Page 12 of Free to Run
Screw it.
Raising the wine bottle to my lips, I take a large swig. When I lower it, my eyes meet Keene’s across the table. His face, previously flirtatious, is now remote. Raising his eyebrow in question, we engage in a brief staring match before he turns back to continue his conversation with Cassidy and Caleb. I realize I’m trying to figure out why he’s questioning what we’re talking about when I conclude that he thinks I’ve slept with some random guy after him.
Fuck you, Keene. I’m a woman, not your possession or some client brief you file away and take out when you want it. I’ll do whatever the hell I want.
Under the humored glances of Corinna and Holly, I grab the bottle of wine and take another swig before attacking my meal with a vengeance.
I’ve had enough of men trying to control me to last a lifetime, starting with my father.
I sure as hell don’t need an ex-lover trying to do it.
After a while, dinner settles down to some semblance of normalcy.
Caleb stands, tapping his dessert fork against his wine glass. Smiling at Cassidy, he asks, “Are you ready?” Cassidy, her face alight with happiness, nods. She stands beside him, placing her hand on her protruding stomach.
Phil drawls, “Wait, let me guess? You’re pregnant?” We all break out into laughter. Typical Phil, the smartass.
Cassidy says, “Just for that, I’m not going to name one of them after you.”
Em spews her drink right into Phil’s face and chokes, unable to catch her breath. While Phil’s recovering from having Bailey’s spat in his eyes, Em jumps up and screams, “One of them? One of them? Holy shit, Cass!” She runs into Cassidy’s arms, and the two of them start dancing around and talking over one another as they do with news of this caliber.
I’m not far behind. My chair clatters to the floor and I leap over the legs as I run around the table, adding my voice to the increasing volume of my two older sisters. Soon, our bodies are slammed into by Holly and Corinna. We’re a weeping huddle, talking over one another in sheer excitement.
Not just one baby we’re welcoming into our family, but two. I’m overwhelmed. I hear Em say, “This explains why you look like you’ve swallowed a basketball overnight.”
Corinna says, “I thought it was all the chocolate she was craving. I was making quadruple batches of icing between her and Phil.” Another wild burst of laughter erupts.
Holly joins in with, “I thought my cameras were going all screwy because she was glowing. I kept having to change my settings when I’d approach her office. I thought I was going to need a solar eclipse filter soon.”
We’re still joking and wiping away tears of joy when I realize the men haven’t joined in. Twisting my neck, I find myself captivated by the look on their faces. I quickly elbow Holly, who squeezes Corinna to get her attention.
Phil has tears cascading down his face, his shoulders shaking. His hand, held up to his mouth, is trembling with the force of his emotions. Cassidy, who has always been the little girl he protected from the world, isn’t only becoming a mama, but she’s doing it in a huge way the first time around.
Caleb is standing with a look of complete tranquility on his handsome face, his arms crossed over his chest as he watches his wife. She survived unimaginable horrors to become the woman at the center of his universe. I never thought I’d see it again, but the look on his face is a deeper, more intense version of the one they shared on their wedding day a few months ago. Pure, undiluted love.
Knowing the hell they went through to get to where they are today, I couldn’t be more thrilled that my sister and brother-in-law found the happiness they so richly deserve. And I wouldn’t be human if there wasn’t a small part of me that didn’t envy the depth of devotion the two of them have for each other.
I catch Caleb’s eye and mouth, “Congratulations, Daddy.” His smile broadens as he mouths back, “Thanks, Aunt Ali.”
God, I’m going to be an aunt two times over. My eyes mist again, and I beam back at Caleb.
The girls start chattering about the babies again, when my eyes finally make their way over to Keene. I expect his cool exterior to have thawed, for him to be as ecstatic as the rest of us are. The sister he lost for so long is pregnant with not one, but two babies. More love to fill the missing spaces, right?
What I see on his face guts me, and not in a good way.
Sure, he has a smile on his face, but even from a distance, I can tell it’s strained around his eyes.
How can Keene not be thrilled with this news?
I watch as his eyes scan Cassidy’s body from head to toe, lingering on the babies nestled safely in their mother’s womb. A look I can’t describe crosses his face before he masks it.
Does anyone else notice? Em is joking with Cassidy, Holly, and Corinna about horrid baby names, so no help there.
The guys are now in a small huddle, slapping Caleb on the back or upside the head, as it were in Phil’s case. Keene is holding himself back per usual, but it allows me to observe him.
Keene’s jaw clenches. Shock, anger, and…disgust, maybe over Cassidy’s news? Then, as if he can feel the hole I’m drilling into his head, his face snaps to mine. He shakes his head, conveying without words that this isn’t my issue.
The hell it isn’t. I won’t allow Keene’s disinterest or heartlessness to touch Cassidy the way it did when they first met. He was such a douchebag to her. He had his shot at distancing himself, but he decided to become a part of this family.
