Page 40 of Beyond Oblivion

Trenton looked at the text again and shook his head. “He saidthe house.”

I made a face. “Weird.”

He mirrored my expression. “I know, right?”

Saying quick goodbyes, we headed out to the truck hand in hand. Trenton drove faster than usual, curiosity getting the better of him. When we arrived home, Thomas and Liis weren’t yet there, so we went inside, flipping on lights, adjusting the thermostat, and straightening up a bit. My fingers brushed over the faint outlines of the life we’d built together, feeling a sudden swell of gratitude for our humble abode and everything within it; though those moments of joy were sometimes bittersweet when shadowed by the thought of our empty nursery.

I put my hands flat on the counter, staring down into the drain, knowing it wouldn’t be a typical visit. The doorbell rang, and Trenton jogged across the living room and answered the door. He greeted his brother, and I heard Liis’s voice as they said their hellos.

“Is Cami here?” Liis asked.

“In the kitchen,” I called, watching as the brothers followed Liis to the sound of my voice.

My in-laws paused when I came into view, smiling at me.

Trenton’s eyes bounced back and forth between Thomas, Liis, and then to me. “What brings you into town?”

Liis blinked, then peeled off her backpack, setting it on one of the island’s barstools. “We heard you’ve had a weird couple of weeks,” she said.

Trenton’s brows pulled together.

Thomas chuckled. “Dad told us about your pest problem.”

My husband looked to me, but I was just as confused as he was.

“Madison,” Liis offered.

“Oh,” Trenton said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, that. Awkward as fuck, but yeah.”

“You booked a flight for that?” I asked.

“No,” Liis said. “We’re on our way back from DC. Thought we’d stop for the night.”

“So…” Trenton said, balling his hand into a fist and covering it with his other hand.

“So, yeah. Hi,” Thomas said.

Liis held her hands up near her shoulders, wiggling her fingers. “Surprise,” she said, as cheerful as her stoic nature would allow.

“You found the house okay?” Trenton asked. “Because… you know… you’ve never been here before.”

“Is it weird that we’re here?” Liis asked, glancing to Thomas. “We did just drop in, I guess it’s kind of odd. We can meet you at Jim’s.”

“Negative,” Trenton said, guiding them to the living room, gesturing for me to follow. “It just didn’t seem like your run-of-the-mill visit, so I thought it had to be important.”

As I sat next to Trenton, I realized his anxiousness was for a different reason than mine. When Thomas and Liis announced they were expecting, he didn’t seem to trust my reaction—or lack of one. His energy had been off the moment he saw Thomas’s text, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he thought my emotional state after visiting with Abby and Liis was really about seeing Liis so obviously pregnant, and he was worried it would hurt me again. It was the only scenario that made sense, because nothing bothered Trenton much, except when it came to protecting my heart.

After his brothers announced each of their wives’ pregnancies, it triggered an avalanche of conflicting feelings, and I felt guilty about half of them. The excitement on their faces, the way the family rallied around them with congratulations and eager plans for baby showers, was a bittersweet reminder of how something that seemed impossible for us came so easily to others. I’d always thought those thoughts were uniquely mine, but I’d noticed something different in Trenton—a flicker in his eyes, the tight set of his jaw. It wasn’t until then that I realized Trenton might have secretly feared the day Thomas and Liis would announce their own news, adding their names to the list of brothers who had beaten us to parenthood, not for his sake, but for mine.

Thomas sighed and sat back, perching his arm on the back of the loveseat behind Liis. “Dad’s tired. We got in later than we thought, so we thought we’d just come over here and catch up.”

“Oh,” Liis said, frowning.

“What, love?” Thomas said, seeming concerned.

“Remember when I said I needed to go to the store earlier?”

“Oh. Damn.” He looked to me. “I had a buddy pick us up from the airport and bring us here. Do you think you could run Liis to the store before it closes?”

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