Page 95 of The Fix-Up

“I’m so glad we could all be together,” Mom said in her outside voice (even if we were inside). “Look at how our family is growing. We have Mae, and the baby any day. Now Ellie introduces us to Gilbert. It’s making my mama heart so happy.”

“Mom.” I groaned. “I’ve already told you we’re business partners, not, you know…”

Mom didn’t look like she believed it. In fact, no one looked like they believed that. Me included. My mother opened her mouth to argue when a miracle happened right there at Easter dinner.

“Oh,” Mae said, her eyes huge. “I think my water broke.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

[Love is…] dedication.

—BETHANY, AGE 17

The entirety of the hospital waiting room was composed of Sterns family members and Sterns family-adjacent members. Lucy, Mae’s mother, and Iris were here, too. In true fashion, they’d made themselves at home, sprawled across the room like we were paying rent. Someone must have cleaned out every vending machine in the hospital judging by the mound of candy bars and bags of chips.

“You know, you can go home,” I said. I was sitting in one of the pale-pink waiting room chairs; Oliver was cuddled up next to me, sound asleep. Gil was in the next seat. “This is probably not how you expected to spend your Sunday evening.”

Gil looked up from theWomen’s Healthmagazine (circa two thousand and three) he was reading and shook his head. “I’m right in the middle of this article about perimenopause and weight gain. I need to finish it.”

“Oh, I bet. Sounds like the kind of practical information you need.”

He snapped the magazine. “Exactly.”

After he’d hidden behind the magazine for another few minutes, I used a finger to pull the top down. “I’m serious. Don’t feel like you have to stay. I know this might be a lot for you.”

He leaned closer. “It is a lot, but in a good way. It was just my dad and brother and me growing up. You have a whole family.”

“Oh, I know it, trust me.” I loved my family with every fiber of my being, but I wasn’t sad about not living closer to them. Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Sure, we’ll go with that.

He studied the people in the room, his expression thoughtful. “You’re lucky, you know. They really love you.”

“They do. I love them, too. But I always feel like I’m the one kid who didn’t fall in line. Like I’m a disappointment.”

“I’m a third-party observer, but it seems to me they’re pretty proud of you.”

“You think?” I felt dumb for asking, embarrassed even. But I hoped that was true. I wanted so badly for that to be true.

“Yeah, I think.” Gil caught my eye and smiled. My heart rolled over and begged for more. “More than that, I think they like you, too, and they want the best for you whatever that looks like.” He nodded toward my mom who was fussing at one of my sisters. “That’s not a mom who sees you as a disappointment; that’s a mom who sees all the best things about you and doesn’t want you to settle.”

“Thanks,” I whispered, pulling Oliver a little closer to my side.

“It’s the truth.”

I fiddled with a tiny bit of pleather peeling from the waiting room chair. “Um, the whole weird thing about my mom thinking we’re together…don’t worry, I’ll set her straight again.”

“Okay.” He picked the magazine back up and held it in front of his face.

“That’s it? Okay. Didn’t it weird you out?”

Without moving the magazine, he said, “That your family thinks a smart, driven, funny, beautiful woman would want to date me? Nope, not weirded out at all.”

Had he just said that about me? I looked away, trying to hide how flushed my face was.

“Of course, after that talk your dad had with me, we might be engaged now.”

I whipped my head around. “Excuse me? What?”

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