Theo walked in behind Davis, still in his suit and tie from his own open house down the street in the mayor’s office. “Don’t let her fool you,” he warned, balancing a tray of empty plates and cups. “Amber was bossing us all around like a drill sergeant five minutes ago.”
Amber stroked her enormous belly, covered in a vintage navy satin dress, contentedly. “If I’m going to be miserable, everyone else might as well be useful.”
Amber didn’t look almost nine months pregnant with twins, that was for sure. A cropped cardigan covered her shoulders,along with a vintage silk scarf around her neck for flair. The effect was gorgeous and glamorous, as usual for her sister.
Evie slipped out from behind the reception desk, her arms full of props. She met Lily’s gaze across the messy studio, and her eyes widened at what she must have seen reflected there.
Lily’s throat closed. She looked at all of them—her sisters with their wildly different energies, her nieces precious and sleeping like angels, Davis and Theo pitching in without question—and the warmth of it hit her square in the chest. Her eyes stung, and before she could stop herself, she burst into noisy tears.
Ah, hell. She was overdue for a good cry anyway.
“What is it, honey?” Allie dropped the trash bag and rushed over. “Are you sick? Do you need your inhaler?”
“Lil,” Evie said softly from across the room, the one word laced with understanding.
Amber leaned her head back against the wall, one hand absently stroking Savvie’s hair. “If this is about a man, he better be worth crying over.”
Allie frowned and tipped her face toward Lily. “That’s not why you’re crying, right? These tears aren’t for the sheriff?”
Lily tried to buck up and put a smile on her face. She did. But the effort crumbled as fast as it came. She couldn’t stop seeing Rush on the edge of the canal—that stricken look had gutted her.
She’d wanted to comfort him, to tell him it was okay—that he could forgive himself, that diving into icy black water to save someone was the bravest thing anyone could have done. That he was a hero, whether he believed it or not. All of Northfield saw it. She wished he could see it too. Instead, he carried the weight like a punishment, grinding him down and shutting out someone who was coming to care about him deeply.
She couldn’t say any of that because he’d lashed out at her and pushed her away. Again.
So yes, she was crying, and it felt good. For weeks she’d carried a brick in her chest, an intuition she hadn’t wanted to name. Tonight had made it impossible to ignore. Rush didn’t want her comfort. He didn’t want her help. He wanted only the pieces of her he could take without opening himself up in return.
And if that was all he had to give… she’d have to decide if it was enough.
“I’m just saying, men should make you laugh, not cry, and if they can’t keep up with you, you leave them behind.”
Lily swiped at her eyes, managing a shaky laugh, but she didn’t argue with Amber because deep down she knew her sister was right. The words lodged somewhere deep, clinging like burrs she couldn’t quite brush off.
Theo crossed the room, setting a steaming cup of cider in front of her, before brushing a kiss against Amber’s temple. “Ignore her,” he said mildly. “Pregnancy makes her mean.”
Amber snorted, but just then her face pinched, and she let out a groan, one hand flying to her stomach. “Lord, these babies are doing somersaults,” she muttered.
Theo’s whole expression softened. He crouched in front of her, rubbing her lower back with one hand while the other covered hers on her belly. “They’re strong, just like their mom.”
Amber grabbed Lily’s hand suddenly and pressed it against the taut curve of her stomach. “Feel that?”
The sharp kick beneath Lily’s palm stole her breath away. A ripple of movement rolled under her hand, so real and alive, and something inside of her split open.
Her chest ached with longing. This—this was what she wanted more than anything. A life growing inside her, a family of her own to take care of. She pictured tiny arms reaching forher, a warm weight curled against her chest at night. She’d wanted this since she was little, so clearly it felt stitched into her bones as early as she could remember.
She pulled her hand back gently, smiling at Amber, but inside she was unraveling. Across the room, Davis gave Allie a look, something warm and unspoken passing between them, before he shifted Tessa in his arms more comfortably. “What your sisters mean, Lily,” he said quietly, “is you don’t have to settle.”
Lily’s chest ached at the sight of them—her sisters so loved, so steady in ways she’d always dreamed about. Theo’s hand on Amber’s stomach, Davis’s patient calm with Allie. That kind of devotion seemed so easy for them. She wanted that. God, she wanted that.
When she finally looked away, Evie was already watching her. That twin thing. It astounded people how they could finish each other’s sentences or, like now, know exactly what the other was feeling. A surge of fierce love for Evie—for her whole family—rose in her, and she sniffed again.
The real thing,she promised herself. Don’t settle for less.
Amber shifted Savvie and let out a dramatic groan, rubbing her belly. “I swear these twins are trying to kill me. If they don’t come soon, I’m going to lose my mind.”
“You’re not due for another month,” Theo reminded her, rubbing her back soothingly. “Come on. Let’s go home and get you in the bath.”
Savvie opened one eye, blinking sleepily at her favorite uncle. “I’m a sugarplum,” she mumbled before snuggling deeper into Amber’s lap and drifting off again.
