Page 111 of Together

The party to celebrate a year of Jackson’s life is full of laughter and chatter. There’s no drama, no arguments, no awkwardness.

“How you doing, mama?” Nik asks me quietly.

“I’m doing perfect.”

He places a hand on my stomach. “We ready to tell everyone?”

“It’s not too early?”

“We’re out of the first trimester. I think it’s time.”

“Okay then.”

“It’s time!” Dean shouts. “Holy crap! It’s time! It’s time!”

“Wow, that’s weird, right?” Nik says to me.

“Pretty sure they’re talking about something else entirely,” I tell him, pointing to his sister who is standing in a pool of water, holding her belly.

“Oh! Oh crap! It’s time! Get her outta here! We don’t need a repeat of the last time someone went into labor in this house.”

Suddenly there’s a flurry of activity as we try to usher Josie out the door. She, however, has other plans. “Stop it. I want to see Jackson eat his cake first. We’ve got plenty of time. I don’t even feel my contractions yet.”

“Take it from me, Josie. Don’t assume…”

“Oh hush. Your situation was completely different. Give the boy his cake so I can see him eat it then we’ll go… oh! oh no…”

“Not again,” Nik groans. “When you get to the eighth month with this one, we’re just going to camp out at the hospital.”

“At least this time we have a doctor and nurse here,” I remind him, pointing to Cole and Mia who are helping Josie as she moves to the house, Dean by her side.

“This house is cursed.”

“Nah. I’d say it’s the opposite. It’s the perfect house, right? It’s where we got our start together.”

He kisses me hard, right in front of our family who’s running around trying to help Josie.

“By the way, everyone! Ash and I are expecting another baby!”

“Oh my gosh, you tell me this now?” Josie moans. “I mean, yay! But remind me again after I give birth, okay?”

“You got it, sis!” Nik hollers.

“I love you,” I tell him.

“Not nearly as much as I love you,” Nik argues.