Chapter 4
Grayson
“Avery, come here.”
From her place on her stool, Georgia gives me a strange look, but if we are ever going to share our news, I need this pack of fools to be quiet.
And the only person they will ever stop talking for is this cute little five year old standing beside me.
Bending down, I whisper in her ear, and when I pull back, she’s smiling at me like I just gave her permission to raid the candy drawer I started keeping for her when she comes over.
“Are you ready?” I ask, placing my hand out for hers.
She slaps hers into mine, a sneaky grin slipping onto her lips. “I was born ready, Uncle Grayson.”
With a smile, I lift her up to stand on the bar stool. “Do your thing, kid.”
She smiles sweetly at me, and then it turns a little scary, and I fear I messed up.
“HEYYYYY,” she yells, “Uncle Grayson’s got something to say.”
All the talking comes to a screeching halt as eyes swivel our way, and Brooks narrows in on his daughter standing beside me.
Before he can start fussing, I pull Georgia up to stand beside me and take the spotlight off Avery.
Georgia’s arms wrap around my waist, squeezing me tight. My hand instinctively falls over her belly, and my chest squeezes, happiness seeping in.
“Georgia and I would like to say that we are so happy to have you guys here today. There was a time when—” I pause, clearing my throat, “when I didn’t know what it was like to have a family.
And now, I can’t imagine what it would be like to live without any of you.
There isn’t one of you here today that I don’t consider family.
” My eyes fall on each person around the room, meeting Brooks and Emryn’s, then my dad’s, glistening with tears.
I meet the happy stares of Georgia’s parents and then finally land on Ellie and Harper.
This speech is as much for them as it is for anyone.
Ellie has always been like a second mom to me, but my relationship with Harper has always been tumultuous.
Since marrying Georgia, though, I’ve come to understand her more.
We still might drive each other crazy, but she’s my best friend’s little sister—and she will always be family.
“And because we consider you all family, we wanted you guys to be the first to know. We are having a baby.”
I don’t know who reacts first, but someone gasps, and then they all rush to us, surrounding us in hugs and love.
Avery is still on the stool, clapping her hands and joining in on the fun. Georgia wraps her arms around her, swinging her into a hug, and Avery squeezes Georgia back.
I take them both in mine, joining in on the group hug.
“You know, Avery,” Georgia says, “that means you’re going to be a big cousin. Do you think you can handle that?”
Avery leans back, looking at both of us with a serious look on her face. “I’ll be the best big cousin ever.”
Chuckling, I knick her chin with my knuckle. “I figured you would be.”
“That’s not all she’s going to be.” Brooks’s voice interrupts our moment, and I turn around to look at my little brother.
There’s a gleam in his eye that catches my attention.
He’s holding Emryn’s hand with one hand, and just like I was with Georgia earlier, his other hand rests protectively atop Emryn’s stomach.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I ask, looking from him to Emryn.
A wide grin spreads across her face, and she nods. “Avery is going to be a big sister, too.”
I’m not a man to cry, but I seem to be having sympathy symptoms for Georgia because my eyes burn with the pure love I have for these people in my life.
Letting go of Avery and Georgia, I lean forward and clap my brother on the back.
“Congratulations, little brother. I’m proud of you.”
Out of my peripheral, I catch the two pregnant women swiping underneath their eyes.
I could probably blame their emotional display on their pregnancy hormones, but then Brooks hugs me back and says, “You’re going to make a great dad, Gray.”
And I find myself having to wipe at my eyes, too.
______________________
“Nate would be happy for you, you know.”
I’m standing on the back porch, looking up at the summer night sky. The stars are bright tonight, and I stepped out here to appreciate them just for a moment.
But I didn’t realize someone else was out here first.
Turning, I find Harper sitting on a chair hidden in the shadows.
With my hands in my pocket, I walk over to where she’s sitting and lean against the porch railing beside her. My attention stays out on the sky, but it doesn’t keep me from considering her, too.
She’s more withdrawn than usual, which is saying something because her lack of social skills could rival mine.
Harper is cradling a glass to her chest, her legs tucked under her on the chair.
Her eyes look sad, and I can’t help but notice that, once again, her husband isn’t around.
Not that I mind. The guy is a jerk. But I know if Nate were around, it would make him sad.
He wanted the best for his little sister, even if she was pricklier than a cactus.
And I hate that Nate isn’t around for her.
“What are you doing out here by yourself, Harper?”
She shrugs, taking a sip of her drink. “Needed to think.”
“About what?”
“My life and where it’s going—or not going, I guess.”
A couple of years ago, this conversation wouldn’t have happened. Harper hated me, and I can’t say I was very fond of her, either. But she’s grown a lot, and so have I.
“Why do you say that?”
Her gaze is sharp and cutting when she looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “Because it’s the truth. Even you are moving on with life.”
Straightening, I cross my arms and offer her a bland look because that’s the old Harper talking, not the new one that has grown to be somewhat of a friend to me.
“Sorry,” she sighs. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I just—I don’t want to talk about me. Let’s talk about you. You’re having a baby.”
Conflict sits heavy on my shoulders. I know if Harper doesn’t want to talk about something, she isn’t going to, but I feel like I’m failing Nate by letting this go.
But in the end, when she quirks her brow up and purses her lips, I let it go because I’ve learned that people figure things out when it’s time for them to and not a moment sooner.
So, with a shrug of my shoulder and a grin that’s hard to keep contained, I say, “Yeah, I am.”
Harper snorts, shaking her head. “I was serious earlier, Grayson. Nate would be happy for you.”
The words didn’t hit me the first time she said them, but this time, it’s like a freight train to my chest. Nate was my best friend, and when he died, it broke my heart. He always believed in me, and I never got to prove I could be someone.
But hearing Harper say those words feels a little like proving that.
“Thanks, Harper. And for what it’s worth, I think Nate would be proud of you.”
Dropping her head, she stares into her glass. “I’m not sure about that, but I’m working on it.”
“That’s all any of us can do—keep working on ourselves until we are happy with what we see in the mirror.”