Chapter 20
Wes
Cinnamon Rolls
I slowly shook my head. What did she say?
“Oh, dear,” Clare mumbled.
Angie stared at me, a look of utter devastation on her face. I could go either way. Be angry she let this happen or help her get through this. The first option wasn’t going to happen. I had no right to sit in judgment of anyone. My baby sister came to me for help, and I was going to be by her side no matter what.
Tamping down the urge to ask who the dick was who got my sister pregnant, I instead asked, “The father?”
Angie let out a breath. “He’s a friend of mine. And before you ask, I don’t love him, and he doesn’t love me. We were stupid one night and hooked up. We used protection but, condoms aren’t a hundred percent, ya know?”
I nodded and looked at Clare. When she gave me a small head nod, I knew I was on the right path.
“Have you told him yet? Does he want to be part of the baby’s life?”
Angie nodded and wiped a tear away. Clare put her arm around her and drew her closer to her, and I fell in love with her even more.
“He does. Obviously, this wasn’t something Reece or I were expecting. I only just found out a couple of days ago.”
I swallowed hard before I asked the next question. I wasn’t sure if it was something I should ask or not. “And you both want the baby?”
Angie wiped more tears away. “Yes. We both want the baby, but we’re not getting married, and I know that’s going to be the first thing Mom wants us to do. I don’t love him, Wes. He doesn’t love me. What kind of a marriage would that be?”
“Don’t worry about Mom. Preston, Finn, and I will handle her and Dad. No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. You are an adult, Angie.”
“I graduate this spring and I’ll be showing by then. How in the world am I going to get a job being pregnant?” Angie asked, looking at me then at Clare.
“What is your degree in again?” Clare asked.
“Marketing.”
Clare’s face lit up. “Angie, I think I might be able to help you get a job.”
Looking confused, my sister replied, “I haven’t finished school yet. I won’t until this spring.”
Standing, Clare looked around for her phone. When she ran into the bedroom, Angie looked at me with a confused expression. I simply shrugged.
Clare walked back into the living room and sat down. She had her phone and was texting someone.
“Who are you texting?”
“The VP of our marketing and broadcasting department.”
“For the Red Sox?” Angie asked, stars in her eyes. “Are you talking about working for…the Boston Red Sox?”
Clare smiled as she kept typing. “Yes. The manager of our social media has an assistant who helps her, but she is leaving in a few months. Her husband got transferred to Germany for work. She thought she might be able to keep working remote. She works from home and only has to come into the office once a week. But with the time difference and them really needing her in the office that one day a week, it wasn’t going to work. I only know this because I work out at the same gym as our VP, and he was asking me if I knew anyone just yesterday.”
“What about her being pregnant. When are you due, Angie?” I asked.
“They said the due date was August 31. It’s accurate since we know the conception date. I’m about five weeks right now.”
I groaned. “I didn’t need to know that.”
“How did you think I got pregnant, Wes? From kissing?”
Shooting my sister a smirk, she stuck her tongue out at me. And she was going to be a mother. Lord, help us all.
Clare cleared her throat. “Let’s get back on track, shall we?”
“Right. Angie, when do you want to tell Mom and Dad?”
“After I have the baby,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Angie,” I warned.
“Maybe what needs to happen first is a game plan. What are you and Reece going to do about living arrangements? Caring for the baby after she or he is born? That sort of thing. I imagine that is going to be the questions your parents will ask.”
“She’s right. Mom and Dad are going to pepper me with questions the moment I tell them. With the first one being when am I getting married.”
There was no arguing with that. I nodded my head then asked, “Like Clare asked, have you and Reece made any plans?”
“Yes. He suggested I move in with him so that he could be a part of the pregnancy. He graduated last year and has a really good job at a bank. You’d like him, Wes, he’s a math geek.”
I smiled. I wanted to dislike the guy who got my sister pregnant, but it wasn’t either of their faults. I glanced over to Clare. We hadn’t used any protection. She was on the pill but was that a hundred percent effective. I thought about how I would feel if Clare became pregnant. Strangely enough, the idea of it made me smile and not want to run for the hills. Clare must have felt my eyes on her. She looked at me and tilted her head slightly. I smiled and wanted to tell her that I loved her, but instead, I winked. Clare’s smile grew and Angie cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry, if you two are done giving each other that look.”
“What look?” we both asked at the same time.
“The same one our brothers and their wives give each other.” The she gasped. “Oh my God. Are you two like…in love?”
Before Clare could say anything, I said, “We are.”
Angie stood. “I don’t know if I want to celebrate or cry?”
I looked up at her. “Why would you cry?”
