“Dahlia is back there with them. Her contractions are only about a minute apart now, and she’s seven centimeters dilated. We’re just waiting for her to be ready to push.”
“I don’t know what any of that means.” Elena yawns, resting her head against my shoulder. I lift my arm and wrap it around her, not missing the way Everett eyes my every move. “Just tell me when my niece is gonna be here.”
“It’s hard to say, love. I labored with you for thirty-six hours, but sometimes those kids just slide right out.”
“That sounds horrific,” Elena huffs, nuzzling her head against me. I glance down and find her eyes closed, realizing just how late it is. I press my lips against her temple.
Time passes in awkward silence, only the murmured whispers between Everett, his parents, and Lou as Elena sleeps against my shoulder. Eventually, Lou falls asleep in the sameposition on Everett before Dahlia finally comes out to give us an update.
She throws herself into a now-vacated chair next to Monica, huffing as she says, “She’s in a lot of discomfort, and things are still moving slowly. Leo’s been going on about some blog he read that stated having an orgasm while in labor can help with pain and speed things along. I left as soon as he started talking.”
Everett’s lip curls. “So, they’re just having sex back there right now?”
“No, baby,” Dahlia scoffs. “Are you going to make me explain clitoral stimulation to you right now in front of your parents?”
A loud snort rips through the room as Elena suddenly lifts her head, laughing.
Everett frowns at his sister before glancing down at Lou to ensure she’s still asleep with her headphones on. “I think you and I both know how well-versed I am in clitoral stimulation, Wildflower, but I’ll be happy to remind you later.”
“I’m going for a walk,” Monica mutters, standing from her chair as Carlos covers his laugh with a cough. “Does anyone want coffee?”
“Yes,” we all say at once.
“I’ll come with you.” Dahlia chuckles. She stands, walking across the aisle and planting a kiss on her daughter’s head before turning to her boyfriend. She wraps a hand around his throat and swiftly hauls his mouth to hers, kissing him with nothing but promise. “You better be a man of your word.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says breathlessly, grinning with allurement.
“I want us to be that obnoxious,” Elena murmurs against my neck.
“You are,” Everett mutters, watching Dahlia walk away.
Carlos sighs, rising out of his chair and taking the one his wife just vacated. “I want you two to work this out amongst yourselves.” He motions between the twins before turning toElena. “But I’ll say this: the woman I see sitting in front of me now is a glowing reflection of the girl I raised years ago. Better than I could’ve ever hoped you’d become. I give you full credit for your resilience, my girl, but I can’t ignore the support of the hand that held you as you walked through the most painful parts of healing.” His eyes flash to me. “The boys may need time to adjust. Remember, this isn’t the first time they’ve watched her love their best friend—and they’ve also watched the worst possible fallout from that dynamic. Give them grace, but for what it’s worth, you have my blessing. And Monica’s.”
“I’d never concern myself with the blessing of anyone, much less a man, but thank you.” She kisses his cheek. “That means a lot, Daddy.”
I inhale so swiftly that I choke on oxygen, folding over in my chair as I begin coughing.
“What?” Everett asks, eyeing me suspiciously. “Why are you having a fit?”
“No r…reason,” I sputter.
“Oh, because I call August Daddy, too, sometimes,” Elena says casually.
I stare at the wall in front of me, the plant in the corner, the ceiling—eyes dancing anywhere but my girlfriend’s brother and father—but I feel Everett’s stare burning a hole through the center of my goddamn face.
“Fucking Christ,” he mutters as Carlos whispers, “Boundaries,mi corazón. I don’t need to know that.”
“Sorry,” she chimes back. “I was trying to offend Everett, and you were collateral damage.”
“I know, my girl.” He laughs.
Elena and I have talked extensively over the last couple of weeks about our past and exactly what explanation we feel we owe her brothers. There are aspects to all of our relationships that we have no obligation to share, but we agreed that theyneeded to know about Elena and my history before Zach died, and our last moments with him. It’s the only way for them to understand the depths of our grief and guilt, and how those complexities tarnished our ability to heal.
I think it’s the only way for them to understand just how much it took for her and me to reach the point we’re at now, and why the two of us are so confident that we’ll be everlasting.
However, I know at this moment, she’s feeling defensive and stubborn. She doesn’t like the way Everett reacted, and they have a tendency to feed each other’s flames.
“Why don’t you come with me to get something out of the vending machine? I can’t bend down to reach inside those little cubby holes anymore,” Carlos says.
