But listen, if I was going to get attacked, I was also going to immediately launch a counterattack. And if nobody else here understood why... well, that was because they didn’t have this special relationship with their siblings. Jonah was an only child. Ada had a much younger sister. And Lola weirdly loved and adored her brother.
Unrelatable.
“I answered the call from the real estate agent,” I said, starting with my most tangible evidence.
“You think I’m opening another bar?” Will asked, overenunciating every syllable.
“And earlier, when I mentioned kids, you freaked out. Like had an actual breakdown. You’re obviously dealing with a lot of stress right now. Probably because you’re sneaking out with Lola to go open a second bar.”
He just blinked at me. His jaw ticked neurotically, but he kept his mouth shut.
“He’s not opening another bar,” Lola put in calmly. I glared at her. It wasn’t actually her fault I was so mad, but she was, unfortunately, the only one who spoke up. “I’m pregnant.”
Her confession hit the bar like an actual bomb had gone off.
Ada was the first to recover. “I’m sorry, what?”
Lola shrugged big. Like shoulders up to her ears only to drop as far down as they would go. “I’m pregnant. Obviously, we weren’t planning for this to happen... butit’s happening.”
“Oh, my gosh, Mom is going to be thrilled.” Not that I was gloating. But this would super take the pressure off me for a while.
Will glared at me, but he also finally explained what was going on. “I did ask Lola about what it would take to open a second location. But of Craft. Not of my own thing or something with Lola. I wanted to know what it would take for the three of us to expand. If it financially made sense. We’re having a hard time keeping this place staffed, so I know we’re not ready yet. I just wanted to set some professional goals. That’s all.” Charlie and I both started to speak at the same time, but Will pushed forward. “As far as the real estate agent goes... that was about Lola and me. Not about the bar. With a kid on the way, and”—he reached for her hand—“with things getting more serious between the two of us... Listen, I can’t live above the bar forever. I need a place I can raise a family.”
Charlie laughed. A light burst of genuine laughter. “Holy shit, Will is moving to the suburbs.”
“I didn’t say the suburbs,” Will snapped back.
“Oh, my gosh, you’re having a baby!” I squealed, the realization of what was happening finally dawning on me. “Oh, my gosh, a baby!”
Lola held up a finger at me and looked at her baby daddy with the fire of an actual dragon burning inside her. “I’m sorry, did you say now that things are getting more serious between us... because there’s a baby involved?”
I snickered at Will’s choking-on-air expression. It was fun to see Lola give him a some hell. They were still annoyingly obsessed with each other, but I fully supported Lola putting Will in his place—all in the name of love and happiness. “That’s obviously not what I meant. We’re serious because we love each other. And now there is a baby. And so we’re extra serious.”
“You need to rethink your priorities,” she snarled at him. “And what it means to be serious with the woman who is carrying your child.”
The rest of us watched their quarrel like it was a tennis match. “Lola,” Will coaxed, “you know what I mean.”
“But do I?” She turned around, shooting me a subtle wink as she stormed off toward the kitchen. “You’ve done it now, Will English.”
He tried to give us a tremulous smile. I had never seen him so sheepish before. I loved every single second of it. “Hormones,” he explained in a quiet voice. “She’s, uh, dealing with some mood swings.” He glanced nervously at the kitchen. “I should probably go...”
“This is happening,” Jonah said before he could escape. “Just so we’re clear. I want you to realize I have no plans of backing off when it comes to your sister, Will. I would love your blessing, but I don’t need it.”
“You have mine,” Charlie threw out as if he wasn’t the very reason all this fighting had happened. “If you can deal with her, I can deal with this.”
It wasn’t the nicest blessing anyone had ever given, but I would take it. “Thanks, Charlie.”
Jonah kept his gaze fixed on my oldest brother. “Will?”
Will let out an exhausted sigh. “There’s nothing I can say to get you two to reconsider? I mean, this is weird. You get that, right? This is weird for me.”
Jonah just shook his head. “Last thing I care about, man.”
Will finally smiled a real, authentic, not pissed-off smile. “This is probably the only thing we’ve disagreed about. Like ever.”
“It’s not worth it, though,” Jonah countered. “And you’re not going to win.”
Will rubbed his jaw, a sign that he was getting ready to concede. Hope blossomed in my chest. Like Jonah said, we didn’t need his blessing, but life would be a hell of a lot easier if we had it.
