There are the general thanks and gratitude for my cooking. And the topping off of wine and the discussion of who still needs something they don’t have yet. But a few minutes later, we are all sitting outside on my deck at my round table.
There isn't much of a view from here, just part of the canyon beyond my house, but it's enough to make me feel like I'm a little bit removed from the city. I point out a yellow bird that’s peering down at us from a branch.
“Look at you, Ms. Nature Valley. Guess all that time at the ranch is making you a farm girl,” Dylan says.
“Hardly,” I say, thinking of Fitz and trying to keep the blush from my cheeks. “All city girl here. Don’tcha hear the traffic?”
I live only a few blocks from a busy street. My neighborhood currently has a helicopter hovering over it, and there’s a siren in the distance. It's a far cry from the peace and quiet I experienced at Loveland Ranch.
“Still, how’s it going up there? Does the architect have plans yet that we can look at?” Callie asks. She’s practically bouncing on her chair.
“No plans. He and I are still going over options. He’s going to give me one version that’s basically a revamp of the house, only with an addition and some modern bells and whistles. And then a second one that shows what we can do if we’re serious about making it a wedding destination, with maybe some additional guest rooms. We can price them out and decide.”
“I love that,” Dylan says. “So we could renovate the house first and add the rest later?”
“That’s my plan,” I say. My sisters nod, seeming to agree. They don’t have much choice, since I’m taking on the bulk of the renovation work.
“Nice work, sis,” Hannah says, topping off everyone’s glass with wine.
My thoughts stay on the ranch house, and I can’t deny how eager I am to get back. My task list grows exponentially every time I go, but my feelings have nothing to do with the house or the renovation. I want to see Fitz. My feelings are growing more complicated as my hormones flood my system, and my normal reactions to normal things have gone sideways.
“A toast,” Callie says, holding up her wineglass. My other siblings do the same, and I weakly follow with my little green bottle of sparkling water. If anyone notices that I'm not drinking alcohol, they don't say anything except for Hazel, who's still eyeing me suspiciously.
“Cheers,” Dylan says. “Thanks for an awesome dinner.”
“Kudos to the host,” Callie says. We all clink glasses. Hazel puts her hands on the table and turns her chair to face me.
“I feel like Tessa wants to tell us something,” she says.
I glare at her but then nod. “Okay, well, I was trying to come up with a segue into this that made sense, but I can’t come up with a nonchalant way to work the fact that I'm pregnant into the conversation, so there you have it. I’m only eight weeks along, so it’s still super early, but the doctor says everything looks good.”
I wait out the succession of surprised gasps and the flutter of conversation before all eyes turn to me to explain.
Hazel, who never met a math challenge she didn't love, is already calculating the math. “Wait a minute. Those dates line up with your birthday. Did something happen that week? Is that when you got pregnant?”
“Is this an IVF situation? Your birthday gift to yourself?” Dylan asks.
My other sisters chime in. “Oh, I love this for you,” Hannah says. “And our kids won't be too far apart in age. Dexter has been asking for a sibling, but that’s not in the cards anytime soon. A cousin is even more awesome because you’ll be the parent. Please tell me everything's okay, and you're healthy, and this is what you want.”
“It is what I want,” I say. “As far as other details, it's a little, um, complicated.” I fill them in on the night of my birthday and what happened with Fitz after they left the Hitching Post. “It was a fling. Not worth mentioning to you guys. It was my birthday, and we’d just seen the disaster of a ranch, and everyone was arguing about what to do with it. I guess…I wanted to have a fun night.”
“I totally get that. I’d hook up with a guy to get away from you all too,” Callie says.
“You’d hook up with a guy anyway,” Dylan chirps. “Oh my god, I can't believe you didn't tell us about this until now.”
“She's not required to tell you about her romantic life,” Hazel reprimands, putting a hand on mine protectively. I think she feels proprietary about my news since she was the one who prompted it.
“She is when it results in a baby,” Dylan says. “So tell us the details.”
“I'm not telling you about that night with Fitz. But I will tell you that I just had an ultrasound and everything looks good.” I reach over for my purse and grab the most recent ultrasound photo to pass around, feeling bad that Fitz couldn’t be here for it.
We set up a video call during the office visit, and he watched the ultrasound while I watched him. It warmed my heart to see his eyes grow wide when the doctor pointed out the tiny bean that will grow into a baby in a matter of months. The heartbeat was so steady and strong.
For a moment, I lose myself in the memory of that day, which felt less stressful than this moment where four pairs of eyes are staring me down. And now, the questions.
“And what about the cowboy? Is he on board for all of it?” Dylan asks.
“How involved do you want him to be?” Hazel wants to know.
