I want to say yes. Want to sit across from my brother and unload everything—the pregnancy, the twins, my terror that I'm going to fuck this up spectacularly. But I can't. Not yet.
Rain check? I've got some stuff to handle.
Alder
Tucker. Whatever's going on, you don't have to deal with it alone.
The irony isn't lost on me. I'm about to be responsible for two tiny humans, and I can't even handle my own life without my twin trying to swoop in and help.
I know. And I will tell you. Soon. Just need a bit more time.
Alder
Okay. But I'm here when you're ready.
I set the phone aside and wonder how I’ll face the music with the Fury regarding Grentley.
I'm spiraling down a rabbit hole of increasingly gloomythoughts when my phone rings. Dad's name flashes on the screen.
"Hey," I answer, closing my laptop guiltily.
"Just checking in," he says. "How'd the appointment go?"
Is it weird for a grown man to cry? Because I feel like crying to my dad right now.
"Good,” I manage to say. “Everything looks healthy."
"And Sloane? How's she doing?"
"Overwhelmed, I think. It's a lot to process."
There's a pause. Dad knows I'm holding something back. "Tucker. What aren't you telling me?"
I close my eyes, picturing his face when I tell him. The joy, the excitement. And then the inevitable question: when can he share the news with Mom?
"It's twins, Dad."
Silence. Then: "Twins?"
"Yeah. Two babies. Like me and Alder."
"Holy shit." He laughs, the sound pure delight. "Tucker, that's incredible! Twins! Your mother is going to—" He stops himself. “Crap. She doesn't know yet.”
"No. And Dad, you can't tell her. Not yet. Sloane needs time to process. To tell her own people first. I promised I'd respect her timeline."
"Of course. Of course." But I can hear the effort it's taking him to contain his excitement. "But Tucker, twins. That's amazing. Terrifying, but amazing."
"More terrifying than amazing right now."
“Buddy, this is gonna be terrific. I don’t mind saying I’m pretty great at twins. Although your mom and I had practice with Odin and Gunny before we got slammed with double trouble.” Dad is rambling about how awesome it is being a dad, and I should find it soothing, but somehow it just makes me feel less capable. “Twins are special, kiddo,” he adds. “They'll always have each other."
Like Alder and me, we've always been a team, even when we've driven each other crazy.
"I don't know how to do this, Dad. Be a father to one baby, letalone two. Especially when Sloane doesn't really want me involved."
"She let you come to the appointment?"
"Yeah."
