voice is as beautiful as ever.”
Two nights ago, Silas caught me singing to my stomach.
Of all the things he could have said to me - sweet or funny - he just stood there and watched me. I knew he was watching. And I also knew that he had to wipe the corners of his eyes. I didn’t say anything about that part though. My plan was to save it for a big family dinner. If there was a moment that he wanted to act all rough and tough, I was ready.
Silas’s lips touched mine.
We stood outside his truck, kissing each other.
The kiss was growing deeper by the second.
He was tempting me to drag his sexy ass back into the inn and let him put on a show for me with his body.
I finally pushed him away. “Go.”
“You sure?”
“I said to go.”
One more kiss and Silas got into the truck.
Watching him drive away made my heart race.
I had to remind myself this wasn’t like the last time.
Things were different now.
Things were perfect now.
I touched my stomach.
I nodded.
Yeah, things really were perfect.
Tyler wiped his forehead.
I pointed and smiled. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“It’s a lot of work waiting on two pregnant women, huh?”
“Just a little,” he said. “Can I get you anything else? There might be some food left on the top shelf of the pantry.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Olivia asked. “Saying something like that to your own sister?” Olivia stood up. “She’s goddamn pregnant, Tyler. So am I. Are you going to talk about me behind my back? About how much I eat? I swear on my life…”
Olivia put her fingertips to her mouth.
Tyler froze like a block of ice.
When Olivia looked at me, I stood up and reached for her hand.
“Hormones,” I said. “The angry ones. Right?”
Olivia nodded.
“I still think you’re as sexy as ever,” Tyler said to Olivia. He kissed her cheek. “I was just messing around. Sorry if I went too far.”
He turned and Olivia grabbed his arm. “Tyler. I went too far.”
“Actually, you both went too far,” I said. I pointed to Olivia’s belly. “Way too far.”
I smiled and Olivia blinked back tears.
“Okay, our evening is not going to go like this,” I said. “Everyone check the fu… hey there, Lucy…”
“Hey, Aunt Mila,” Lucy said. “Can your baby hear me talk?”
“What?”
“Olivia said when I talk to your belly, the baby can hear,” Lucy said. “I thought it was just for fun. They can really hear me?!”
“Oh. Right. Yeah.”
“Lucy read a bedtime story to her baby brother or sister last night,” Olivia said.
“Wow,” I said. “That’s really cool, Lucy. You’re going to be such an amazing big sister. Are you going to help change diapers?”
“No way!” Lucy said. “Especially if it’s a boy. Did you know boys have… things…?”
I smiled. “Yes, I did know that, Lucy.”
“I’m not going near a diaper,” Lucy said. “No way.”
“Hey,” I said. “My baby is going to be your cousin. You’re going to be a big cousin. That’s really important. And in our family, that’s a really big thing.”
“Well, let me talk to my cousin then,” Lucy said with enough attitude that I looked at Tyler.
Tyler simply shook his head.
A part of me couldn’t wait for the phone calls from Tyler when Lucy turned fifteen or so. I had a feeling I would be consoling my big brother for a while there.
I turned on my chair and Lucy touched my stomach.
“It’s so weird,” she whispered.
“Lucy, don’t say it like that,” Tyler said. “It’s beautiful. It’s life.”
Lucy looked at Tyler. “It’s weird.”
So cold, I shivered.
Lucy set her sights back to my stomach. “Okay. I’m supposed to talk to you. I don’t know how you can hear me. I don’t know how you’re breathing. I put my head under the water in the bathtub for three seconds and that was a lot. So I guess if you’re living in Aunt Mila’s stomach, that means you’re really strong. And brave. She eats onions!”
“Thanks, Lucy,” I said. “You can just tell your cousin you love him and you’ll see him soon enough.”
“Okay,” Lucy said.
She said something like that and then declared she was going to her room to play.
Off she ran and I shook my head.
“Don’t say a thing,” Tyler said. “I know how screwed I am with her.”
“You have no idea how screwed you are with her,” I laughed.
“Thanks,” he said. “She’s going to be going to school soon enough too. School. Like I have to drop her off and leave