Page 11 of Faith Notes
I don’t know who reacts first, but someone gasps, and then they all rush to us, surrounding us in hugs and love.
Avery is still on the stool, clapping her hands and joining in on the fun. Georgia wraps her arms around her, swinging her into a hug, and Avery squeezes Georgia back.
I take them both in mine, joining in on the group hug.
“You know, Avery,” Georgia says, “that means you’re going to be a big cousin. Do you think you can handle that?”
Avery leans back, looking at both of us with a serious look on her face. “I’ll be the best big cousin ever.”
Chuckling, I knick her chin with my knuckle. “I figured you would be.”
“That’s not all she’s going to be.” Brooks’s voice interrupts our moment, and I turn around to look at my little brother.There’s a gleam in his eye that catches my attention. He’s holding Emryn’s hand with one hand, and just like I was with Georgia earlier, his other hand rests protectively atop Emryn’s stomach.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I ask, looking from him to Emryn.
A wide grin spreads across her face, and she nods. “Avery is going to be a big sister, too.”
I’m not a man to cry, but I seem to be having sympathy symptoms for Georgia because my eyes burn with the pure love I have for these people in my life.
Letting go of Avery and Georgia, I lean forward and clap my brother on the back.
“Congratulations, little brother. I’m proud of you.”
Out of my peripheral, I catch the two pregnant women swiping underneath their eyes.
I could probably blame their emotional display on their pregnancy hormones, but then Brooks hugs me back and says, “You’re going to make a great dad, Gray.”
And I find myself having to wipe at my eyes, too.
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“Nate would be happy for you, you know.”
I’m standing on the back porch, looking up at the summer night sky. The stars are bright tonight, and I stepped out here to appreciate them just for a moment.
But I didn’t realize someone else was out here first.
Turning, I find Harper sitting on a chair hidden in the shadows.
With my hands in my pocket, I walk over to where she’s sitting and lean against the porch railing beside her. My attention stays out on the sky, but it doesn’t keep me from considering her, too.
She’s more withdrawn than usual, which is saying something because her lack of social skills could rival mine.
Harper is cradling a glass to her chest, her legs tucked under her on the chair. Her eyes look sad, and I can’t help but notice that, once again, her husband isn’t around. Not that I mind. The guy is a jerk. But I know if Nate were around, it would make him sad. He wanted the best for his little sister, even if she was pricklier than a cactus. And I hate that Nate isn’t around for her.
“What are you doing out here by yourself, Harper?”
She shrugs, taking a sip of her drink. “Needed to think.”
“About what?”
“My life and where it’s going—or not going, I guess.”
A couple of years ago, this conversation wouldn’t have happened. Harper hated me, and I can’t say I was very fond of her, either. But she’s grown a lot, and so have I.
“Why do you say that?”
Her gaze is sharp and cutting when she looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “Because it’s the truth. Evenyouare moving on with life.”
