Page 145 of I Loved You First

“The baby still has a lot of growing to do. Right now, the baby’s the size of a strawberry.”

“Oh,” Brady said, looking back at the picture.

Cam stared at his son, struggling to read him. Brady was rarely so quiet. “What do you think about the idea of being a big brother?”

Brady nodded. “I like it. Will it be a sister or a brother?”

“We’re not sure yet. When your mom’s belly gets bigger, they’ll take more pictures of the baby. We’ll be able to tell then.”

“Maybe I can have a brother and a sister. Owen has a baby brother, and Davis has a baby sister. Sometimes she throws up, which is kinda gross.”

Cam grinned. “Baby’s do that.”

Brady looked at Fiona. “Can I touch your belly? Where the baby is?”

Fiona nodded as she stood, taking Brady’s little hand, putting it over the baby. “The baby’s sleeping right in here.”

“Hi, baby,” he whispered to her stomach. “I get to be your big brother.”

“Aw.” Fiona grinned, hugging him against her. “You’re going to be an amazing big brother. This baby is already so lucky to have you.”

Brady nodded. “Yeah.”

“Your mom and I are going to need help with some pretty important projects,” Cam said. “We’ll need to paint the baby’s room and put the crib together.”

Brady grinned. “I can help with that.”

Fiona sat back down. “And we’ll have to pick out clothes and blankets and some special toys.”

“Yup,” Brady said. “And we can teach the baby how to swim in the lake. I’ll show him or her how to be a dolphin.”

Fiona smiled. “I know the baby’s going to like that.”

“Why don’t you open your special big brother gifts,” Cam suggested.

“Okay.” Brady moved to the coffee table, reaching for a package, opening a blue T-shirt. “What does it say?”

“It says I’m The Big Brother,” Fiona told him.

Brady nodded. “I can wear this to school, so everyone knows I’m going to be a big brother.”

“You can definitely do that,” Cam said.

Brady opened several books next, looking at each of the covers. “These will help me know how to be a big brother?”

Fiona nodded. “We can read about it whenever you want. This book right here is super fun,” she said, showing him the one she’d tracked down at the local store. “Each month, as the baby grows, it tells us how big the baby is. In a couple more weeks, the baby will be the size of an egg.”

Brady’s eyes grew big. “An egg is little.”

Fiona nodded. “But before we know it, the baby will be the size of a pineapple.”

“That’s much bigger.”

Fiona nodded again. “Pretty soon, we’ll be able to put our hands on my belly and feel the baby kicking. Sometimes, he or she will have the hiccups, and we’ll be able to feel that, too.”

He laughed. “That’s silly.”

Fiona grinned. “It is.”