Page 90 of Burden to Bear

She held my stare a beat before she asked, “So, how’s my niece or nephew been doing?”

I grinned at her, feeling relief sweeping through me. Regardless of what happened with Todd, Susie and I were going to be okay. And for now, that was more than enough for me.

So, I launched in and told her all about my recent doctor visits and all the things I’d been doing to prepare for the baby. We had such a lovely dinner together, and I was grateful to have her in my life.

Brock

“Goodnight, Uncle Brock.”

I wrapped my arms around my niece and gave her a hearty squeeze. “Goodnight, buttercup. I had so much fun visiting with you tonight.”

“Me, too. But next time, you have to bring Mia.”

Loosening my hold on Izzy, she pulled back and sent me the most intimidating stare she could muster up.

I laughed. “I’ll invite Mia with me next time.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

Izzy considered my response, decided it wasn’t enough, and lifted her hand up between us. “Pinky promise,” she demanded.

I linked my pinky with hers and pinky promised her. As soon as she had that from me, my niece’s face lit up. She gave me another hug and said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, you run upstairs with your dad and get to bed.”

Izzy took off running in her dad’s direction and climbed the stairs. Chris stood there a moment longer and said, “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.”

While my brother followed his daughter, so he could get her put down for the night, I waited downstairs on the couch. My thoughts ran wild with the time I had alone, and they were all focused on Mia.

It was Friday evening, about a week and a half since Mia and I officially got together. She’d made plans tonight to have dinner with her friend and baby’s aunt, Susie, so I took the opportunity to meet up with Chris and Izzy for dinner.

We’d had a great night together, Izzy offering all the entertainment as usual, but once my brother returned, I intended to bring him up to speed on the biggest change in my life now.

By the time Chris descended the stairs, I’d replayed nearly every aspect of my life since Mia and I got together, so it was safe to say I was feeling great.

When he entered the room, he said, “Alright, I know you’ve got something to tell me. What is it?”

Laughing, I answered, “I need to thank you.”

Confusion washed over his face as he sat down on the couch. “Thank me? For what?”

“It was your advice that led to me winding up in a relationship with Mia,” I shared.

“What? When did this happen?”

“The 4th of July.” I went on to share the details of how things had gone down that night. I revealed how I’d planned to share the truth about my feelings for her that evening after the block party, how everything had been going according to plan, and how I wound up standing in her open doorway as her ex proposed to her. Of course, I went on to tell him about how Mia refused the proposal and the both of us admitted we’d been battling our feelings for each other for several months. And finally, I told him how Mia’s ex left, and she wound up walking right into my arms and kissing me.”

Once I finished, Chris smiled and teased, “Made some fireworks of your own that night, didn’t you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Wow. That was bad.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it was cheesy. But I guess that’s what happens when you meet a girl, isn’t it?”

Confusion washed over me. “What?”

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