pregnancy test. And this time I knew how I wanted it to turn out.
With me pregnant with Leo’s baby.
14
Leo
Luke stood at one end of the pool and clinked his fork to the bottle of beer he was holding. His other arm was draped around Alex’s waist while she looked up at him with stars in her eyes.
I was happy Luke found someone after being alone for years. He’d found another family on this continent and they loved him and Alex. Seeing the love they had for each other and the group of friends they had to celebrate with them made me hope for the same thing with Everly.
“I want to thank all of you for coming to celebrate my birthday.” He dipped down and kissed Alex before he continued. “I know you really came to celebrate the birth of our daughter, Gracie. We have another reason to celebrate today. As many of you know, my little brother Leo has moved to the States and is living in Oasis, California. In the short time he’s been here, he’s found a wife. They didn’t really have any sort of reception, so I thought we could celebrate their love as well. I couldn’t be happier for my brother and his beautiful bride, Everly. So let’s cheers to the happy couple and Gracie.”
“Cheers!” the group cheered, raising their glasses.
Pulling Everly to my side, I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. Nothing too scandalous with everyone around us.
One by one, people came up to greet Everly and wish her congratulations. I had no idea Luke was going to out us like he’d done, but as the women gathered around her, I could see Everly start to relax and enjoy the camaraderie.
Slapping Luke on the back, I came in for a hug. “Happy birthday, big bro.”
“Thanks. It’s nice you’re here. I hope even with you living eighteen hundred miles away, you’re not a stranger. I miss my family.”
Hugging him tighter, I promised him I’d be around more. I knew he’d been lonely living here and working all the time before he met Alex, but hearing him say the words made me feel guilty for not reaching out more.
“Even though I know you didn’t mean to get married when you did, I think she’s a good fit for you. The way she puts a smile on your face like I haven’t seen since you were a child makes me happy.”
“She does make me happy. Without her, I’d be lost in Oasis with only work to occupy my time. When she told me she thought she was pregnant yesterday, I’ve got to be honest, at first I didn’t want it to be true, but when she came out of the bathroom crying, I realized there was a small part of me that wanted to be a father. I know I’m young, but I think I want to start a family sooner rather than later. I’ve got mom and dad and you as role models on how to be the best parents ever.”
Grabbing me by the shoulders, Luke turned us so our backs were to everyone mingling around the area. “It means a lot to me, you saying that, but I think you should spend this time getting to know Everly and having fun. Travel the world and make sure to always have Fairlane as a pit stop. Enjoy being a newlywed before you give yourself over to sleepless nights.”
“You’re right. When Everly informed me how long we’d have to go without sex, I couldn’t imagine not being able to worship her body for that long. Even so, we might be the only ones with kids for a while whenever it does happen for Everly and I.”
Liam and Stella had never even so much as been in a serious relationship and it didn’t seem to be a high priority. While I wanted to find the right girl for me, I hadn’t been thinking about marriage. Maybe our family wasn’t like regular people and we never really had a serious relationship until we found ‘the one.’ Still, I was disappointed Liam and Stella couldn’t have made it for Luke’s celebration. I wished they put Luke’s happiness as more of a priority. The last time they’d even tried to see him was for Luke and Alex’s wedding, and I knew they wouldn’t be traveling to see me, Everly, or a baby when the time came.
Mom and Dad were coming in a couple of weeks and were planning on staying