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Ouch.
I wish I could help her or at least talk to her. But given that I’m no expert in these things, loving and getting the guy to love you back, I haven’t yet broached the subject with her.
In any case, after that we discuss the nitty gritty of the plan and how Echo is going to corner Reign and make him give in. There’s copious amounts of laughter, cupcakes and butterscotch milkshakes and even more hope that this plan is going to work out. At some point, the girls leave and Callie puts Halo down in her little bassinet in the master bedroom. She says she’s still afraid to let Halo out of her sight and let Halo sleep in her big girl crib in the nursery.
I help Callie with the clean-up even though she insists that she can do it. But she’s a new mommy and as competent as she is at the job, it does show that it’s taken a toll on her.
Then like clockwork, I hear the crunch of tires outside and a car coming to a halt. I already know it’s a white Mustang and those thumping footsteps jumping out of the car, bounding up the stairs to the porch, belong to my big brother. The joy that comes over my best friend’s face is a thing of beauty. It’s on the same level as when Halo smiles at her and she smiles back.
But she doesn’t move from her spot at the sink to go greet him.
Because again like clockwork, as soon as he opens the front door, there’s a sharp, distressed cry from the bedroom. And so my brother — the new dad — rushes over to the rescue. It’s like this every time he comes home from work. Halo, without fail, wakes up from her nap and causes a ruckus until her daddy calms her down.
And it always makes me choked up.
Exactly like when I see Halo and Callie reach for each other.
It makes me pine for things.
Things that I’ve long since buried.
My life-long dream of a family, love. A baby.
My thoughts break when Reed finally enters the kitchen with Halo in his arms. And look at that little bundle of joy/terror, she looks so content with her dark-haired head on her daddy’s shoulders, sucking on her fist, her eyes droopy and her cheeks flushed. While only a few moments ago, she was bringing down the whole house. All she needed was my brother’s attention because she’s her daddy’s little diva.
“You know you’re a total pushover for her, don’t you?” I say to my brother.
He gives me a look. “Hello to you too, Pest.”
I stick my tongue out at him for calling me by the worst nickname ever. And dutifully turn my back as Callie approaches him, to give them a little privacy. I get busy with my job until I hear a smack and Reed’s hiss. Followed by, “What the fuck?”
I turn to see Callie glaring up at my brother. “Don’t curse, Roman.”
He glances down at his hand that I think Callie swatted at. Then, “She’s asleep.”
“Still.” She shakes her head. “Babies can hear everything. What if it settles into her subconscious and that’s her first word?”
He scoffs. “Her first word is going to be da-da.”
“Oh, you know that, do you?”
“Fuck yeah.”
Callie breathes out sharply and Reed smirks.
Actually he does something else too. Or rather his eyes do something else that a sister shouldn’t be a witness to and so I turn back once again and focus on my dishes.
Meanwhile the bickering continues behind me.
“What?” Reed asks, somewhat pissed.
“I told you these are not for you,” Callie goes.
“I don’t care,” he says. “These cookies are mine because you’re mine.”
“You don’t even like oatmeal raisin cookies.”
“Yeah, because they’re shitty cookies.”
Another sound of smacking. Then, “So then why do you want them?”
“Because you made them.”
“Roman.” I can imagine Callie shaking her head. “No. You only want them because I made them for Ledger.”
“Yeah, and why does he get to benefit from my wife’s baking skills? You’re mine and everything you bake belongs to me.”
“You know, you really need to find a way to get along with Ledger. He’s my brother and you’re my husband, okay? We’re married. So he’s part of our family. This whole high school rivalry is getting really old and…”
Oh, did I not mention that before my best friend was my sister-in-law, Calliope Jackson, she was Calliope Thorne?
As in one of the infamous Thorne siblings.
The baby sister whom all the Thorne brothers cared for and raised.
And whom my brother fell in love with.
Much to everyone’s dismay.
Especially his.
My brother’s rival.
Whose name my best friend just mentioned and it was so jarring — so out of the blue — that I tuned her out after that. I also gripped the edge of the sink right away, that I’m still gripping now.
