“Why are you so nervous? They’re gonna find out sooner or later.”
Gavin grunted, “You’ll tell them?”
I shrugged. “Depends.”
“On what?” my stupid brother asked.
I moved my head down to his. “On whether you leave Brandon’s circle willingly or if I’ve to drag you from it.”
Gavin pulled away from me. “Bloody hell, Aideen.”
I stowed my itching palm and instead placed it gently on Gavin’s shoulder.
“I love you, and makin’ sure you have no part of that life is my job as your—”
“Sister!” Gavin cut me off on a growl. “You’re me sister, not me ma.”
I swallowed down the hurt that Gavin’s statement made me feel and played it off with a shrug. “You’re right, I’m not Ma, but I’m the closest thing you’ve ever had. You would want to start remindin’ yourself of that.”
I pressed a cotton ball hard against a cut over his eyebrow and it caused Gavin to hiss. I cleaned up the rest of his face and pushed the kit over to my other brothers as they began to clean themselves up.
“So,” James mumbled from across the table, “when are you goin’ to have... the baby?”
Fuck, that sounded so strange.
I cleared my throat. “In six months. I’m three months gone so it will be a short while yet before I start to show.”
“What’s that mean?” Dante asked me.
I snorted as I moved away from Gavin. “It means before I start to show a bump. A pregnant belly.”
“Oh. Right,” Dante said and pressed a pack of frozen peas to his jaw.
“Six months’ time will be in January,” Gavin commented.
I smiled. “Yep, and you won’t believe when my due date is?”
My brothers all smiled. “Ma’s birthday?”
“The very one. Can you believe it? Out of all the days for me to be due a baby, it falls on Ma’s birthday.”
“I told you she is watchin’ over you—all over you.” I looked at my father when he stepped next to me. I smiled when he folded his arms around me. “Congratulations, babygirl.”
I squeezed my father tightly. “Thanks, Da.”
“Yeah, congrats sis,” Harley’s voice rang out.
I smiled as I pulled away from my father and found all my brothers up on their feet and moving towards me. I laughed when they surrounded me and we had us a big group hug.
“We’re goin’ to be uncles!” Gavin said, his voice sounding like a child’s.
I laughed and moved away from my brothers and over to the sink where I got a drink of water. “Yep, you will be uncles but so will the Slater brothers, so I’d appreciate you four not attackin’ them when you see them in the future.”
James smirked at me. “No promises.”
I shook my head. “Everythin’ is crazy right now for me and Kane. Please be considerate. He only got out of hospital ten days ago.”
“For what?” Harley questioned.
“He has diabetes,” I explained.
My father shook his head and glared at James.
“I didn’t know he was ill!” my brother snapped in his defence.
I exhaled.
“Besides, he didn’t hit like he was weakened in any way.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. My brothers and father followed suit.
A few hours passed by with just myself, my father, and my brothers talking to one another. We went down memory lane and discussed our futures with smiles and laughter. Around nine pm I began to feel really tired. Harley offered to drive me home, which I happily accepted. I hugged everyone goodbye, let them know I thought they were dicks for fighting, but that I loved them anyway.
Harley drove me home and walked me up to my apartment door. He bailed on my invite for a cup of tea because he knew I was tired. He left when I was safely inside my apartment with the door locked.
For a few moments inside my apartment I was calm and collected but all of a sudden, I couldn’t help it when tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I wasn’t much of a crier—I grew up with four brothers and a single father, it toughened me up—but with everything on my mind, I couldn’t keep it together.
I was going to have a baby, and my family hated the father of the baby.
I looked up to the ceiling and whimpered, “Whatever game you’re playin’, Ma, I don’t find it one bit funny.”
I could hear my mother’s rich laughter in my head and for a moment, it soothed me. I walked into my kitchen, flipped on the lights, and put my bag on the kitchen table. I filled my kettle with water and set it to boil.
I needed a cup of tea.
I actually needed something stronger, but seeing as I was pregnant, tea would have to be my go-to stress reliever drink from now on, and I could see a lot of cups of tea being made in my future.
“Aideen? Open up, it’s me.”
I blinked my eyes open and couldn’t help but smile a little as I got up from my sofa and lazily walked over to my apartment door and opened it wide for my best friend.
“I’m so sorry, babe,” Keela said as she stepped into my apartment and wrapped her arms around me. “I would have come over this mornin’ had I known.”