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I biteinto my lasagne and it’s as if Cassy can’t be false anymore. We’ve chatted politely since we sat down. All four of us, but about everything and nothing to be fair. It’s so good to see them, and to see Max smiling and joining in the conversation. These two are his family. He needs them and I’m so happy that I’m sitting around the table with them all. It’s almost like old times. I stroke my tiny bump under the table.
“So as lovely as this is. Can you explain this to me?” She gestures with her fork between Max and me.
I smile, but I’m sure they can see I’m nervous. I look to Max, and he practically chokes on his forkful of Lasagne.
Cassy’s asking.
Here it is.
Now or never.
Cassy smiles at me. I can tell she’s elated too that we’re all at a point where we can sit around a table together, but she knows there has to be a reason behind it.
Her big brown eyes stare into her brothers. They are so similar, yet so different. I watch his mouth open, close, open again.
“Erm, well. Ali is… we are…” he struggles.
“Spit it out, Maxxie,” Cassy encourages him.
“Look it’s like this. We hadn’t seen each other for so long. We met up before I went to America.” His eyes flit towards Finch and he looks a bit guilty for a second but Finch was there, so I don’t really understand that. But then maybe they didn’t get on as well as they should, and by all accounts Max left early so maybe that’s it?
“And we just reconnected. We’ve always been such good friends, I’ve always wanted more and maybe she has even though we never said and then maybe we had the chance as we weren’t professionally attached any more. But Ali had a boyfriend, well, a guy she was seeing—Christian.” He pauses his rant; eyes finding Finch again. “Bit of a dick if truth be told. But hey, not my choice or my job to judge her. Then she came over anyway, and we talked and we...”
I think he appreciates he’s just spilled a little too much and not enough at the same time in his ramble. He looks to me as if to ask how he carries on talking. I reach out and touch his arm with my fingers. I watch the goosebumps rise and I hope he knows I’m on his side.
“And we… we...” he stumbles again, our eyes meet and we both smile. His beautiful hazel eyes,I know in this moment the same way I knew in that sonographer’s room. The same way I knew in America. The same way deep down I have probably always known that I’m so irrevocably and madly in love with this man.
“What your darling brother is trying to say, Cassy,” I pause, looking between her and Finch. “Is that I’m pregnant.”
Cassy’s brown eyes widen, Finch’s eyebrows shoot up well into his hairline but then an excited giggle bursts from Cassy and it fills the air around us.
“Oh my gosh!” she squeals. “Oh, wow that’s amazing. I’m really happy for you.” Cassy gush’s as she grips my hand across the wooden table. Fork and pasta, a thought of the past and I can’t help but smile wildly at her beaming face. Max reaches a hand and squeezes my knee under the table and the tears that were formed in my eyes spill out.
