Page 94 of Falling for You

I don’t know why I feel so overwhelmed at the moment, or emotional over Ethan and Olivia’s baby. I can’t stop crying. Through tears, I say in a wobbly voice, “I’m so happy for them.”

She coddles me. “Aww, honey. I know.”

“They’re so perfect for each other and I almost missed out!” I cry.

She giggles. “Remember, that wasn’t your fault. Besides, it all worked out and now you’re going to be an auntie!”

I stare at their smiling faces on my phone and cry harder.

“Oh geesh. You’re a mess.”

“Shut up! I can’t help it!”

She fiddles with her phone with one hand while holding me with her other arm around my shoulder.

“I have to get back to Rene before I over-process her. Are you going to be okay?”

I sniffle, wipe my nose indelicately with the back of my hand and nod.

It takes me a solid ten minutes to get myself under control only for me to lose it all over again when I see Rex come in.

He rushes over to me. “Gorgeous, what’s wrong?”

I do what I did with Ari and show him my phone.

“Is there something wrong with the baby?” he asks nervously.

“No! But it has my nose!” I cry.

He looks stunned for a second before a grin breaks out on his face. “Baby,” he soothes.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I grumble while crying. “It’s just hitting me all at once, I guess. Did I ever tell you I always wanted a big brother?”

He shakes his head and I continue. “I did. My friend Jillian had an older brother and he was such a nerd but so nice and they were buddies, you know? She always had a playmate, a friend. And I wanted that so badly. I was so jealous of her, even when he would try to force us to play chess and, no joke, read the encyclopedia.”

“And now? How do you feel?”

“Lucky?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m coming around to the idea, I guess. But he told me his baby has my nose and it hit me hard.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, quiet.

“You need to meet your brother’s kids, Rex. Even if it’s just once.”

“I know. I’ve been thinking about it more and I agree.”

Rex had told me how Ethan had felt abandoned because of the way our mom left, and like he missed out on having a woman in his life. Which makes sense, considering his mom technically did, even if I truly believe she felt like she was doing it for his own good. Maybe that’s why the transition has been easier for him. He was searching for a connection to a female family member his entire life and now I’m here.

But it took seeing a picture of his unborn child for it to feel real.

I have a niece or nephew on the way. Something I didn’t think I’d ever be able to say. Life is strange. If I hadn’t had a crappy day, I wouldn’t have met Rex. If I hadn’t have met Rex, I wouldn’t have met Ethan the way I had. I know down to my bones it would have been different had we happened upon each other in any other situation.

If I had come into The Flying Goat some night and saw him instead of Rex, I don’t know that we would be sitting here right now. Rex was our buffer that night of the Halloween party and helped to take away some of the pressure.

“Will you be there with me?”

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