“You’d know if you answered the phone, Lois,” Asa said, still glaring at the wood pile.
“Don’t take that tone with me, Asa Mulvaney,” Zane snapped, sliding to answer his phone even as he shot his husband a warning look. “Hey, what’s?—”
Lucas cut him off. “Cricket’s in labor.”
“What? I mean, cool. She’s overdue,” Zane said, confused. “Isn’t that how babies usually get here?”
Lucas huffed in annoyance. “No, she’s in labor and driving to the mansion.”
“Again, was that not the plan?” Zane said, shaking his head, giving the others a look even though they could only hear his side of the conversation.
“She’s driving herself!” Lucas shouted into his ear.
Adrenaline shot through Zane’s whole body. “Oh, fuck. Okay, shit. Uh, okay. We’ll get dressed and head to the mansion.”
“Dressed?” Lucas yelped, before saying, “Why are you—You know what? Not the time. Just please get there as soon as you can. I need all hands on deck for this.”
Zane nodded even though Lucas couldn’t see him. “I’m sure she’s already there or almost. It will be fine. Totally fine. It’s all gonna be fine.”
Even if there was a storm raging outside and a pregnant woman in active labor driving herself to the hospital. Totally fine. All good. Fucking hell. This was so not like her, yet somehow also entirely like her. Too independent, trying to do it all on her own.
Zane disconnected the call.
“Looks like the bookshelf will have to wait until after Christmas. Cricket is in labor and apparently driving herself to Dad’s.”
“Oh, no, we can’t build the bookshelf,” Felix said in the same monotone voice Zane imagined the carolers singing in. “That’s terrible.”
“I didn’t see you building anything, smart mouth,” Asa said.
“You loved this mouth well enough last night,” Felix shot back.
“I love your mouth all the time,” Zane said, kissing him again.
“Suck up,” Asa mumbled.
They ignored him. Felix pulling back to say, “Aw, I love yours too.”
“Not to interrupt the mutual love fest but shouldn’t you two put some clothes on?” Avi asked, glancing at his watch. “Its cold as fuck outside and you’re both naked.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fine.”
The room shifted then, their bubble breaking like glass. The fire still crackled, the lights still twinkled, but the moment had passed. Something bigger now taking its place.
Zane stood, tugging Felix up with him, hoping they’d unpacked enough to have something comfortable but appropriate for Dad’s Christmas eve plans. Though, he imagined dinner was canceled.
By the time they were dressed and presentable, Asa and Avi were waiting at the front door, already reaching for coats, for keys.
Behind them, the unfinished bookshelf sat in pieces on the floor—forgotten, unimportant.
Family came first.
Always.
Thomas stood in the doorway of Cricket’s suite, resting against the doorframe, arms crossed as he watched Cricket, Zane, Felix, and Noah all attempting to do a TikTok dance that would “help progress her labor.”
The music thumped softly from someone’s phone, bass vibrating through the hardwood floors, a steady pulse that seemed to sync with the house itself, and for a moment Thomas just stood there and took it in, the absurdity, the noise, the life. The way laughter bounced off the walls, the way everyone moved a little closer to Cricket without seeming to notice they were doing it.
Cricket laughed breathlessly as she tried to keep up with the choreography, then abruptly stopped, one hand bracing against her lower back. The smile stayed on her face, but Thomas clocked the subtle shift immediately, the way her shoulders tensed, the way her breath went shallow.
