3. Sloane Family First #2
I was about to yell “Caroline!” when I heard my other sister reply, “You would think they would at least sweep up at night. They’re ruining everything that is actually finished.”
“Emerson?” I called, questioningly, making my way toward the steps.
“Sloane!” Caroline called back. “When you weren’t at Mom’s we came here!”
We all met at the top of the stairs, and my sisters looked like they were holding their breaths.
“It’s fine,” I said. “The heartbeat is strong.”
They both hugged me, and we all sighed in relief.
“Mo-om!” I heard from downstairs. I looked at Caroline, puzzled.
“Vivi insisted on coming too,” Emerson said.
“I wonder why,” Caroline said, rolling her eyes.
Vivi could fake that she wanted to see me, but we all knew better. She loved me, sure. But I was no Tyler.
“Viv!” I called, making my way down the stairs.
I could tell I was walking a little gingerly.
But I couldn’t help it. I was afraid this baby was going to just fall right out.
Previous experience should have reminded me that it was actually pretty difficult to get them to leave the warmth and comfort of inside.
“Sloane!” She wrapped me in a hug, resting her head on my shoulder.
It was so innocent it brought tears to my eyes.
She pulled away, and I took in the practically grown expanse of my niece.
She looked at me, wide-eyed, and I said, “I’m fine.
Don’t worry. The baby is fine.” She put her hands on my belly.
She sighed, visibly relieved, which was so sweet. “I was so worried.”
“Missed her job training at Sloane Emerson New York,” Caroline said, an edge to her voice. “Again.”
“Come on, Car,” Em chided. “Family first, and you know it.”
“Uh-huh. I think this has more to do with someone’s unwillingness to help her mother at the store and less to do with family first.”
Vivi crossed her arms, and I scrambled to change the subject. I couldn’t deal with a Caroline and Vivi face-off today. “You came to see me even before Tyler?” I teased.
She nodded and hugged me again. “That’s how much I love you.” She paused. “But speaking of Tyler, I’d love to go surprise him at school.”
I looked down at my watch and saw it was about that time. “Take my car,” I said, tossing Vivi the keys.
“Seriously?”
“Of course.”
She smiled. “Tyler must have known that teaching me to drive would pay off one day.”
Caroline put her arm around Vivi and her hand to her heart. “Who would have imagined I would have birthed a daughter who would get her license at the mere age of sixteen?”
“Most people get their license at sixteen, Car,” Emerson pointed out.
“But since Mom was thirty-four, I think I’m really helping to reverse a trend here, lower the median driver’s-license age in our family.” Vivi kissed her mom on the cheek and was gone, Caroline watching her leave.
“She’s got it bad, doesn’t she?” Emerson asked.
“Oh, but he does too,” I chimed in. “I swear Tyler comes and hangs out with AJ and Taylor or will stop by and say hi to me at the store because he might pick up the scent of Vivi or something.”
Caroline smiled. “He’s a sweet kid. I like him. It has been fun to have him visit.”
“I sense a but,” Emerson said.
“No but. I just feel what’s coming down the pike, and I want her to make good choices. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
I was so relieved I wasn’t at that point yet with AJ and Taylor, who were still in their snuggly stages.
I had a few more years before I had to worry about boy-girl stuff and sex and feelings and the myriad ways in which things could go so very, very wrong when you left teenagers at the helm of their own lives, which, let’s face it, was the only choice.
You could preach at them all you wanted but, at the end of the day, when they reached those pivotal life moments, they were the ones who decided.
“Honestly, I think we’re pretty lucky that she is in a stable, long-term relationship with a boy who loves and respects her. ”
Emerson nodded. “I agree. You can’t lock her in her room until she’s thirty and has a fully developed brain. So, in the meantime, Tyler is a small mercy.”
Caroline looked around and, obviously finished with this portion of the conversation, changed the subject. “Good Lord, Sloane. What are we going to do about this house?”
I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Caroline pulled out her phone. “I don’t guess, Sloane. I know.”
As she walked away, Emerson and I shared a look.
“Are you saying a prayer for your contractor?” Emerson asked.
“How did you know?”
“Because I am too.”
“I’m so sorry you flew all the way here for nothing,” I said.
She shook her head. “We didn’t fly all the way here for nothing. We flew all the way here because one of us needed the others. And that is everything.”
The front door swung open, and I thought I might melt into a puddle of relief. Adam looked surprised to see my sister, and I knew I looked surprised to see him. “You’re here!”
He walked over to me and kissed me, then leaned down to kiss my stomach. “I left early,” he said. “I just missed you guys so much.”
I kissed him again and then, when he wrapped his arms around me, leaned into his hug, feeling myself relax into him.
My eyes filled with tears of joy and relief.
I loved that I could still feel this happy to see my husband after only a couple nights apart.
And I was so grateful that our newest addition to our family was growing well inside of me. The world was perfect.
“You okay?” he asked into my ear.
I nodded. “I just love you is all.”
“Not as much as I love you,” he said.
“Okay. Barf,” Caroline interjected, reentering the room. “We’re in a war zone here, people.” She winced. “Sorry, Adam. Poor choice of words.”
He shook his head. “No, Caroline. I have been on battlefields that were more pleasant than this house right now.”
She pointed her pencil at all of us. “We just need a battle plan. We shall prevail.”
I shook my head. “No, Car. It’s okay. Adam and I have got this.”
I looked at him and he nodded. “We do.”
“I can see that,” Caroline said as she spun on her heels and headed out the door.
“Aren’t you glad you came?” I asked Emerson.
“Always,” she said. She squeezed my hand, gave Adam a quick kiss on the cheek, and said, “Thanks for taking such good care of my sister when I’m not around.”
“Always,” he repeated, mirroring her words.
I looked around my house, feeling those anxious feelings rise again, reminding myself that I could do this. This building process wasn’t permanent. But some things were. Like this man, these sisters, our children, and this island that we were so lucky to call home.