Page 110 of Our Lips Are Sealed
The moment Evie became Mrs. Evangeline Fairweather, she’d pounced on her husband, kissing him to the cheers of their loved ones. During the ceremony, Josie and Simone cried. Ben did too, but no one brought attention to it.
“I saw Cohen cuddled up with Xavier on the couch earlier,” Evie said when they made it to the fork. “Jamison was watching with this look in her eye that makes me think she’s getting baby fever.”
Not long after her and Samuel’s wedding, Selah became a father. Xavier Benjamin Fairweather entered the world early but perfectly healthy. His grandparents adored him, and his aunts and uncles spoiled him, with Jamison being the worst.
“She’s too young,” Ben replied. “Your sister needs to take some time to figure out who she is before becoming a mother.”
Once inside the graveyard fence, she and Ben broke apart to pay their respects individually. Evie laid flowers on Livy’s marker and the new one where CeCe now rested.
“Merry Christmas, girls.”
At Devon’s grave, she placed the winter wildflower bouquet Annabeth had arranged for her father. “Merry Christmas, Devon.”
Joining Ben, she took the flowers he held, laying them over Laura Jean’s name. “Merry Christmas, Mama.”
They stood quietly, leaning on one another while the wind rattled the trees overhead. “It’s Christmas, kid.” Ben took hold of her hand, giving it a little shake. “We can’t cry on Christmas. Mom’s rules, remember? It was her favorite holiday.”
“I know,” she sniffled. “It doesn’t help that I’ve been super emotional lately.”
“The holidays do that to people, but it’s especially tough for those like us.”
Evie turned to face him, covering her stomach with his hand. “It is, but Christmas isn’t the only thing making me all weepy.”
Ben paled, much like Samuel had done when she told him. “Really?”
“Morning sickness has been a real bitch.”
Ben hugged her tightly while the breeze swirling through the treetops circled down around where they stood. “You guys are making me into an old man,” he mumbled, pulling back to look her over. “Is everything okay with the pregnancy?”
They sat on the bench, and she filled him in on the details. At three months in, everything was going smoothly, with her due date set for the early summer.
“But I think the morning sickness has finally passed, because I’ve been craving the weirdest things.”
“Eggs and chocolate cake.” Ben smiled down at Laura Jean’s marker. “I once saw your mother eat chocolate cake and then eat an omelet two seconds later.”
“Was that when she was pregnant with Jamison?”
He shook his head, and Evie went quiet, her heart breaking for him.
“I’m okay, kid,” he promised. “Have you guys thought of any names?”
“Um, well, Samuel is horrible when it comes to that. You’ll need to help him. He thinks I got pregnant on our trip to Paris and wants to name the baby something French, like Louis or Antoinette.”
“Yeah, I’m not the greatest at picking out names either.” Ben rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “Jamison is named after a bottle of whiskey your mother and I polished off on the night she got pregnant.”
“Eww.” Evie wrinkled her nose. “Please don’t tell me anymore.”
He shrugged and stood, helping her rise. “Does everyone else know?”
“Nope, you’re the first.”
The smile on his face grew wider. “Are you telling me I know something before Simone?”
Evie laughed. “That’s correct.”
“And I can hold it over her head that I knew before she did?”
“Whoa, I didn’t say that.”
