My eyes search her face for any signs of distress. “So, you’re not disappointed in me?” Much to my dismay, my voice cracks.
“Oh honey, no. You’re a grown woman. Even if you weren’t, this is totally fine. We are here to help you as you go through this. Whatever you need, we're happy to help. It truly takes a village.” My mom gets off the couch and pulls me into a hug. I eye my dad over her shoulder, trying to figure out if he feels the same way.
His eyes soften when they look up to me. He shakes his head, already reading between the lines. “Don’t even think about it, kiddo. I’m not mad at you either,” he says, voice steady and strong.
I feel myself relax into my mom’s hug.
“I’m a little offended you told your brother before me,” she chides, but I think she’s quite serious.
“Listen, if he didn’t just barge into my house like he owned the place, he would be finding out with the rest of you, butunfortunately, moving off the ranch didn’t help as much as I had hoped.”
While I love my family, I have always craved my own space. My own life. It hasn’t really worked out, but I’m learning I don’t hate it as much as I did in my early twenties.
“He never knocks,” my dad says, shaking his head.
My poor dad probably just wants to love his wife without his kids barging in. Bet he thought that once we were grown, we’d be out of his hair. We’re a nuisance that can't be exterminated.
The front door crashes open, and in walks Maverick holding a baby carrier. “Sorry, I still haven’t gotten the hang of it.”
A laugh escapes me at the sight of him. Maverick is handsome by conventional standards. He is usually pretty pulled together. But today, his button-down shirt is only halfway tucked. His head is missing the hat that usually sits atop it. Every single hair on his head seems to be pointing a different direction.
“How’s parenthood treating you, Mav?” I ask.
“Listen, you aren’t allowed to judge me when I’ve only slept seven minutes in a week, okay?” He walks into the living room and sets the baby down gently on the couch.
Ava walks in carrying the diaper bag. Slightly more pulled together than Mav, but the dark circles under her eyes give plenty away.
The baby starts to fuss in the carrier and my mom moves at speeds I didn’t know were possible at her age.
My mom immediately offers her help. “How about for tonight, I’m on baby duty. You all can relax. Dinner won’t be done for about twenty minutes. If you guys want to go to the spare room for a bit and take a nap, we’ll wake you when it’s time to eat.”
“Are you sure?” Ava asks, while relief dances in her eyes.
“Yes, honey. Please, I love babies and it’s been far too long. Let me help.”
“Let’s go,” Mav says, grabbing Ava’s hand and dragging her down the hall to the bedroom.
I walk up to the baby, pulling her out of her car seat. While her parents are a bit of a hot mess tonight, she is perfect. A big pink bow on her head, and a pink floral onesie to match. It’s only been a couple of weeks since I saw her last and I feel like she’s already grown an inch.
Cradling her in my arms, she grabs onto my index finger. “Can’t believe I’m going to have one of you soon,” I say.
“Do you know how far along you are?” my mom asks.
“Yeah, I’m a little over three months,” I say without looking over to her.
“You’ve kept this a secret for that long?” She sounds completely aghast.
“I think that’s her new record for not spilling a secret,” my dad says from behind me. He never misses a moment to make a smart-ass joke. It’s exactly where Weston gets it.
“I’ve only known for a couple of weeks. I had to get my first appointment over and tell the dad first before I felt right sharing.”
With baby Grace still cradled in my arms, I plop down on the couch and pull out my phone to text Rhett.
Me: Coast is clear.
Rhett: Did it go okay?
Me: Yeah, they’re really happy for me. You can come in now.
