I hear Mum laugh before she steps out of the kitchen and straight into Bella’s arms. Dad calls from the backyard, where I can smell the grill cooking veggies. “Come on out here, little one, and say hello.”
I think my dad is the only human alive who can get away with calling Bella “little one.”
Pia follows, or I should say waddles, after my mum. Opening my arms, I draw her in as much as physicallypossible. She’s fucking huge. I’m scared she’s going to push out a full-grown human at this rate.
“Hey, P, how ya feeling?”
She mumbles into my tank top. I can’t make out the words, but her tone makes me think she’s not super happy about still being pregnant.
Pulling away, I cup her face. “You look great, P. Glowing!”
She frowns. “Don’t lie to me, Eden. I look like Jabba the Hutt!”
Biting my cheek, I take a beat before answering. Pia doesn’t take kindly to being laughed at. I learned that the hard way.
“You look breathtaking, love.”
“I just want it out,” she moans. Mum steps up behind her and massages her shoulders.
“Soon, Pia. You’re almost there. Now, why don’t you take Bella to the kitchen and grab the salad. I want to say hello to my daughter.”
“Her favourite daughter,” I add with a grin.
“You’re such an arse,” Jenna shouts from the top of the stairs. I still love ribbing her, and it really doesn’t take much.
“Oh, I didn’t see you there, Luce.”
She rolls her eyes. “The Lucifer joke is so old.”
“And yet I still find it funny.”
To be fair, Jenna isn’t the surly arse she was four years ago. In fact, she’s a lot more outgoing and confident now. She doesn’t hide her love of pop music and cheerleading. Also, she’s stopped regarding her cereal like Smaug guarding a pile of gold. I told her that once, and she looked at me totally confused because she’s never seen any ofThe Lord of the Ringsfilms. Seriously, how are we related?
“So lame,” she says, but gives me a hug.
“You look good, Jenna.”
She shrugs. “I’m busting my butt to stay in shape. Speaking of which, when are we starting our running club?”
“Jenna, it’s hardly a club if it’s just you and me!”
“Whatever,” she snorts. “When are we starting?”
“Monday? Meet here at six?”
She fist bumps me. “Deal.”
I go to walk into the kitchen, but Jenna stops me. Her face has slipped from carefree silliness to serious.
“Um, E, can I talk to you before we eat?”
“Can it wait until after? I’ve got something to share with you all.”
Her smile is there, but not one I’d associate with actual happiness. She’s looking at me with a weird look of sympathy in her eyes.
“You good?” I ask.
She swallows and nods. “Yeah. It can wait until later. Just…just promise me you won’t leave until we talk.”
