I smirk, impressed again with her ability to read the situation. Even for a homeschooled kid who’s spent half her life in and out of the hospital, she’s already way better than I am at this. Though that’s not saying much. “You’re not as naive as you look, are you?”
She grins in return. “Oh, I’m practically clueless. But I’m also a fast learner.”
Eventually, my sister and her alleged fiancé return to the party, looking a little worse for the wear. Loren’s obviously been crying, and Blake’s clothes look suspiciously wrinkled. But I can’t tell whether they’ve been fighting or celebrating.
Scratch that. Blake wouldn’t be frowning like that if it were the second option.
I narrow my eyes and stare at Loren carefully. Her color is off, and she’s moving slowly, cautiously, like she might just faint from exhaustion at any second. She’s also in pain, judging from the way she keeps alternating rubbing her belly and her lower back as the sunlight glints off the huge rock on her left ring finger.
I don’t like any of this.
“You’re doing it again,” Daisy whispers beside me.
“What? Oh.” I relax my face when I realize what she means. “But don’t you think Loren looks?—”
“Let it go, Landry,” she begins again. “Loving and supportive.”
I heave out a deep sigh as Blake speaks. “I’ll try.”
He says something about Loren needing to rest now, which somewhat appeases me, and the other guests begin filing out of their backyard. Daisy and I both join the cleanup efforts, and before long, only our family and Tenley’s remains.
“I’m going to go wait in the Jeep,” Daisy tells me once most of the work is done. “I’m sure you want to congratulate her.” She gestures to my sister across the kitchen, and I nod appreciatively.
“You should be resting,” I tell Loren sternly as soon as I approach her. “You’re looking pale.”
She rolls her eyes, but even that small effort seems to tire her. “I’m fine,” she murmurs.
I open my mouth to argue, but Daisy’s words echo in my mind.
Loving and supportive.
Loren is a grown woman, as much as it pains me to admit it. And I’ll have to start letting her make her own mistakes at some point, right?
I soften my expression. “If you say so.” Then I reach out to wrap her up in my arms before I lose the nerve. She hesitates before she returns the embrace, which honestly stings a little, but she melts into the hug after a second.
“And congratulations. I love you, Lo,” I add after a while. “Be safe and call me if anything changes. I want to be here when my girls arrive and check them out myself.”
There. That was loving and supportive, right?
She pulls away, rolling her eyes again and looking more like herself. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. You’re a doctor,” she quips, making me laugh.
I want to say more, to demand that she put her feet up, but my gaze meets Blake’s from across the room, and I can see the same concern in his eyes. I make my way over to him as the rest of my family crowds Loren.
“Congrats,” I say dryly. It takes all I have not to remind him that I’m holding up my end of our deal even though he failed to do his part.
Hey, I’m trying.
“Thanks, man.” He smiles softly, extending an open hand. I return the handshake, but I don’t miss the way his eyes dart to Loren again when my mom goes in for a hug. Blake might be just as worried about her as I am.
“Can you make her?—”
“Yeah, I’m on it,” he cuts me off, patting my arm before he strides over to her, and I nod to myself before I go, feeling slightly more confident in his abilities to take care of my baby sister.
I watch as my dad takes Blake’s hand and embraces Loren next. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him looking so pleased with anything his own kids have ever done, but I suppose it’s different now that a Bourgeois is involved.
I guess some things never do change.
No one seems to notice when I walk out of the house and join Daisy in the car, with the exception of Tenley’s nephew. He gives me a short nod when we make eye contact before I pull out of the driveway, and the drive home is silent.
