Rylee giggled.
“How about me, Mommy?” LJ quizzed. “Will I be a good big brother?”
“Yup.” Rylee nodded. “Thebestbig brother that ever was, baby.”
Now that everyone had been told—and everyone was excited—Rylee knew it was time to talk to Xander.
Time to let him in.
And time to celebrate… as a family.
Finally.
thirteen
RYLEE
Rylee gatheredher long braids to the top of her head, twisting them into a bun as she passed the large red fire truck.
As soon as she stepped into the firehouse, Jamal, Xander’s friend and fellow firefighter, smiled big, laying the pen he wrote with on the desk he sat behind.
“Aye, Rylee!” he said, standing to his feet, immediately making his way around the desk. “What’s up, lil’ mama?”
He extended his arms for a hug and she walked right into them, giving him a quick embrace.
It was a Thursday, quiet, and exactly what Rylee was hoping it would be when she decided to stop by the firehouse.
“Nothing much.” She playfully tapped his stomach. “Just being a creep. Thought I’d swing by my man’s job unannounced. Keep him on his toes and his head on a swivel. You know the vibes.”
Jamal laughed, then gestured at the stairs that led up to the kitchen.
“Well, he’s up there cooking.” Jamal rubbed his hand over his firehouse tee. “And thank God. Been looking forward to his chickenallday.”
“Mmm.” Rylee licked her lips. “Looks like I came at the right time, huh?”
“Sure did,” Jamal replied. “Head up there. I’ll see you in a few.”
Rylee nodded her exit and followed Jamal’s direction, climbing the stairs to the kitchen.
This was the first time she was seeing Xander since everything changed. He’d given her space she hadn’t asked for but that he knew she needed.
And she really did.
In that time apart, she’d done a lot of thinking, visiting Lennox’s grave to facilitate that thinking, and had decided on her own that she wanted this baby.
Although getting pregnant wasn’t planned, she knew it was meant to be. She said as much when she visited Lennox’s grave days prior.
“Well,” she sighed, lowering herself onto the earth in front of his headstone. She pretzeled her legs, feeling the cold grass and soil beneath her jeans, ignoring it, and finding warmth gazing at his name etched on the stone. “Dr. Grayson confirmed there’s a baby in my belly again.”
The brisk breeze in the cemetery whistled through the barren trees like it always did during the colder months.
“And… ummm.” She pushed air through her nose. “I decided to keep it.”
Rylee bit at her bottom lip, squeezing her eyes.
“I’ve thought for days about everything,” she continued. “Everyone is happier than I thought they’d be. I’ve imagined what life is about to look like. Me, three kids?” Rylee shook her head. “And I don’t know. The more I imagine it, the less scary it feels. And believe me, it was terrifying at first. The timing, the grief, the thought of starting over when I thought I was finally settling into this new normal without you. Crazy, right?”
She stared forward, eyes locking in on the laser-etched photo of Lennox on the headstone.
