None of it added up, though. Because the guy I’d gottento know this summer wasn’t an Alpha-hole at all. He was funny and kind, patient and thoughtful. He listened—like really listened—when I was talking. He was a way better listener than Silas had ever been. And he communicated back in a way that left no doubts. Silas would skirt around a topic until I wanted to throw my hands in the air.
But maybe that’s why girls liked Holden so much. He paid them perfect attention. Ugh. It was all so confusing. The only thing I knew for sure was that I obviously couldn’t trust my gut when it came to guys.
Holden could be my eye candy—my internet vice—to tide me over, but nothing more.
An email notification popped up on my screen.
Subject: Welcome to Small-Town Sweethearts! Let’s find your perfect match!
What on earth? It had to be spam. But I opened my app and clicked on the email.
Dear Christy,
Welcome to Small-Town Sweethearts, where sparks fly and hearts connect. We’re thrilled you’ve chosen to join our community…
I deleted it. I’d never joined an online community of any sort but definitely not a dating service.
Back to Holden and his beautiful?—
The FaceTime app started ringing, hiding his picture. I groaned.
And pressed the green check button to answer.
“Hi Mom,” I said as her video loaded.
“Hi, Christianna.”
“Hey there, punkin.’”
“Hey, Christy.”
“Whattup, Tink.”
My fists curled at the last name. My brother-in-law really needed to stop calling me that. I hated the tangle of emotions I felt at the fact that they were together without me. I’d chosen to move. And I didn’t regret it. But still, the FOMO was there.
“Hi.” I waved as four faces came into view. Mom, Dad, my younger sister Gabby, and her husband, Rowan. The only ones missing were my youngest sister, Arianna, and her husband, Tyler. “How’d you guys know I was up?”
Gabby shoved her face in front of everyone, her thick, dark, perfect hair taking up most of the screen. “Your active status on Facebook.” She pulled her husband, Rowan, into the frame, their heads pressed together. “Guess what?” She squealed, her eyes glowing with excitement.
“What?” I said with almost no emotion, hoping she would bring it down a notch. She didn’t. Just gazed into Rowan’s eyes for a moment, her shoulders lifted, beaming. The way he looked at her…like she owned every piece of him…even after three years of marriage. It was a punch to the stomach.
“Go ahead,” Rowan said in a breathy hush. “Tell her.”
My stomach tensed. “Tell me what?”
Gabby’s hands curled into fists, pressed against her mouth, her eyes dancing. “We’re having a baby!”
It felt like someone shot a confetti cannon.
Two inches from my face.
I sat there for a moment, blinking. “That’s…that’s so great. Congrats.” It was hard enough that my twenty-two-year-old sister, Ari, was now pregnant. Rowan and Gabby had only been married for three years and a half years and this was theirthirdpregnancy. Somebody needed to give them “the talk.”
“Where’s Jonah?” I asked. “Can I talk to him?” Jonah was their oldest. The cutest little two-and-a-half-year-old in existence. I needed to see him right then. Wished I could squishhis chubby little cheeks in my hands and kiss him all over his adorable face.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t be happy for my sister and…Rowan…
Okay.
