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God, this is awkward.
When will I get over thisthingbetween us?
“You guys coming?” Avery hollers from down the hall, jolting me into action.
I follow her into the designer kitchen and see Adam slicing oranges on the extra-large granite countertop in the center of the room. Avery stands at the stove, turning over pieces of sausage and bacon. The island is full of plates with stacks of pancakes, French toast, and croissants.
“Whoa, that’s a lot of food.” My eyes widen. “I hope more people are coming to help put a dent in it.”
Avery laughs. “No, it’s just us. But don’t worry, I have a voracious appetite lately. I’ll do some damage.”
“Me too,” Derek chimes in. He walks over and shakes Adam’s hand in greeting. The two knew each other for years before Adam began dating Avery—or, rather, fake dating. That’s a story for another time.
Idle conversation ensues. I learn Avery and Adam are traveling to Italy on Tuesday. Adam has a meeting with a supplier to Moreno Masterpieces, and they’re also planning on dropping in to see his grandparents in Spain. Unfortunately, the timing is off, so they likely won’t be seeing the Lawsons.
I help Avery set the table in the breakfast nook while the boys carry over the food and mimosas. Avery and Adam sit next to each other, leaving me and Derek the other two seats next to each other. I take care not to accidentally brush against him when I unfold my cloth napkin and lay it over my lap.
“I’m sure you’re both wondering why we invited you over,” Avery says as Adam grabs a bottle of champagne and begins topour mimosas. The rest of us take turns serving ourselves in true Lawson/Christensen fashion.
“I assumed you missed me since you abandoned me in California,” Derek replies, placing two pieces of breakfast sausage on his plate. “I didn’t know there was an agenda.”
Avery shakes her head with a smile. “I do miss you, but Adam and I have some news to share. We already told Mom and Dad, but we wanted you two to hear it from us.”
My spine straightens, and the fork bringing a piece of French toast to my mouth halts midair.
“What is it?” Derek sounds worried, but he shouldn’t. It’s obvious from the smiles on the couple’s faces that whatever they’re about to say is good news.
Avery beams at her husband as she says, “We’re pregnant.”
It feels like someone has punched me in the gut. I paste on a smile to hide my pain, silently chastising myself for my negative reaction. Thankfully, Avery and Adam are too busy looking at each other with joy to notice.
“Wow! That’s great.” Derek looks from his sister to his brother-in-law. “Congratulations!”
“Yeah,” I add, forcing my smile wider. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Avery and Adam say at the same time. They continue to look at each other like they are responsible for the world turning. They’re so in love, it’s almost sickening.
I swallow down the lump lodged in my throat and ask, “How far along are you?”
“Twelve weeks.”
The lump returns.
“Is Mom excited?” Derek asks. I’ve never been so glad for the attention to move off me. “I bet she can’t wait to be a grandmom.”
“You have no idea,” Avery answers with a chuckle. “She’s been bursting at the seams. I’m honestly surprised she was able to keep it a secret.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s a grocery store clerk or two who might be in the know,” Derek jokes.
Avery laughs. “Maybe.”
“Do you know the gender?” he asks.
Adam answers, “No. Your sister wants to wait until the baby is born to find out.”
“What? But how will you know if you need to buy boy or girl clothes?”
“That’s what I said,” Adam states with a pointed look at his wife.
