and tosses it to the table. "See, it's new." She looks my direction. "Although I do have the same model.” She winks at Duncan. “Pink. And this one is quieter.”
Cough! Cough!
"I even brought batteries." She digs in the bottom of her purse. "If I can just find them."
"Grandma, put that away," I say, reaching for the vibrator.
Just then, my uncle steps to the microphone and the room quiets. “Today is a special day…”
"Kimberly Ann, give me back the vibrator!"
Cough, cough, throat clearing.
The entire room turns our way. My cheeks catch fire as I shove the package back into her purse. No longer able to ignore us, my father lays his head on the table while Susan's shoulders slump forward. Kevin shakes his head, and Mother takes another drink of her wine. It isn't until I look toward Duncan that the world suddenly seems right. His smile is classic. His green eyes sparkle with unshed tears of delight and his broad shoulders quake with laughter.
As he reaches for my hand under the table, I succumb to the same laughter. It takes a full minute before I'm able to hear the heartfelt speech coming from the microphone.
"...pride and joy..."
When the dancing begins, Duncan winks at me as he stands. I start to rise but stop as he leans down and speaks to Grandma. "Helen, would you give me the honor of a dance?"
A lump forms in my throat. My grandma is glowing. Her eyes twinkle as she takes his hand. Together they walk toward the dance floor. Compared to his six-foot-plus build, she is petite, and when she looks up at him, her cheeks are pink and full of joy. As if they belong on a seventies TV show—the one with bubbles that my grandparents used to watch—as the music plays they glide across the dance floor.
Kevin taps me on the shoulder. "Hey, sis, can I have this dance?"
I nod, still mesmerized by the sight of Duncan Willis dancing with my grandma.
Once we're on the dance floor, Kevin looks me in the eye. "Sorry I give you such a hard time. It's great seeing you happy. Dunc is an okay guy, and not only because he let me drive that cool car."
I swallow the lump in my throat. "Yes, he is."
"I know Susan has been quiet, even more than usual. She's trying with all the wedding stuff, but she hasn't been feeling well."
I pull back and look my brother in the eye. Though Susan and Kevin have never been into public displays of affection or declarations of love like Kurt and Scarlett, they've always been together. My brother loves his wife in that solid way that our parents have always had. "What is it? Is she all right?"
His smile grows, bigger than I can ever recall seeing. "Better than all right. She's pregnant. We aren't telling anyone yet." He shrugs, his shoulders moving under my grasp. "With the wedding, Susan didn't want to take anything away from Scarlett's spotlight."
Tears prickle the back of my eyes.
"Kev, I'm so happy for you two." And then I punch his shoulder. "I'm not anyone. I should've known."
"Like you called me to tell me about Dunc? You've been dating for nearly half a year and now I finally meet him, finally hear about him."
A twinge of guilt shoots through me. "Fine. Seriously, I'm so happy for the both of you."
"Yeah, we've been trying...you know...for that 2.5."
I laugh. "I thought I was the only one who felt that pressure."
"Are you kidding? Try living here."
"No thanks, bro. But you can bet that Aunt Kimbra will be back here to hug your little one."
"Thanks, sis. Don't forget to bring Dunc back with you."
Fighting to maintain my smile, I nod and move my cheek to his shoulder as we continue to dance.
I am happy for Susan and Kevin...a baby. My head pops up. "Do Mom and Dad know?"
Kevin nods. "They do, but we swore them to secrecy."
"Grandma Helen?"
Kevin's chest shakes with laughter. "Are you kidding? Nope. She will. But you know she wouldn't have kept it quiet."
When the song changes, Kevin and Duncan exchange dance partners.
"You're even more gorgeous tonight than you were in that gold dress," Duncan coos once I'm in his arms.
"I think you're pretty damn handsome yourself." I lean into Duncan's embrace. As he gracefully glides me across the floor, I’m suddenly grateful for all those dance lessons with my feet on my father's shoes.
As we move about the floor, I look up from Duncan's shoulder and see