Isabella
Luke came rushing around to help me out of the car, as if I were already in my final trimester. He shut the door for me, and I suspected he’d deemed me to be malfunctioning for the moment. He held my hand, and that’s how we walked into the house.
“Just think of all the things we got up to as teenagers. You’ve always said how mature she is. She’s never partied, never drunk to excess, and only recently became interested in dating. I don’t know why you’re worried, poppet’s a grown woman.”
His words made sense. Amber was far more rational than Rhea, and Rhea was thirty-six. But then again, there was no one else quite like Rhea.
There was everything happening with Sadie, and the wedding on top of it. Had I actually been there for Amber lately? Was that why she’d leaned on Zach instead of me? Was the lead-up to her exams simply too much for her? Or maybe—maybe they really were just friends.
“Why don’t I cook tonight? You can relax, have a little you-time,” he said, just as I began to spiral out of control again.
“I need to see her,” I said, shaking my head, trying to pull my hand free.
He wasn’t having it, so I dragged him toward the stairs instead.
“I just want to check on her. She’s been quiet lately. Then there’s this post. It has to be a joke.”
Yeah. That all sounded very plausible to my own ears.
He followed me upstairs, probably to ensure he was there to catch me in case I forgot how stairs worked. Ever since the baby announcement, he’d become my shadow.
I froze when I heard footsteps running across the wooden flooring. Luke bumped into me from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist. I turned to give him a scathing stare. He untangled himself and raised both hands in the air.
I reached the top stair. Luke was two steps below me. There was real tension in the air, and I glanced back, wondering if he should come with me. His sweet smile melted away any doubts. I took a breath and strode across the hallway.
The door swung open, and Zach stood there.
“Hey,” he said, nervously.
Zach was never nervous. Not even as a thirteen-year-old.
My eyes grew wide, jaw slackening.
Holding socks.
Then I noticed the lack of clothing and gasped.
Please, still be wearing jeans.
He was.
“Oh.”
He had his own bedroom.
Bare chest.
In Amber’s room.
“Well, this should be interesting,” Luke said behind me.
I tried to peer around Zach.
“Zach,” I said lightly. “When did you get here?”
“Yesterday,” he said.
I unlocked my phone and raised it, showing him the screenshot of their notification.
“So, it’s true?” I asked.
Luke moved in behind me until I could feel his warmth. His hands rubbed gently from my shoulders down to my elbows.
“Like I said. She’s an adult, sweetheart.”
She was an adult under the law of the land. Not to me. That was where the real problem lay.
“She’s still my baby,” I whispered.
“She was always supposed to be a Rayne,” Zach said, his voice gentle, then firm. “One way or another.”
I gasped and glanced around for Amber again.
“She’s in the bathroom,” he said, watching me warily.
“Right, right,” I mumbled, suddenly at a loss for words.
I turned into Luke’s chest and closed my eyes. I needed a moment to process everything—this new dynamic, and all its implications.
His arms closed around me until I felt his strength surrounding me completely.
“Don’t make me come for you, Zach,” he said quietly, but I felt every word of it vibrate beneath me.
I smiled, though it was a sad, wistful smile. I’d always wished Amber had a consistent male role model growing up. Now she finally had one, right as she was becoming an adult herself.
Luke tucked me into his side and led me toward our bedroom.
? ? ?
We ended up lying in bed after I took a quick shower, just talking about the past, the present, and our baby. So when the quiet knock came, I was ready.
Luke opened the door, whispering something to Amber before he left to give us some privacy.
Yes, I loved that man. It had taken me a while to trust in my feelings, but it was all there.
My baby looked hesitant, standing in the doorway. I patted the mattress, inviting her to come and sit with me. She closed the door and crossed the room until she reached me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Mum,” she said, sighing as she sat down beside me. “I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about… my choice.”
I appreciated the tears and the shower, because I felt equipped to handle everything now. Luke’s perspective had been the key.
“It was a shock,” I said, patting her hand, my thumb tracing small, soothing circles over her knuckles.
Her tiny hand used to need me for support while we walked, or for comfort. But this was an adult-sized hand now.
“But Luke put it into perspective, and that helped,” I continued, leaning into her. “So, Zach, huh?”
She gently squeezed my fingers, but it was her bright smile, and the way her eyes lit up before she spoke, that gave her feelings away. For a moment, it took me back to the way she used to look at him, that final year before Clive and Zach left.
“It all just sort of snowballed.”
“Hm. That I can understand.” I reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Are you using protection? Those condoms—”
She flung her head up and stared at the ceiling—a tad dramatic, to be honest.
“Please, Mother. Enough with the condoms,” she groaned.
I guess I’d worn her down on the protection talks.
“True. You came despite a condom,” I mused.
“What?” she gasped, her head snapping back so fast it looked painful. “You never told me that.”
“I didn’t want to put you off using contraception. Probably best you use them all,” I said, smiling at the memory of all the painful talks we’d had. She was too easy to tease on certain topics.
“You still managed to sneak into my egg.”
“That’s gross, Mum,” she said, giggling despite herself.
“For you it is,” I acknowledged.
We were both quiet for a moment, lost in our own thoughts.
“He isn’t my real brother,” she whispered.
“I know, sweetie,” I whispered back. “But I need a minute to process.”
I thought of the last five years without Clive or Zach.
“Hopefully Zach will always be part of our family. This house is in your name, and Zach’s. It’s funny how things work out. Clive always said to leave this house to both of you. I just had to wait until you turned eighteen.”
“What about you?” she asked, frowning.
I almost rolled my eyes.
“Luke’s planned the next fifty years out,” I said, shaking my head.
“You know, they’re quite similar. Zach’s already planned what uni I’ll be in and where his job will be. I think we’re getting a plant to see if we can keep it alive before we get a pet.”
That made me smile. Luke had been right. Amber was growing up. I could already picture Zach becoming a responsible adult.
“Just warn me if you’re planning to make me a granny.”
“Warn me if I’m about to become a big sister,” she countered.
“Well, about that… you’re going to be a big sister.”
Her jaw fell open. I could see the inside of her mouth. Her eyes went wide as saucers. Her screech was ear-splitting.
Her hug was everything.
Luke and Zach piled through the door, each trying to shove the other out of the way first.
I smiled, holding my daughter, savouring this moment, committing it to memory.
The moment our family grew.
But this was girlie time.
“Everyone out,” I said still holding Amber in my embrace.