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He nodded. “Yup. Really big.”
“I understand.”
She didn’t, and he wasn’t about to spell it out for her. He sighed. “Okay, I’m not making you any promises here, butmaybeI’ll pop by the club tonight if I have time.”
A noticeable look of relief passed over Andy’s face only to disappear with her cry of alarm. “Oh my god, time!” Jerking his wrist her way, she peered at his watch. “It’s been fifty-six minutes! We are so late.” Disappearing back into the changing room, she yanked the curtain closed. “How could you let this happen?”
He shook his head.
Indeed, Little Bird.
In-motherfucking-deed.
After finishing his work in the shop, Luke headed over to his sister’s place to assemble Frankie’s crib. Which was, as it turned out, not very big.
Mary had picked out something clean-lined and minimalist to showcase the colorful mermaid decor splashed all over the nursery, and Luke had it set up in less than an hour.
As he was cleaning up, he heard Mary lumbering up the stairs. Luke frowned, suddenly hating that his sister had bought a two-story a few years ago.
After their mother had passed and they’d sold off her house, Luke had put his cut towards the condo, while Mary had invested hers in a modestly sized, four-bedroom-two-bath in a suburb not far from Tidal View.
It had been quite the fixer-upper at the time, but Luke, Dylan, and even Kyle had swooped in to help with the renovations.
Now, the place shone like something from a coastal living magazine, every room a mix of modern neutrals with little pops of vibrant marine colors. Especially Frankie’s.
When Mary made it into the nursery — the breast of her coral tank top rising and falling noticeably — she had another “it’s breathtaking” moment. The words squeaked from her as she took in the crib with shimmery eyes.
“Jesus, Mary. That’s the stairs talking.” Luke pointed to a cushioned rocking chair. “Sit down before you keel over.”
She waved off the direction like it was an annoying fly buzzing about but sat anyway. “I’m fine. This is normal for the last couple weeks of pregnancy. I actually have a lot of energy.”
“I know,” Luke said dryly. He’d arrived earlier to find Mary wiping down her living room windows at 8:30 at night with some homemade concoction that smelled strongly of vinegar.
Additionally, there were a couple dozen bars of soap on her kitchen counter, all neatly wrapped in compostable packaging that featured Luke’s spiffy new logo.
Why did he think his sister would slow down when she went on maternity leave?
Luke frowned. “Where is Paul again?”
Mary kicked her swollen feet up on the ottoman that matched the chair. “Utah. His aunt has stage four breast cancer.”
Well, shit. It was hard to hate on the baby daddy for taking off considering that. Sympathy for the man rose in his chest. They’d both been there. “When do you expect him back?”
“Paul thinks Rachel will pass within the next day or two. Then there’s the funeral. I don’t know, maybe a week?”
“Jesus, that’s cutting it close. How often are the Braxton Hicks coming again?”
Mary smiled. “Relax, baby brother. They’re just practice contractions. My OB says everything’s tracking fine.”
“Right, yeah, that’s good.” Luke still couldn’t help a twinge of anxiety. “Maybe I should stay here while Paul’s gone.”
“So protective,” Mary murmured. “Really, I’m okay on my own.”
“You’ll call me or the guys if you need anything?”
She gestured to the newly assembled crib with a wry smile. “You know I will.”
Nodding, Luke shoved the last handful of packing material into a bulging garbage sack.
