Page 49 of Every Broken Thing

Will just hid a smile behind his hand.

“There’s a murky area, though. You should look into that,” she said sagely.

“It’s on my to-do list.”

“Quite a surprise, huh?” Dad groaned as he stood up and slapped Will on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” I said, kicking off my shoes.

It was easy to ignore how much I missed Will when he was at school, but the truth was, I was lonely without him. My throat tightened with emotion as I watched Will and Dad settle back into their seats in the living room. Cora curled up beside Will, tucking herself under his arm.

Instead of taking the last spot on the couch beside Cora, I opted for plopping down onto the carpet. I raised my knees and rested my arms on them, chin propped on my wrist.

“It’s nice to have more space,” Will was saying, exchanging a weighted look with Cora before adding, “Especially since we’re gonna need that second bedroom.”

I straightened at that, even as Dad frowned.

“Well if you need a roommate to afford the place, then you shouldn’t have rented it,” he grumbled.

“We can afford it just fine, Dad.” Will chuckled as he took Cora’s hand. “But I think you’ll like our new roommate.”

Dad had yet to make the connection, but I found myself blurting, “You knocked up your girlfriend?”

“We prefer the termpregnant,” Cora said coolly.

Dad nearly choked on his beer as Will pulled a square black-and-white picture from his pocket. “Eight weeks along. Due in May.”

There was a beat of silence where all eyes fell on Dad’s white face. He quickly flushed a terrifying shade of magenta before the biggest grin spread over his face. “I’m gonna be a grandpa?”

The living room filled with celebratory cheers and congratulations, but I remained on the floor, fingers digging into my legs. My brother was having a baby. My brother was going to be a dad. I was going to be an uncle. Oh God, I wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. I was way too young for this.

“Silas?” Will’s voice cut through my selfish panic, and I blinked up at him. “Do you want to see?”

He offered me the ultrasound photo, and I took it carefully. I saw blobs in varying shades of gray, but when Will pointed and said, “See it? Right there,” I nodded anyway.

Lowering my voice so Cora wouldn’t hear, I whispered, “You do know about condoms, right?”

“Dick,” he said, but he grabbed my hand and hauled me to my feet, dragging me into a hug. “You’re gonna be an uncle.”

“Holy shit. Congrats, Will.” He released me, and Cora took his place, drawing me into another hug. “Congratulations, Cora.”

“Thank you, Silas.”

“My boy’s having a baby,” Dad said, face flushed from beer and happiness. “I don’t believe it.”

Will’s hand gripped the back of my neck and squeezed lightly as Dad enveloped Cora in another hug. Leaning in, Will whispered, “I’m gonna marry her, you know?”

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You’ll be my best man, right?”

“You’re gonna marry her now?”

“Not now.” He hip-checked me. “But eventually.”

“Shouldn’t you wait to ask me until after you’ve asked her?” I said incredulously.

“Probably. But you’ll do it, right?”

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