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“JB? No.” Teagan shook her head as she came forward to set a hand on her daughter’s back. “He’s already gone in to work for today. I came over with my parents.”
Then, she finally turned to look at me. “Hey, you,” she murmured, her voice softening and eyes filling with sympathy as she focused on my bad eye. “You gave us quite a scare last night. You doing okay?”
When she stepped forward, her arms open to pull me into a hug, I sucked in a startled breath and lurched back without meaning to.
“Oh God, I’m sorry,” Teagan gasped, immediately pulling away as well. “I… I didn’t think.”
“No, it’s fine,” I assured her, hugging myself and feeling like slime for making one of my best friends feel shitty about merely trying to hug me. I mean, Jesus. This wasTeagan. I’d known her since forever. How could I shy away from Teagan? “I’msorry. I…”
“Have all the reason in the world to be jumpy today,” Teagan assured me, reaching for my arm only to stop herself. “I should’ve considered that.”
No, she shouldn’t have. I had no reason to be jumpy around my family and friends. Hugging myself, I tried to get my emotions back under control, but I could already feel it slipping. My chin was already quivering. Any second I was going to burst into tears, and everyone was going to see me lose my shit, which only made me panic more.
But then my father’s voice murmured, “Chloe Girl?”
And I sucked in a startled breath before spinning to find him in the opening of the hall.
He nodded at me, his gaze grave but still alight with the promise that things would get better. “The Tennings brought some breakfast over if you’re hungry.”
Nodding, I set my hand over my stomach as it stirred. “I could definitely eat. I skipped supper last night.”
Supper.
Ah shit. I had no-showed at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Logan. Now I was going to have to call him sometime and apologize. But God, the idea of calling anyone right now turned my stomach.
As Luke and Teagan filed out of the hallway to head toward the kitchen, Dad remained behind to send me a questioning glance. “You up for this? One word, and I can make them all go away.”
I shook my head. “No. It’s okay. I want to be surrounded by people I love.”
He watched me another second longer, then nodded. “Okay.” He reached out to take my arm, but when I flinched at the move, he inconspicuously dropped his fingers and settled for stepping back to let me go first.
“Fair warning: all your siblings and their families are still here alongwiththe Tennings.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
I could do this. I could face the people I loved.
The closer we got to the kitchen, however, the louder the sound of talking and conversation grew. It didn’t really intimidate me until I stopped in the room, however, and everyone immediately stopped talking. I shrank back a step, only to run into Dad which made me gasp in surprise from the unexpected contact.
Damn, I was really messed up.
“There you are,” my sister-in-law, Nia, crooned as she came forward, her arms thrown open to hug me.
My eyes widened in dread, but then Teagan hollered, “No! Hugs are freaking her out today.”
Leave it to Teagan to blurt everything right out into the open.
Nia immediately froze and dropped her arms. “Oh God. I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’m sure I’ll be good to go again and ready to hug everyone in a few days.”
“Of course you will,” Mom supplied, smiling sunnily my way as she waved me toward the table and an open box full of donuts. “Now come, sit. There’s a caramel-coated Long John over here calling your name.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Ooh.” Long Johnsweremy favorite. And if there was any day I could allow myself to splurge on donuts, it would be today. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Almost everyone was already eating. All the chairs except one—that seemed to be the seat of honor—had been taken, while half a dozen more people were standing and leaning against cabinets and counters. My sister, Skylar, was sitting on the floor and feeding bite-sized pieces to Harper, her daughter—Kailee—and Julian’s little girl—Drea—as they milled around her, toddling and eating.
All three little girls were my goddaughters, I realized vaguely. I’d been hoping to collect more—since it had become a running family joke to strive to be the next godparent of every new baby that was born—but so far, it was just these three for me, and it made me smile to see them all in the same place at once.
