Page 54 of We're One

“I don’t know. The little rug rats are messy and always seem to have snotty noses,” I whine.

“You also have a huge support system who will be with you every step of the way. I’ll be here, your mother will be thrilled, and if we go back to Seaville, the entire town will be begging to help. You’re going to be fine, Sia. This was obviously meant to be. Babies might be tough, but don’t ever forget they’re a blessing.” She then leans back and gives me an evil grin. “Plus, it will be fun for me watching you get fat.”

I pull back and glare at her again. “That’s also mean . . . and it’s not my hormones speaking.” I cross my arms, letting her know I’m serious. She is taking away my anxiety though by either making me laugh or glare.

She laughs, utterly at ease, confident we’ll get through this. “Like you won’t be saying the same to me when I get knocked up.”

I want to argue, but she’s right. “Oh my gosh, we need to order oil now. I heard that if you rub some type of oil on your stomach, you won’t get stretch marks. I don’t want stretch marks.”

“Let’s allow this to settle in and then we’ll do a bunch of research on what we need to do.”

“That might be wise. I shouldn’t panic buy. I can’t afford it.”

“Sia, we’ll really make this work. I promise it will be fine. I also have a feeling Zach won’t be too upset about it. It might come as a shock at first, so give him a day or two. Look how you’re feeling right now. Allow him to have some messy emotions too.” A few more tears fall.

“What if he asks me to... to get rid of it?” I’m horrified at the thought as I protectively cover my belly.

“Then I’ll kick his ass all over the place again,” she says with confidence.

“I think you could do it.”

“Sasha’s going to be his sister-in-law soon, and she’ll help me. We all love you, Sia, and that means we love this little bean growing inside of you. You’re going to be fine.”

“I might need to keep hearing this.”

“That’s why you have me here to say it again and again. I’m going to be the world’s best auntie. I can’t wait to make all sorts of baby recipes. We might not even need to tell Zach, I’ll just do an entire vlog on making baby food, and he can figure it out on his own. Or you could wait until he notices how fat you’re getting.”

“Ugh, you’re a pain.” I laugh, but it does stop the tears.

“That’s what besties are for.”

“I seriously couldn’t live without you. Thank you.”

“We’re family, Sia. We’ll always be family, and we’ll always have each other’s backs.”

“I don’t know how women go through this alone. It’s making me think we need to volunteer at women’s shelters. As scary as this is, I do have support, which is essential right now.”

She hugs me. “You’re right. No one should ever be terrified because they’re alone. We’ll have to see what we can do,” she assures me. A few more tears fall. Yep, I’m going to be one of the unlucky pregnant women whose hormones are all over the place. This might be an adventurous few months ahead.

When we have a pause for a moment, we put on a movie. Then we don’t really watch it because we spend the rest of the night talking. I’m scared, no doubt about it, but the more we talk about the baby, about the future, and about what comes next in our lives, the more I settle down. No matter what happens, it really will be okay. Nikki’s right, I’m surrounded by people who love me. I want Zach to be at my side, but if for some reason he isn’t, I’ll be okay. Now, I just have to figure out how I’m going to tell him about this life-changing situation we’re in. I’m taking Nik’s advice, and waiting a few days. I’ll put him off until then.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Zach

It’s been three days since I last saw Sia. She messaged me, saying she wasn’t feeling well and was going to stay home with Nikki to rest and catch up on girl time. Of course, I immediately tried to see her. I hate knowing she isn’t feeling well, and I’m not there to take care of her. I have to also give her space, and I know how important her relationship with Nikki is. I need to have patience. In saying that, though, it’s now been three days, which is too long.

I’ve done well respecting her feelings. I’m worried now, though. She barely responds to my messages, and I can’t shake the feeling that something more is going on than her being sick. What if, now that she’s done with the redesign, she’s done with me? I deserve it, but I think I’ve shown her how much I’ve grown. I know what I did nine years ago was wrong, but it’s different now, we’ve both matured. The thought of losing her terrifies me.

The bottom line is that I miss her. She’s made my home beautiful and comfortable, but it feels empty without her in it, and this is nearly unbearable. What’s happened to me? She’s only been in my life for a little while, and now I can’t imagine living without her. I send another text and an hour passes without a response.

That’s it. I’ve given her plenty of space and more than enough time with her best friend. It’s time to see her. I’m not asking anymore. I close up the house and climb into my vehicle. I’m barely down the road when I decide to ring Blaze. It seems I’m calling both of my brothers a lot more often these days.

Blaze picks up on the second ring. “How’s it going?” he asks.

“Hey, brother, as much as it kills me to say this, I need some advice.” I wait for the mocking to commence but am pleasantly surprised when he’s serious.

“Is everything okay?” We’ve all changed a lot these past couple of years. I like the growth, but this is a lot. Is Gramps guiding us from above? Maybe. I’d like to think so. He guided us more than any other person while he was on this earth so it makes sense he wouldn’t give up on us now.

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