Page 2 of Until I Find You

“Howfar along are you again?” I go over to her and tuck my arm around her shoulder to pop a kiss onto the crown of her head. Sonia is almost two decades younger than my father and feels more like a sister to me.

“Seven months,” Dad answers with a very proud smile.

“Yes, but seven months with twins is a hell of a lot different than seven months with–ah!” She touches the side of her belly. “Yourchildrenare veryactivetoday.” She glares at Dad.

He merely smiles. “Yes, all mine. Nothing to do with you whatsoever.”

“No, not at all. When they’re out, I’m leaving,” she grumbles, plodding past him toward the penthouse kitchen, sniffing the air as she goes. “What are you making?”

“Lemon-herb roasted chicken, Hasselback potatoes, and green beans almondine.” He grins.

Abigail smiles. “Mmm…sounds good.”

Sonia scrunches her nose. “I’m sorry, honey, but I’m not in the mood for that. But don’t worry about me. I’ll order something. French fries.” She rubs her belly. “Yeah, they want French fries.”

Dad’s face falls, but he says nothing as she exits toward the kitchen.

I head to him and pat him on the shoulder. “I, for one, can’t wait for your dinner, Dad.”

He sighs. “I should’ve asked what she wanted.”

He quickly follows after Sonia, leaving Abigail and I alone.

“It’s sweet how much he wants to get this right.” Her smile is wistful

I resist arguing with her. It would be sweet if not for the bitter taste it leaves in my mouth knowing how our own childhoods went.

Then she snorts. “Too bad he’ll never get it right.”

I smirk and jab my thumb into her waist. “Yeah, women are impossible to please.”

“Not all women. But definitelypregnantwomen.”

I nod. “Fair. Very fair.”

The dinner tableis opened to its fullest extent and not a single chair is empty since both Nate and Dad are blissfully partnered and in love. I wonder how they’ll make room in the future once Abigail finds a guy.

I’d say I wonder what we’ll do when I find someone too, but…I don’t know if that time will ever come. I’m the most boring fuck here. All work, no play, and at the end of the day, barely able to carry a conversation. I wonder if any of that will change now that I don’t intend to go back to my day job.

Nate is waving a forkful of green beans toward me. He has been talking my ear off about the most recent surfing competition he competed in down in Australia. “And I would have won too, if my back hadn’t acted up.”

I chuckle. “You’re getting old, bro.”

“We’re all getting old,” he replies, blue eyes widening.

Laney leans into his shoulder. “Honey…”

“What?! We are!”

I let her handle Nate’s fear of mortality and return to my barely half-empty plate of food. I can’t bear to stomach anymore. My emotions have started taking up residence in my gut since my brain can’t store them anymore because I’ve been bottling everything in.

I’ve been meaning to get into therapy. I need help.

I consider the people around me.

To my right, Nate, Mason, and Laney bicker, their throuple stronger than ever.

To my left, Seth and his stepsister, Bridget, are gushing over each other. They didn’t grow up together, only meeting a decade ago when their parents decided to get married, and were always at each other’s throats. When they decided to start dating half a year ago, no one was shocked. The tension had always been there. I’m sure engagement is right around the corner for them.

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