“Because Mom is going to find out and then it’s just me. I’m the last one whom she’s going to push into finding a happily ever after!”
Clare took Angie’s hand and gently tugged her back down. “Okay, we’re going to role play as Mike and Jennifer. Imagine it’s a family gathering, and you ask to speak to us alone.”
Angie nodded, stood, and started to rub her hands together nervously.
“Okay, first thing,” I said as I pointed to her hands. “Don’t do that. Mom will think something bad is coming, and this isn’t bad.”
My sister’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s not?”
Clare instantly stood and made her way to Angie, engulfing her in a hug. “Of course this isn’t bad. It might not be the timing you wanted, but it isn’t bad. That baby is going to be so loved.”
“Clare’s right, Angie. Wait, have you told Reece’s parents yet?”
Angie shook her head. “His mother and father don’t speak to him. I’ve never asked why.”
Clare sat next to me, clapped her hands, and yelled out, “Take two!”
I turned to look at her. “Take two?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Okay, so I might have always wanted to direct a play or a movie.”
Staring at her with a stunned expression, she shrugged. “What? We all have our own little dreams.”
“I guess so,” I mumbled as I focused on my sister.
Angie swallowed hard. “Mom, Dad, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Did you meet someone?” Clare asked. “Oh, what is his name, dear?”
Angie and I both looked at Clare.
“What?” she asked.
“You have my mother pegged,” I said with a laugh.
Angie nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of scary.”
Clare waved her hands. “Let’s keep going!”
Angie rolled her eyes and tried to get back into the…whatever it was we were doing.
“No, I haven’t met anyone. I need you both to let me get this out before you start hammering me with…”
Wes and I both leaned in closer. “With?” I asked.
“Questions or demands or whatever it is you’re going to do.”
Wes and I both nodded.
“I’m pregnant. The father is a friend of mine, we slept together one night, used protection but…well…it obviously didn’t work. We have it all figured out. I’m going to move in with him and I’ve got a job already lined up that will work perfectly once I have the baby.”
Angie had spit that all out so quickly, she hadn’t even given me or Clare time to respond.
“Wait!” Clare cried out as she stood. “Are you planning on marrying this friend of yours? What is the boy’s name?”
“He’s not a boy, Cla…er…Mom. His name is Reece and no, we don’t love each other, and we’re not getting married simply because we’re having a baby.”
Clare clutched at her chest and dropped back down in her seat. “You’re not going to marry him, but you’re going to move in with him?”
“Yes, it only makes sense. He wants to be there for me through the pregnancy. Once I have the baby, I’ll probably look for my own place close to his if I can afford it. We plan on co-parenting the baby.”
Putting her hand to her forehead, Clare let out a sound that I swore our old cat Lucifer used to make.
“Oh my gosh…you really do have my mother all figured out. It’s fascinating,” Angie mumbled as she looked from Clare to me.
I nodded. “You really do, Clare. I’m impressed.”
Clare smiled and gave a little bow. “I had the lead in our high school production of Gone with the Wind.”
Without missing a beat, Clare went on. “Angie, you cannot possibly think this is a good idea to bring a baby into the world without her parents being married.”
“You think it’s girl?” Angie asked as she bounced on her toes.
“Focus, Angie!” I cried out.
“Right, right. Just because we’re not getting married doesn’t mean we won’t be there for the baby. It seems healthier for us to do it this way. What if we got married and were miserable the rest of our lives. Is that fair to the child?”
It was my turn to jump in. “She’s right, Jennifer. Let’s pull this back for a bit. Angie, sweetheart, when are you due?”
Angie smiled. “August 31. Do you want to see the ultrasound picture?”
Clare stood and clapped. “And that is where you’re going to see them shift. Your mom might be a bit of a challenge, though, with the whole getting married thing, but once they see that picture, their hearts will melt.”
“I agree, Angie. Don’t stress over this. It’s not good for you. Do you want me to tell Preston and Finn?”
She grimaced. “Do you mind telling them? I just don’t think I can handle if they’re disappointed in me.”
I frowned. “How did you know I wouldn’t be?”
Angie walked up to me and placed her hands on my chest. “Because you’re my big brother and you’re a cinnamon roll.”
I jerked my head back in surprise as Clare covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“What in the fuck does that mean…I’m a cinnamon roll?”
Patting her hands on my chest once again, she grinned. “You’re sweet and soft hearted, like a cinnamon roll. Gooey and soft.”
“I am not gooey and soft.”
“Oh, dear brother,” Angie laughed. “Trust me, you are the definition of cinnamon roll.”
When I looked over to Clare, she shrugged. “I love cinnamon rolls.”