Chapter 19
Eden
My brain is trying to catch up with this morning’s events. I could’ve fainted when I opened the door to see my gran and grandad standing there happy as Larry with suitcases piled at their feet.
I didn’t get a chance to say much before Mum came down the stairs gasping and flinging herself at her parents. Jenna and Dad followed suit, and we ended up in the kitchen, where Sloane stumbled in looking sleeping and sexy as hell in my t-shirt.
Gran took over as the matriarch and we spent some time talking, but not actually getting to the bottom of their impromptu visit. Sure, Pia is the reason, but I suspect their decision to fly halfway across the world wasn’t just because we’d sent them some cute baby pics.
As soon as I see the back of Sloane’s car disappear around the corner, I head back inside. Jenna is talking to Grandad about football, and Mum is nattering to Gran at the kitchen island.
Instead of saying anything, I come up behind my gran and wrap my arms around her shoulders. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen her. Her hands cover my arms, and she squeezes me.
“It’s so good to see you both,” I say.
“Likewise, kiddo.”
Letting her go, I drop onto the stool next to her. “So, what’s with the visit? Not that I’m unhappy you’re here, because you know I’m over the moon, but cute baby pics didn’t have you packing your bags.”
Gran sighs. “Your mum told me about Pia’s parents. Bloody disgraceful. Plus, I’ve known that girl for years, and as far as I’m concerned, I just had a great-grandchild. Of course we packed our bags.”
Mum stands up and pulls out a fresh pan, ready to make more pancakes. “They’ll be down soon. I didn’t tell them you were here.” She grins.
I snort. “Pia is going to lose her shit!”
“Language,” Gran and Mum chorus at the exact same time, but Gran’s face is scrunched with laughter, her wrinkles bunching around eyes that have always looked like mine.
As if on cue, there’s a scraping up the stairs, a muffled clatter, and then Pia’s unmistakable shriek from the landing. “Todd, get out of the bathroom! My bladder is literally about to burst.”
A door slams, then a second later Pia, rumpled and bleary, rounds the bottom of the staircase in giant Ugg boots and a cloud of black hair. Her belly is still swollen, and she’s still waddling.
She nearly walks past the kitchen without glancing up until she registers extra voices. Peering in, Pia freezes as she catches sight of Gran and Grandad.
It’s impossible not to smile at how fast she launches herself at Gran, arms wrapping so tight I worry about the structural integrity of both parties. Gran just cackles and absorbs the impact.
“What are you doing here?” Pia squeals, not letting go.
“Well, we heard there was a new addition to the family.”
Pia is beaming and all but vibrating in her spot.
She’s doing her pee dance, and it’s like her brain suddenly remembers she’s seconds away from pissing herself, which after the trauma her lady bits suffered recently is quite likely.
She suddenly breaks away and dashes out of the room, shouting over her shoulder, “Don’t eat all the pancakes! ”
I slide off my stool and take over from Mum at the stove, ignoring her protests and one attempted flick of flour at my nose.
She finally gives in and settles back at the island with Gran, who keeps flicking her gaze to the stairs because she’s growing impatient.
Todd is obviously in charge of Meena’s morning poopy butt and he’s taking his sweet time.
Jenna and Grandad are mid-argument about the merits of a 3-5-2 formation, and Gran’s eyes find mine over her teacup as I look over at them all.
“You doing alright?” she says. I know she’s not asking about breakfast.
“Yeah.” I nod, surprising myself by how true it feels.
Gran knows how hard it was for me when Sloane disappeared.
She was a rock, as usual, and she helped nurse me through it by being the kick up the bum kind of person I needed.
She didn’t let me wallow for too long, and she knew how to get me to express my feelings through painting.
After all, I’m just like her, and it’s how we deal with shit.
Gran’s smile goes sly. “Sloane’s good?”
“She is, and we’re working through things. We’re dating again.”
Gran places her cup on the counter and hops off the stool to stand by my side. “I’m happy for you, love. She’s a good girl. I knew she’d come back sooner or later.”
I grin stupidly. “I’m really bloody pleased you were right.”
The sound of Pia’s footsteps as she returns gives me a moment to compose myself.
“You better have saved me at least three,” she warns, eyeing the stack like it’s a pile of rare gems. Shit, she reminds me of Jenna and her cereal guarding phase.
I don’t expect to hear from Sloane for most of today.
She’s going to be Type A-ing her cute arse all the way through her mentoring.
It’s just how she is. A small part of me is worried she’ll struggle, but then I have to remember what she’s already been through and how she came out the other side stronger.
Sloane doesn’t need my worry, she needs my support.
Todd finally pads in with Meena in his arms. The dude doesn’t even have time to register my gran before she’s all up in his face, asking if she can hold his daughter.
He mumbles a “sure” before handing her over.
Gran disappears and I doubt we’ll see her again anytime soon.
Mum laughs and follows her. Jenna hops from her seat and guides Todd to the island, where she slides a plate of food in front of him.
“I don’t know what just happened,” he says through mouthfuls of pancake.
“My gran just happened,” I say, laughing and slapping him on the back.
“I’m so tired,” he says, earning a glare from Pia.
“Really? I didn’t realise it was you sitting with a baby latched to your boob for half the night!”
There is a tension I’m not liking here. Pia has been short with Todd ever since she went into labour. I thought it was just the situation, but now I’m worried there’s more to it.
I’ll keep my eye on Pia. We’ve not had a chance to talk in a little while, so we’re due for a check in. It’ll be easier to do now. We have most of my family stepping in to help with Meena.
