Lilah’s eyes widen. “You’re getting married?”
Rina’s mouth falls open. She might have known about the baby, but not the marriage.
I nod. “Yes.”
“To who?” Lilah asks carefully. “Do we know him?”
Heat creeps up my neck as I bite my lip. “Yeah. It’s Laiken.”
For a second, no one says a word.
Then all at once, their voices collide, disbelief and curiosity crashing over me.
“Laiken as in the Railers’ Laiken?” Sloane blurts.
“Wait. Our Laiken?” Callie demands, her voice pitched somewhere between surprise and excitement.
“Yeah,” I say with a wince. “That Laiken.”
Rina’s eyes narrow like she’s trying to solve a puzzle. “How the hell did that happen?”
“I’m more interested in when it started,” Lilah says, tightening her grip on my hand.
Sloane wipes the last dribble of coffee from her chin. “I feel like I missed a few episodes of a show and now I’m totally lost. Can we rewind and start from the beginning?”
“He asked me yesterday,” I say.
Which is technically true.
Lilah’s brows shoot up. “That’s… um, fast.”
“I know,” I admit. “And I realize how it looks. All I can say is that it feels right. There’s no other way to explain it.”
The words land differently here than they did with Laiken. Saying yes to him felt instinctive. Private. Like something I could tuck between us and keep safe from the outside world. Saying it out loud here makes it real in a way I can’t take back. Like I’ve stepped over a line and there’s no retreating.
Lilah studies me for a long moment before nodding. “I get that, and I couldn’t be happier for you. He’s a good man.”
I smile. “He is.”
“What about Oliver?” Callie asks gently. “Does he know yet?”
My stomach dips at the mention of my brother. “No,” I admit. “I still need to talk to him. About everything. So, if you wouldn’t mind keeping this to yourselves for the time being, I’d really appreciate that.”
The table goes quiet again, the weight of it settling over us.
Rina’s hand tightens around mine. “Just remember that your brother loves you,” she says. “I’m sure he’ll need a minute to wrap his head around all of this, but he’ll get there. And if you want, I’ll be there when you break the news.”
When emotion pricks my eyes, I blink hard before nodding. “Thank you, I’d like that.”
Lilah glances around the table. “Well, that officially makes three of us pregnant.”
As soon as her gaze settles on Callie and Sloane, color blooms in Callie’s cheeks.
With a shake of her head, she laughs. “Trust me, River is working on it. Like every day.”
Sloane snorts. “Unless immaculate conception is a viable option, you can count me out for the foreseeable future.”
The table erupts in laughter. It’s the kind that spills over before chasing away any lingering tension. Callie laughs so hard she has to wipe her eyes as she tries and fails to regain control.
