Page 110 of For The Weekend
Home.
With my family.
Taryn clears her throat and sniffs. “You did a wonderful job, Rome. Everything, the house, Mazie… Be proud of yourself.”
I manage a tight smile, feeling like there is a balloon in my chest. “Thanks.”
Ian points to the custom shelves Dante installed. “Is that the pillow?”
When I nod, he crosses over to the wall to pick it up. After Mom passed away, we all chose some of her personal effects to keep. Taryn took theI Love Lucycollectibles, Griffin picked a box of pictures, and Ian brought home the few pieces of jewelry she wore. I chose the pillow. Mom taught high school English her whole career, and one year, her graduating seniors made her a pillow, signing their names and messages about how much they loved and appreciated her with a big#1 Teacherin the middle. I’m not sure why, but at the time, it felt like it was evidence she was important not only to me but to the world. She was beloved.
“And the blanket,” Ian notes with a laugh.
I also chose the baby blanket, the one she supposedly used to wrap all of us in to bring us home from the hospital. It’s a thin scrap of material now, with so many holes it is unusable, but I could never let it go.
Especially now.
Even though it’s purely sentimental, it’s a reminder of why I called my siblings over in the first place.
With a deep breath, I face them and let it rip. “Eloise is pregnant.”
Like they did months ago, they stare at me, eyes like saucers, and then shout, “What the fuck?”
But this time, Mazie is out of the house, at the park with Eloise, so there is no foulmouthed little girl to repeat it.
When they come back to their senses, they converge on me in one big group.
“Congratulations!”
“When’s the due date?”
“Does Mazie know?”
“You did good, kid. You did real good.”
“I guess my lessons on birth control never stuck.”
I give in to a laugh that’s rough with emotion and lift my head, turning to look at Mom.
Smiling at all of us.
Epilogue
Roman
Just as I place the frame with the ultrasound picture of “Blob”—the nickname Eloise gave our future baby—on my desk, Shawn sprints into the office. “Yo, boss, Camden fucking Long is out there.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Oh yeah?” He tosses his arms out to the sides. “Oh fucking yeah? You knew he was coming?”
“He’s the owner of the Camaro.”
“Shit.” Shawn settles back on his heels. “No wonder you kept it under wraps.”
I nod and step around the excited twenty-year-old. “Take your lunch.”
“Yeah, okay. But you think he’ll sign something for me?”
