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“We’re family now, each and every one of us, and I expect us to act like it. Understood?” Chase made eye contact with everyone in the room, but his gaze lingered on his mom.
Estelle nodded as if she agreed wholeheartedly then puckered her thin lips.
A giggle tickled Demi’s throat. Chase is right. Estelle is one hell of an actress!
“As you all know, Demi is three months’ pregnant, and her first trimester was incredibly stressful,” he continued with a sad smile. “Hopefully those severe bouts of morning sickness are behind us and the rest of the pregnancy will be smooth sailing from here on out.”
Bewildered by his words, Demi cranked her head in his direction. “Us?” she repeated, forgetting they had an attentive audience that was watching them intently. “Us who?”
“We’re experiencing this pregnancy together. I’m all in. You know that.”
“Funny, but I don’t recall you ever racing into the bathroom or hugging the toilet bowl for hours. I recall you watching ESPN on your cell when you thought I wasn’t looking!”
Giggles and chuckles filled the room and the tension in the air lifted. Demi thought she saw Estelle smirk, but the moment passed so quickly she figured it was a figment of her imagination.
Chase clasped her hand, raised it to his mouth and kissed it. “Come on, baby, don’t be like that. It was the NBA playoffs. I had to cheer on the Celtics.”
The women groaned, the men nodded, and Esmerelda cracked jokes in Spanish. Her girlfriends had invited themselves to Sunday brunch, and seeing their smiling faces made Demi feel loved and supported. Althea was sitting on the couch with Moriah and Kym, whispering and laughing, and Demi was glad her mom had hit it off with Chase’s sisters-in-law.
“As I was saying...” Chase cleared his throat then waited for everyone in the room to settle down. “We hope we can count on you guys to help us with the babies when they arrive in the New Year because I have a feeling we’re going to need all hands on deck.”
“‘Babies’?” Althea shot to her feet. “As in more than one?”
Demi beamed. She couldn’t wait to share the details of her first ultrasound appointment with her mom, and show her the photographs.
It had taken a few days for Demi to come to terms with the shocking news of her pregnancy, but once she had, she’d read everything she could about prenatal health, nutrition and exercise, and had started a web series to share her experiences with other overwhelmed moms-to-be.
“Yes, Mrs. Harris. We learned yesterday, during Demi’s twelve-week ultrasound, that we’re having twins,” he explained, wearing a proud smile. “By all accounts, this is a miracle pregnancy, and my doctor was dumbfounded when he heard the news. To be honest, I was, too!”
The mood in the great room was suddenly buoyant an
d excitement crackled in the air.
“Here, take a look.” Chase took the ultrasound picture out of his pocket and everyone gathered around, peering at the image. “I’m hoping for twin girls, but as long as Demi and the babies are healthy, I’ll be the happiest man alive.”
Pandemonium broke out across the great room and Demi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Althea sobbed into her pashmina scarf, Genevieve, Shante and Antonella danced, Remington pumped his fists in the air, chanting Chase’s name, Mr. Crawford smoked a cigar and Esmerelda captured the moment on her beloved iPhone.
There were hugs and kisses, laughs and tears, and Demi giggled every time someone patted her small baby bump. She was chatting with her girlfriends, confiding in them about her unusual pregnancy symptoms, when it happened. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Chase pull Estelle aside and overheard him say, “Mom, I love you and I always will, but I won’t let you disrespect Demi. She means the world to me and I won’t lose her.”
Demi leaned forward in her seat, eager to hear Estelle’s response.
“Chase, honey, I’d never do that. I won’t. I swear on my life,” she promised. “I want you to be happy, and if you choose Demi, I choose Demi—”
“We all choose Demi!” Jonas shouted, his loud, animated voice reverberating around the room. “Now, can we eat? I can smell bacon and blueberry waffles.”
Chase clapped his brother on the back. “Not so fast, bro. I have one more thing to say.”
“Okay, but make it quick. I have places to go, people to see and things to do.”
Sipping her ice water, Demi considered Chase’s conversation with his mom. She didn’t believe Estelle for a second, but she chose not to dwell on her misgivings.
Resting a hand on her stomach, she rubbed her belly, marveling at how much her life had changed since she’d returned from Ibiza. She had twins growing inside her and they were her priority—not sucking up to Estelle or trying to win her over. Demi didn’t know if Mrs. Crawford would ever like her, but she’d do everything in her power to keep the peace. Chase had enough on his plate with work, his lingering health issues, and the pregnancy, and she didn’t want to stress him out. They had a plan, a future, and no one was going to stand in their way, not even his mother—
Someone squealed and Demi surfaced from her thoughts. She was so busy thinking about the future, she didn’t notice Chase was down on bended knee. He took her left hand in his and held it tight. Demi was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering, but she forced her lips to move. “Chase, what are you doing?” she whispered, noticing the wide-eyed expressions on the faces of their family and friends. “Everyone’s watching us.”
“I know. That’s why they’re here. To witness one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Demi looked down, saw the velvet box in his hand and gasped. Estelle did, too.
