingertips on the table like the sweetest, most eager mom of all moms, ever. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"
Nick squeezed my thigh, and I noticed the corners of his lips tipping up. "Why don't you take that one, darlin'?" he suggested.
There was an unusual sensation bubbling up inside me. It felt something like happiness, all fizzy and light and forcing me to smile.
And with that, everything stopped. Dishes and wine glasses were set down, serving spoons dropped into bowls, and all eyes locked on me and Nick. This was one of those defining moments. The kind where several paths presented themselves. Many were acceptable, some were convenient, but only one wasright. They'd all lead to other, new paths, and most of them would block the way from ever wandering back and attempting a different route.
Basically, there was no going back.
"Or I can do it," Nick said, glancing at me with his eyebrow arched in question. "It's your—"
"We got married the night before Matt's wedding," I said, cutting him off. "We're married, me and Nick."
Riley yanked the cork from a wine bottle, and thepopseemed to echo around us. Then, the rumbling started. At first it was allhuhandhmm, but then it graduated to "What did she say?" and "Wait, what?" Nick kept his hand on my leg, his thumb drawing little circles on my inner thigh.
Riley passed the bottle to Lauren's father, the Commodore, and rubbed his palms together vigorously. "Great, we're going there," he said.
"Now that wasn't what I expected to hear," Judy murmured, her eyes as wide as could be.
"Wait, so—" Sam stopped, gesturing at Nick and me as he processed. "Could you run all that by us one more time?"
"And you knew?" Andy swiveled toward Riley, and it took all that long, dark hair of hers an extra few seconds to follow.
"Of course he knew," Matt yelled, tossing his hands in the air like we were discussing heresy and high crimes. "He has dirt on everyone."
"That's an unsettling prospect," Patrick said, his eyebrows pinched together. It was clear that he still didn't like any of this, but that was his way. He took the longest to come around.
"Pick your battles, boys," Will warned. "And while you do that, please remember that you donotgovern your sisters' lives."
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Matt asked Shannon. "Why are you quiet? You're the one who's supposed to freak out right now."
Shannon rolled her eyes at Matt before glancing to me. She was wearing leggings and a long sweater, and while it was definitely casual for her, I never would've guessed that she gave birth days ago based on that look. "She told me the other day," she said, her tone dismissive. Almost flippant. Bad Bitch Shannon was thebestShannon. "And we've been emailing since last January."
"Emailing. Since. January," Sam yelled, bewildered. "Why am I always the last to know these things?"
"You girls certainly like eloping," the Commodore said, glancing between Shannon and me.
"I don't even know what to say about all of this," Patrick murmured, rubbing his forehead.
"You don't have to say anything, Patrick," I said, reaching for a dish of mashed potatoes. I dropped a scoopful on my plate, and then another. Nick's brows winged up at that. "Don't judge me."
"I'm not judging you at all," he said. "I love your affection for carbs."
"What is it with you guys? You're supposed to be happy for her, and accept that she's capable enough to make smart decisions," Lauren cried. "And before you forget, we like Nick. We should be thrilled that she's keeping it local. If we're lucky, we'll get to see her more often now."
"Lolo, the baby is sleeping. Quiet down," Judy said. "You'll understand the value of sleep when you have a child of your own."
"Thanks for that, Judy." Lauren rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath as she reached for her wine glass. She drained it, then passed it to Sam for a refill.
"Listen, people," Shannon said, wagging her finger at the table. "Froggie's going to wake up any minute and I'm starving. You go right on hollering at each other, but I'm going to eat."
"Thank you," Tiel murmured.
"Then I'm eating too," Riley said. "Someone pass me a drumstick."
"I'm warning you right now, RISD," Shannon said. "If you drop that drumstick on my new rug, I'll beat you with it."
