Page 70 of Endurance
“Try on my garden shoes by the door. I’m obviously in no condition to play.” Vi points to her stomach.
Hayden waltzes over to her and kisses her temple, his hand cupping her belly like it’s the most natural resting place for it. “I’ll stay here with you,” he murmurs, pinching a piece of cheese from the counter.
“No!” Vi exclaims. “Go play, really.” He frowns but she’s not having it. “Tanner can stay inside with me. Too many Harrises out there will surely result in an injury. You take Belle and make sure they all play clean. Camden can be a cheating wanker.”
I check with Belle to see if she’s good with this. Going against Vi wouldn’t be easy, but I’d fight the cause if Belle wants me out there. She assures me she’s good, though, so I do as my sister says and hang back.
I sidle up at the island and watch Vi grab a block of cheese out of the fridge. “Aren’t you exhausted?” I ask, watching her lumber around in the kitchen. She’s petite and this baby looks like it’s taking over.
“I was completely shattered for the longest time, but the last couple of weeks I’ve felt great!” She reaches in the drawer and pulls out a cheese grater. “I can’t believe I’m only two weeks away from my due date.”
“You guys decide on a name yet? Tanner for a girl has a nice ring to it.”
She pauses to stroke her belly, ignoring my suggestion completely. “We’ll know it when we see her.” The twinkle in her eyes is like a Disney movie.
“You seem happy,” I state, unable to hide my smile. Her aura is infectious.
“I am, Tan.” Her chin wobbles and she scoffs like she’s being ridiculous. She resumes her activity. “So you and Belle?”
I roll my eyes. “Did Booker fill you in?”
She cuts her eyes to me. “Of course. You know you can’t hide anything in this family.”
“I wasn’t hiding it,” I exhale, fiddling with the label on the mustard. “I just thought I might be able to tell you myself for once. Silly me.”
She begins grating the cheese. “So that didn’t take long.” She shoots her prying eyes straight at me.
My brows lift. “Felt like it took ages. Last week was murder after I left here.”
“Well, can you blame us?”
I frown. “No, but I do prefer to come to things on my own.”
She ponders that thought. “That’s very true. Even when you struggled in school, you never really struggled. You were just on your own timeframe.”
“See? I get there eventually.”
“So you really like her? I mean, you must. This is the first girl you’ve ever brought around here that you weren’t sneaking in through the conservatory to shag.”
My jaw drops. “You knew about that? I thought I was being sly.”
She purses her lips. “Mission failed. The whole village of Chigwell knew about that.” She looks down again. “Belle must be different.”
“She’s certainly that.” I drag in a large breath and grab a bottle of tomato sauce and spin it on its side in front of me. The mindless task helps clear my thoughts. “She’s funny and wild and a bit crazy, which is kind of hot because I never know what to expect. And she’s so fucking smart, Vi. She’s acing it at her job, and she’s so passionate about it that it makes me want to domore. I don’t know.” My voice trails off.
Vi props a hand on her hip. “What kind of more?”
I shrug. “Like, maybe start my own charity or something.”
I wince having now spoken the words aloud. Normally in my family, I’m the joke, the punchline, the comedic laugh charged and ready for when things get too serious. Now I’m putting something very serious into the universe for judgement. It makes my butthole pucker.
I look up to see Vi’s glossy eyes locked on mine. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I think so. There was a homeless bloke who helped me out the night I was caught on camera in Belle’s car, and I sort of repaid the favour to him. But it didn’t feel like enough to just give him a warm bed and a shower, so I ended up securing him a job with the grounds crew at Tower Park.”
“You did?” Vi’s jaw is slack.
“Yeah. It’s not a big deal. Dad lined up most of it. But the guy’s name is Sedgwick and he keeps talking about these friends of his on the street. I can’t help but feel like I can do more for them.”
