“You’re more emotional than normal.” I narrow my eyes and notice a wet glimmer in hers. “Are you crying?”
“What? No.” She sniffs. My heart sinks, and the humor in my tone vanishes.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong.” She laughs, wiping at her eyes. “It’s why I wanted to go out to breakfast this morning. It's a good thing. I promise.”
“Okay...” I say slowly. “Care to tell me now so I don’t think you’re about to tell me you have cancer or something?"
“I’m not sick.” She laughs again. “Well, only in the mornings.” She smiles over at me.
“Only in the mornings...” I repeat. It takes a second for it to click. I gasp. “Oh my god, are you pregnant?!”
“Yeah.” She smiles, nodding her head. “Eight weeks as of today.”
“This is amazing.” I laugh, unbuckling quickly, then launching myself forward. I wrap my sister up in my arms tightly. “Holy shit. I’m going to be an uncle.” I pull back. “Do the ‘rents know?”
“No.” She sniffs, wiping at her eyes again. “We’re going to tell them at family supper on Sunday. I just wanted you to know first. You're my person, you know?”
“Stop,” I warn her, pointing a finger at her. “I'm a man. A manly man. I don’t cry.” But I feel the back of my eyes sting with happy tears.
“Tell that to Toby and Bishop. Bishop sobbed like a little baby. It was the sweetest thing ever. I’ve only ever seen Toby cry once, but even he was shedding tears.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I take her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze.
“Thank you. I’m excited. It’s the right time, you know? Life is good. My book is doing amazing, and the bookshop is thriving. Toby is working with Dad, Bishop’s restaurant is booming. We’re in a good place in our lives.”
“How is my big sister married and having a baby?” I sit back in my seat. “I feel like I’m lacking in my personal life.”
“Hey.” She gives my knee a pat. “You’re young and enjoying life. That’s how it should be.”
“I want what you have.” I turn my head toward her. “Someone to love, to take care of, to go home to.”
“You’re twenty-one.” She smiles. “You have lots of time to find that.”
“You found it at eighteen,” I point out.
“Yeah, but I always knew who I was going to end up with.” She laughs.
She has a point. She was in love with Toby as a young teenager, maybe even before that. Bishop was always a close friend to her, someone she grew up with, but she didn’t fall for him until they were in college. Still, they were in each other’s lives for a long time before they got together.
The only person I had feelings for that young hasn’t been in my life for a long time.
“Alright, let’s not make this depressing. Let’s get you something to eat. You’re eating for two now.”
We head to a little cafe down the street and order some breakfast. We sit and talk for an hour before Lilly has to work a shift at the bookstore. She co-owns it with our mom. I love how close the two of them are.
“Can you give this to Brody?” Lilly hands over a piece of paper.
“What is it?”
“It’s some things he needs to sign off for... for the bookstore. I’ve been meaning to come over myself, but with everything going on, you know, foggy brain.”
“Yeah. I’ll get him to sign it and bring it when I drop by the store tonight.”
“Thank you. And thank you for doing this. The kids are so excited.”
Lilly and Mom set up a reading program at the bookstore that starts this week. Pretty much every week, the kids who signed up will get a free book. We'll sit and read, talk about it, and make a whole book club thing out of it.
