Page 60 of Shuttered Hearts

“Nothing, buddy. Caleb just isn’t any fun,” I say, knocking Caleb’s shoulder lightly with a smile on my face, a smile I can’t seem to get rid of since Declan picked me up for our date yesterday.

“All right, you two. That’s enough,” Dad says, laughing from his spot in the living room.

“Do you need help with anything else, Emily?” Declan asks, changing the subject.

“If you can take the rest of those dishes to the table, I’ll be over with the pancakes in just a minute.”

“You got it.”

Dad gets up from the living room and takes his seat at the table. “How are you feeling, Emily?”

“I’m good. I lucked out. I haven’t had any morning sickness, so it’s been a relatively easy pregnancy so far.” She sets the plate of pancakes on the table and sits while the rest of us move around, helping bring everything to the table before taking our seats. “I’m eager for our appointment next week. We get to find out the sex.” Caleb reaches over to grasp her hand in his, an excited smile on his face.

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Dad smiles at her from the other end of the table.

Emily shifts in her seat, uncomfortable with all the attention on her. “Well, all right, dig in.” She doesn’t need to tell this crowd twice. We all jump in and start passing dishes around, breaking off into our own conversations, enjoying the time together.

“I have some news,” Ava says later after we’ve finished eating and are sitting around talking. She looks briefly at Max before shifting her eyes to Dad as if silently asking if talking in front of him is okay.

“About Nicole?”

“Yes.” The tension in the room grows, all of us shifting in our seats. I feel Declan’s hand, which had previously been resting along the back of my chair, move to rest on the back of my neck, under the cover of my hair.

“It’s okay. Max knows what’s going on. We’ve talked about it.” Dad offers a comforting smile to Max.

“We received the court date for preliminary hearings,” she tells us. “I’m honestly shocked we heard back as quickly as we did, and I’m even more surprised by how soon the hearing is. They’ve set the date for next Friday afternoon. It will likely be the last hearing before the holiday closures.”

“Do I have to go?” Max asks.

“Well, you aren’t required to be there, but if your dad is okay with it and you want to be there, it’s allowed,” she answers him hesitantly.

Max turns to Dad but doesn’t say anything. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to see her.”

“Okay, then you won’t go. You might have to hang out with Lucy that afternoon, though.”

“That’s fine,” he says immediately. “Lucy always makes the best hot chocolate.”

Dad laughs. “Okay then. You’ll hang out with Lucy. I assume the rest of you will be joining Ava and I?”

“Where else would we be?” Caleb answers for all of us.

“Okay. What do you need from us, Ava?” Dad turns back to her.

“Nothing at the moment. This is for the judge to review everything he’s been given. This is likely where he will order mediation to see if you and Nicole can come to an agreement before moving forward with any future hearings.”

“All right. Just let us know where to be and when to be there,” Dad tells Ava before turning to the rest of us, moving on from the conversation entirely. “What does everyone have planned for today?”

“Absolutely nothing! And nobody is changing that. Not even you,” I rush to tell him.

“I wasn’t asking because I needed anything. I was just curious about what everyone was doing. But it’s good to know where I stand.” Dad laughs.

“Sorry, I haven’t had a day of doing nothing for a long time now, and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

“Emily and I are finishing our Christmas shopping before our shifts at the hospital this evening,” Caleb offers.

“Who do you still need to shop for?” Dad asks.

---