I finish the last batch and set the pan aside, knocking the heat off before the entire kitchen smells like burnt butter. Jenna is trying to eat pancakes as fast as she can before Pia sees the stack diminish, but even she seems full after the fourth one.
Todd eats like someone who just survived a shipwreck and doesn’t know when the next meal will come. I pile extra onto a plate and send him off to the living room with a grunted promise that I’ll bring him coffee in a minute. He doesn’t protest.
It’s just me and Pia for a second, as I expected it would be. She’s still standing, one hand braced on the countertop, the other rubbing at her eyes. The look on her face is raw and exhausted.
I slide a mug across to her with a healthy measure of oat milk and two sugars already stirred in. “Go on, drink. You look like you’ve been personally mugged.”
She snickers, but it’s not her usual easy laughter. “Meena woke up four times. I feel like my soul has ringworm.”
“That’s a disgusting metaphor,” I say, “but effective.”
She grins, and for a second, it’s just like old times. Just us against the world.
“Thanks for the coffee,” her voice going smaller, “and the pancakes. I know I’m a bitch these days.”
“Nah, you’re fine. But you could’ve asked Todd to get up for one of the times.”
Her lips purse. “I did. Once. He knocked the lamp over, woke Meena up even worse, then he fell back asleep with his hand still on my ass.”
The image is so precisely Todd, it makes me snort. Pia’s face softens a bit.
“I’ve been out of the loop recently. I take it you and Sloane are officially going steady?”
“We’re trying. I’m not going to jinx it. Not this time.”
“I’m happy for you,” she says, and means it. “Just…be careful.”
I know she’s saying that out of love, and I am being careful.
“Want to go see what chaos Gran’s started yet?”
“Is she going to be one of those great-grands? Like, will she try to get Meena drunk off brandy before she’s a year old?”
“Pretty sure she already spiked her own tea.” We both laugh, and for the first time in a while, Pia looks like herself.
We migrate into the living room where Gran and Grandad are sitting on the carpet, cross-legged and a little stiff, but with Meena in the middle of a pillow fort keeping her wedged in place.
Mum is taking a heroic number of photos.
Grandad catches my eye and tosses me a wink.
He never did learn to wink properly. His whole face crumples up in a way that’s more like he got a lemon seed stuck somewhere. Classic Grandad.
I wander over to the window and watch the street, half-expecting Sloane’s car to appear by magic. Instead, I just see the neighbour’s mastiff taking a dump in Mum’s flowerbed.
“You alright, petal?” Mum asks quietly. She spots the dog and scowls.
“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
Meena grumbles, so Pia comes to the rescue. She scoops her up and gently rocks her until she falls silent again.
There is another knock on the door, but the guests this time don’t wait to be invited in. Bella walks in and heads straight for Gran. I swear the woman has adopted everyone I know.
After she has rearranged everyone’s spines, I ask, “Gran, are you up for a trip to my place? I’d love to show you my work.”
Her face lights up like it always does when we talk art, but then it dims, and I feel my brows scrunching. Her body language is off.
Pia excuses herself with Meena because she’s filled her nappy and Todd trundles behind, obviously trying to get back in her good books.
Walking over, I sit next to Gran who is looking at my grandad. I turn to Mum and Dad who’ve noticed there’s something going on.
“Gran?”
She sighs. “Alright, I didn’t want to tell you this right now but I guess I should.”
“Mum?”
“Liz, darling, don’t panic.”
“She’s definitely going to panic now,” Dad adds.
“I’ve got a small case of breast cancer,” Gran begins, waving off our immediate panicked questions. “If you all shut it, I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
We do as we’re told.
“It’s stage one, and I’m due to start treatment in a couple of weeks’ time. I’ve opted for a double mastectomy, because quite frankly I can’t be arsed with the bloody thing returning, and let’s be honest my boobs are nearly at the floor.”
Jenna bites her lips to stop herself from laughing. Trust Gran to make a joke.
The living room is warm, and the light soft, and the whole family is silent but for Jenna sniffling and Dad clearing his throat. Grandad just looks relieved that the news is finally out. I think he’s been carrying this around like a bowling ball in his ribcage.
I should say something profound, or at least mature, but all that comes out is, “Well, if you’re going to lose your boobs, I guess I can finally inherit your cardigans without you nagging about the fit.”
Gran’s face splits in a true cackle. “That’s the spirit, Eden!”
Bella plops herself down on the arm of the couch, looking as if she might combust from all the emotional charge in the room. “You’re a tough lady, Gran,” she says, softer than I’ve ever heard her. “And for what it’s worth, you’ll look punk as hell with zippered scars.”
Mum’s composure finally breaks, but she covers it by launching into action. She goes to the kitchen and starts opening cupboards, stacking plates, refilling the kettle.
“It’s not terminal, right?” Todd shouts from the baby-changing zone. I guess they heard Gran’s news then. “You’re going to be okay?” There’s a thump and a curse and then, “I just got pee on my shirt.”
The spell is broken.
Pia pokes her head around the doorframe, her hair wild and cheeks red from crying. “How long are you here for?”
“A couple of weeks, love. Then we’ll fly back, and I’ll get this sorted,” she says, pointing to her left boob. Pia simply nods and goes back to helping Todd sort out his daughter.
We accept another coffee from Mum, who still looks moments away from breaking down.
After a few minutes, I excuse myself. I shoot a message to Sloane asking her to come by my place tonight.
As much as I’d love to spend another night here, I need some space to let Gran’s news settle in, and I’ll probably paint.
Maybe Sloane would like to join in. She used to like our painting date nights.