her there.”
“Yeah, that’s how school works,” I said. “Too bad though. You could have dropped Lucy off and had a little quiet time. You and Olivia… during the day… but then you went and knocked her up.”
“It was all me,” Tyler said.
“Don’t look at me,” Olivia said. “I was looking forward to a healthy midday sex life. Now I’ll be feeding the baby and changing diapers.”
“There’s always nap time,” Tyler said.
“That’s when I get to nap too,” Olivia said.
“Jeez, Tyler, you think you’d help her out a little?” I asked.
“Hold the hell up here,” Tyler said. “Who do you think I am? That I’m not going to be involved? I’m going to be up all night with you, Olivia. I’m going to change diapers. Feed the baby. Wash dishes. I’ll do the laundry. Are you kidding me? I’m going to keep the baby monitor with me and hope I can sneak out of bed so you can sleep all night.”
“Whoa,” I said. “Tyler, we’re just kidding with you. Of course you’re going to be a great father and do all that. We’re just messing around.”
Olivia and I looked at each other.
We started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Tyler growled.
Olivia said what we were both thinking. “His pregnancy hormones are kicking in too!”
Tyler went to make another cup of tea for Olivia and myself. We both wanted a cup of coffee but Tyler said no. Not only did he say no to us, he stomped his foot when he said it.
I had never seen my brother so flustered before.
“He’s okay,” Olivia whispered to me. “Just anxious. Secretly, he’s thrilled you’re pregnant and thrilled Silas is the person he is. He won’t say that out loud though.”
“Wow,” I said.
“He loves that the family is growing. He loves working on your house. So much so he started talking about doing something to this house. Or moving.”
“What?”
“I talked him out of it. This house is perfect for us.”
“No matter what, Ma’s house will be the number one house,” I said. “She will forever have first grabs at all holidays.”
“That’s what I told him. He was talking about your father the other night too. There’s a lot going on in his head.”
“I wonder if that’s the same with Crosby,” I said. “He’s been distant. I hate when they get like this. The funny part is, Dad would always talk. About everything. He’d drive you crazy talking. It was Ma who held back. She thought she needed to be tough and go through her own feelings.”
“Well, once the babies are here, we won’t be able to get rid of anyone,” Olivia said.
“True,” I said. “I still can’t-”
“Daddy! Olivia! Help me!”
Lucy’s voice carried through the house.
Tyler was on the run before Olivia and I could stand up.
To be fair, Tyler didn’t have a bowling ball in his stomach.
Olivia and I waddled as fast as we could through the downstairs.
By the time we got to the steps, Tyler appeared and motioned for us to stay where we were.
Lucy came rushing down the stairs, tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Olivia asked.
“Rhonda is dead!” she yelled.
“Rhonda?” I whispered.
“The goldfish,” Olivia whispered back. “The thing has had fifteen names.”
“Oh, no,” I said.
“I’ll be right down,” Tyler said.
Olivia picked up Lucy and as we walked back to the dining room, I kept a hand at Olivia’s back.
She was stronger than me being able to carry a baby in her stomach as well as a very upset Lucy in her arms..
When we got to the table, Tyler joined us.
With the fishbowl.
And poor… Rhonda… sideways, floating at the top.
“I can’t do this!” Lucy cried out.
“Tyler, take it away,” Olivia said.
Tyler disappeared into the bathroom for a moment.
I didn’t hear a toilet flush so I figured the fish hadn’t met its final resting place just yet.
Tyler crouched down next to Lucy and touched her shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Lucy,” he said.
“She was fine this morning,” Lucy said. “I fed her! I swear, I fed her!”
“Oh, I know you did,” Olivia said.
“Then why did she die? Why do things have to die?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m going to get going. You have a night ahead it seems here.”
“Are you okay alone over there?” Tyler asked.
“At the inn? I’m not alone. And I’m perfectly fine.” I touched Lucy’s hair. “Hey, Lucy. I’m really sorry about Rhonda. She was such a good fish. So orange and playful.”
“She was the best,” Lucy said.
“My only advice… when you feel up to it… remember all the good times you had with her.