Page 6 of Rebel Heart
“That’s fair.”
“So, how are you feeling? I’m honestly surprised to see you here.”
Holding her cookie in one hand, Skye rested the other lightly on her rounded belly. She was pregnant again, expecting her second baby—another girl—and she was about a week away from her due date.
“I’m a bit torn, if I’m honest.” She took a bite of her treat and set it down on the napkin in front of her. After swallowing that bite, she sighed deeply. “There’s the part of me that’s so excited to meet this little girl. Honestly, I can’t wait. But the other part of me wonders how I’m going to manage to love another baby as much as I love Rosie. It seems impossible.”
Skye was an only child, so I could understand why she felt concerned. “My parents had six of us. And as the last of the bunch, I can promise you that there was no lack of love from them. You and Cooper are going to do just fine with her, with both of them.”
Her eyes softened. “Thanks. I hope you’re right. For now, I’m just doing everything I can to soak up these final few days with Rosie whenever I’m not working. Cooper is, too.”
Before I could respond, Rosie interrupted. “Auntie Jules, I need milk.”
“Please?” Skye corrected her.
My niece tucked her chin down toward her chest and looked at me with those big, beautiful eyes. “Pleeaase.”
“Of course, kiddo. Give me one second.”
Two customers had walked up to the bakery, but Ididn’t need to worry about them, because Birdie was handling it. So, I grabbed my niece some milk and returned to the table.
“What do you say?” Skye prompted her.
“Thank you.”
I smiled at her. “You’re welcome. Would you like me to help you with that, or can you do it?”
“I can do it.”
Shifting my attention to Skye, I said, “Such independence.”
“Don’t remind me. I want to cry just thinking about how much she’s grown. How is it that we can want our babies to reach all these milestones but also feel wildly depressed about it at the same time?”
“I’m not a baby!” Rosie declared.
Recognizing the emotions Skye was dealing with, likely magnified by the pregnancy, I said, “That’s right. You’re such a big girl.”
Skye swiped at her eyes and mouthed athank you.
As Rosie got back to enjoying her cookie, Skye doing the same, I said, “I can’t believe how much this family has grown in such a short time.”
“How about it? And by this time next year, there are going to be several more additions.”
She wasn’t exaggerating.
It wasn’t just the fact that five of my siblings had all met the loves of their lives and got married. And it wasn’t just Rosie and her sister that would soon be here.
It was also Jack, my first nephew. His parents—my oldest brother, Wyatt, and my sister-in-law, Rhea—learned they were expecting about two months before Rosie turned one. And that little boy was just as spoiled as his older cousin.
Just as I suspected Marco and Ivy’s first baby would be. My older sister learned she was pregnant only three months ago; though, she and Marco hadn’t yet learned if they were having a boy or girl. Either way, I knew they didn’t care, as long as their baby arrived, happy and healthy.
It wouldn’t be long before Tate and Ava or Liam and Layla shared such joyous news with us, too.
Since I was genuinely excited about our family growing, I didn’t have to force the smile on my face. But I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t feeling that green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head.
I wanted that.
I wanted the happy ending.
