Page 74 of Falling in Love with Two

Right on cue.

Over the past two weeks, Leah and I have gotten into a comfortable routine. I get up early and head to work while she sleeps in a little. I get home before she does most days, so I make dinner. Sometimes, the baby lets her keep it down. Other times, she’s not so lucky. Then, we get comfortable on the couch and watch a movie. I unwind while she draws. She usually works on Saturdays while I go play football.

It's a nice thing that we have going. I’m still crazy about her. In fact, I find myself liking her more and more every single day as we get to know each other better. She’s so unapologetically herself, and I can’t get enough.

We still haven’t ventured out of the friend zone—which is fine with me. It’s nice without a ton of added pressure.

“Have you ever seen Jaws?” I ask.

“Nope.”

“Good grief. How sheltered have you been?”

I start the movie and ask, “Want to try to stomach some popcorn?”

“Sure. Why not? Even if I yack it up, it’ll be totally worth it.”

I’ve been trying to keep as many nutrients in her as possible—which isn’t easy when she is always battling morning sickness. Mainly, I try to keep her hydrated and make sure she gets some electrolytes. She quit drinking caffeine cold turkey which made for a grumpy couple of days. To try to show some comradery, I stopped drinking it too. That seemed to talk her down off the ledge a little.

As I make the popcorn, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to see Ronnie’s face on the screen. For the week after I found out, she would call and text me constantly. Since then, though, it’s been radio silence. My ignoring her started as just wanting to avoid a lecture and her snide comments, but it’s also that I’ve just been enjoying all my time with Leah. Aside from going to work, we have been living in our own little bubble. And I’m loving every second of it. I think Leah is enjoying herself too—aside from the morning sickness.

I let it go to voicemail again and then leave it on the counter before dumping the popcorn into a bowl and walking back to the living room.

As I sit down, Leah says, “Alright, spill it.”

“Spill what?”

“You’ve been ignoring someone’s calls for the past two weeks. Should I be worried that some girlfriend is going to come banging on the door?” Some women may have said it in an accusatory tone, but Leah says it more as a joke.

“No. No girlfriends. It’s one of my sisters.”

“Family drama?”

Between bites of popcorn, I reply, “Nothing quite that scandalous. My twin, Veronica—or Ronnie as we all call her—is a…free spirit. She travels a lot for her job and is a serial dater. She likes it that way. I’m sure when I talk to her, I’m going to get shit for having a kid.”

She nods. “Got it. How do your other sisters feel about it?”

“Well, Liz is pregnant herself, so I think she’s happy that she’s not alone. Michelle got pregnant in high school, so she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. And Jo is still in her early 20s and trying to find herself, so she doesn’t give a shit what anyone else is doing.”

“What about your parents?” She asks.

“My dad is the king of going with the flow. He’s so supportive of us that he probably wouldn’t care if we murdered someone.”

“And your mom?”

“She’s the one we’d call to help us dispose of the body. The woman is tough as nails but still there to help us with whatever we need. When I told her about the baby, she of course gave me the typical mother talk about being careful and all that, but then, she jumped right into action, helping me make everything nice for you.”

Leah gives me a small smile. “They both sound great.”

“What did your family say?”

She messes with the eraser on her pencil while seemingly deciding how much she wants to divulge. “They don’t know.”

“Oh. When are you going to tell them?”

“Probably never.”

We’re both quiet for a few moments before I say, “You don’t have to talk about them if you don’t want to.”

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