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“Let us see it,” Mom urged. I flipped it around for everyone to see. It was a portrait of our family—me, Kierra, Kiyah, Grant, Casey, and Daisy. My mother squinted and approached the canvas. “Marc…come here.”
“I’m busy.”
“Marc…come here,” she said a little more sternly. My father huffed but trudged towards us. “Do you see what I’m seeing?” she asked, pointing. He leaned in and peered at the painting forhimself. His judgmental eyes met mine before sliding towards Kierra and back to the painting.
“Jesus, Warner,” he huffed.
“Right? I think he should be sterilized at this point,” my mother added.
“And from the dumbfounded look on his face, I’d say he needs to see someone about that smooth brain off his. Thank God for book smarts.”
I flipped the canvas around and took a better look. And then I saw it. I snatched my glasses off, rubbed them furiously with the hem of my shirt, and returned them to my face. “Kierra?”
“Yes, Jon?”
“My eyes might not be what they used to be, so I want to make sure…is that…is that a baby bump in the picture?” I asked, looking at her for a swift answer.
“It is,” she confirmed with a wide smile.
“So, that means…”
“It means you need to buy a bigger residence,” Mom commented.
“It means shotgun wedding,” Dad said.
“It means combined baby shower,” Simone added.
“It means you need to find someone else to help you paint the nursery because I got shafted the last time I helped you with an interior design project,” Anthony insisted. “You took all the credit.”
“We’re having a baby?”
Kierra nodded. “We’re having a baby,” she confirmed. Tears filled my eyes as I gently set the canvas on the floor. I pulled her into my arms and sobbed.
“Let it all out, son. I’d be crying too if I had to send five ruffians to college.”
I ignored my father as he continued making playful jabs at me and held on to Kierra for dear life.
“Leave it to you, Kierra, to outdo my gift. Oh, well. I’ll just have to do something more sentimental next year,” Mom mentioned.
“I’m sorry to steal your thunder, Felicity,” Kierra drawled.
“What’s going on? Why is Mr. Jonathan crying?” Kiyah asked.
“He’s crying because he’s happy that your mom is having a baby,” Simone explained. Kiyah gasped.
“Mommy? You’re going to have a baby?”
“I am. You’re gonna be a big sister again.”
Kiyah dropped her squeaky toy for the dog on the floor and ran up the stairs. The visible pain on Kierra’s face when Kiyah ran off was enough to dry up my tears.
“Oh, dear. I’ll go speak to her,” Mom offered.
“It’s okay. Kiyah will be fine. She just needs a moment to process like the rest of us,” I said, trying to soothe Kierra. “When did you find out about the baby?”
“Um,” she began, dragging her eyes away from the staircase, “in the hospital.”
In the….
