Page 199 of Not Another Yesterday
“Do we have everything we need?” I ask out loud, mentally going through my checklist as Ronan holds the apartment door open for me. I’m balancing a tote bag stuffed with small presents.
“You’re with me, so… yeah,” he says sweetly.
I glance back and smile. “Ugh. You knowexactlywhat to say to make me go all weird in my head.”
I walk out with him, feeling a little lighter.
Not surprisingly, the house is packed by the time we arrive twenty minutes later. Frank beelines for us the second we walk through the door.
“Oh boy,” Ronan mutters. “Watch him lay into me about ignoring his calls.”
But instead of the chewing-out I expect, Frank’s mouth pulls into a tentative smile. “Do you two have a second?”
“Uh… yeah?” Ronan throws me a quick glance as Frank gestures for us to follow him upstairs.
At the top of the landing, Penny emerges from their bedroom. I blink. She looks pale, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.
“What’s going on?” Ronan asks, his eyes bouncing between his dad and Penny.
Frank clears his throat, sheepish. He reaches for Penny’s hand. “Yeah, so… I know today probably isn’t the best timing, but we won’t be able to keep it under wraps. Not with Penny feeling the way she does…”
My jaw drops. I already know where this is going. And judging by Ronan’s face, he does too.
“Oh shit, Dad,” Ronan groans. “Ever heard of pulling out?”
Frank chuckles, the tension in his shoulders easing. “I’m not about to discuss my pull-out game with my son.”
“’Cause you clearly have no pull-out game,” Ronan deadpans.
Frank smirks. “Oh, didn’t realize I was talking to themaster.”
“Oh my god,” Penny laughs. She turns to me, her expression soft. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t ideal timing. I’ve just been feeling pretty sick the last few days.”
“We thought it was a stomach bug,” Frank says.
“Yeah, but then I took a test two days ago…” Penny sighs. “I didn’t feel this awful with the boys.”
“Maybe that means it’s a girl,” I say, feeling a small spark of giddy surprise catch fire in my chest.
Her smile widens. “Maybe. We weren’t going to say anything yet, but I’ve been running to the bathroom every fifteen minutes. Hard to hide that. We wanted you two to know first. We didn’t want to be insensitive.”
“No, really, this issoexciting,” I say honestly. And it is. It surprises me how genuine my joy is.
“What’s your goal here, Dad? Repopulate the earth with Soults? Build your own little army?” Ronan jokes.
“I make good-looking kids,” Frank says with a shrug. “Why should I stop?”
“Huh, guess you have a point,” Ronan grunts.
The four of us make our way back into the living room where Penny and Frank announce the news of their pregnancy to everyone, which is met with delighted squeals from my mom and hugs from my dad. I giggle when Steve proceeds to roast his dad just like Ronan did.
“God, Dad, for a man who kept hounding Ran and me about using protection, you fail pretty epically,” he laughs.
“Hey, I’m thirty-seven,” Frank says, puffing his chest out. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“You were sixteen with Stevie,” Ronan mutters behind a fake cough.
The room erupts with laughter.
