CHAPTER 9
JESSE
Colin wasn’t here yet, and I was going to stick around until he showed up, which was a little dull. The great thing about my brothers having kids now was not only that I got to be the cool uncle, but the little ones also gave me a fantastic excuse to avoid the actual grownups in the room. Cameron, for example, was having a ball turning me into his personal climbing frame, squealing every time I grabbed him to tickle him or turn him upside down.
Since his father was the grownup I was trying to avoid most, I knew I was safe with him. Alex wouldn’t dare lose it on me in front of his son. Was it wrong to use my nephew as an emotional human shield? Probably. But the kid was having a great time and seeing his cute little laugh made all my burdens a little lighter.
I hadn’t seen Nate, our second oldest brother yet, but since his wife, Kate, was here, I was assuming Nate had taken their daughter to someplace else in the house. Maybe changing her diaper or something. Maybe they had fallen asleep in one of the bedrooms. Parenting seemed exhausting.
Once he brought her back, however, Emma would be mine too. She and Cameron were going to be my tiny, fun little buffers tonight.
Kate and Jane’s conversation turned toward my sister, Charlotte, and her husband, Trent. As soon as I heard Charlotte’s name, my ears perked up, and when Kate added something about her beingeight weeks along, my eyes widened.
“What?” I jumped up instantly, scooping Cameron into my arms and carrying him to the kitchen with me. “What was that?”
Kate sighed but gave me an indulgent smile. “Since when do you actually pay attention to anything we say?”
“Since now.” I smirked, but curiosity tugged at me. “So, are they having a kid?”
Charlotte and Trent had been trying for several years to start a family, and I knew how devastating it had been for her that it just didn’t seem to be happening for them. My sister was super family oriented and Trent, who was a good friend to all of us, had been doing everything in his power to give Charlotte what she wanted and needed, but so far, nothing had worked. The whole family had been rooting for them.
Alex appeared around a corner into the kitchen, and my instinct was to run. But he was grinning like he’d just received the news that he was going to be a father again himself. There was also a fair amount of relief etched into his features instead of annoyance at me, so that was great.
“It’s true,” he said happily. “Charlotte is pregnant.”
A round of cheers, laughter, and applause broke out, even Emma joining in when she came toddling toward us from the hallway with Nate hot on her heels. I hoisted Cameron into the air, including him in the celebration.
“They should name this one after me, too,” I said, joking to hide the gratitude swelling in a spot deep inside where my true feelings lived. It didn’t get that much action, but I was genuinely happy for them.
“I just got off the phone with Trent,” Alex said, ignoring me. “They were thinking about flying in from Texas to celebrate withus but decided to give it a few weeks and come for the Westwood Autumn Gala instead. Trent doesn’t want her flying too often.”
I blinked hard. “We’re reviving that old tradition?”
Alex glanced at me. “The gala? Sure. Jane and I decided it was time to bring it back.”
That was surprising news. Back in the day, that gala had been the event of the year. Presidents used to attend, but there hadn’t been one since the year our mom had died. It wouldn’t have been the same without her.
Nate looked as shocked as I felt. Kate slid her hand into his as she took a step closer to him, but no one argued. It was time to bring it back, I guessed. Mom would’ve been pissed if she knew we’d let it fall away simply because she wasn’t here anymore.
As hard as it was going to be, attending without her, I felt my resolve swell to make her proud. Even if I doubted Alex would give me any real responsibility around the planning at this point. That was fine with me.
I nodded slowly. “Itisabout time we bring it back. That’s a good idea, bro. She’d love it.”
For the first time today, he looked at me like my brother instead of a disappointed employer. Jane grabbed her phone to call Charlotte and Alex pulled me aside. “Can we talk?” he asked.
“Only if you offer me a drink before ripping me a new one,” I said. “It’s only polite, man. We’ve barely even finished celebrating the good news.”
Alex chuckled, but to my surprise, he also nodded. “Alright. One drink coming up.”
My brow furrowed. “What the hell’s going on? Are you feeling okay? You’re much nicer tonight.”
“Charlotte is pregnant, bro. That’s good news,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. Then he led me out of the kitchen after Nate, who’d already disappeared. “Trent said that it’s been getting harder and harder on her. Whenever I spoke to her, shejust kept telling me that it was fine and that it would happen when it happened, but she cried to Nate about it one night, not understanding why everyone else got pregnant if they just looked at each other for too long, but not her.”
My stomach twisted. While I’d known that they were trying, my sister hadn’t toldmeany of that. More and more, I was starting to realize how badly I’d damaged my bond with my siblings by staying away so long. They were still a close group, but I’d ended up putting myself on the outside looking in, and it wasn’t a great feeling.
Nate was already holed up in Alex’s study when we walked in, looking over paperwork as usual. His expression was weirdly serious, though. A couple minutes ago, he’d been in the kitchen with us, happy about Charlotte’s pregnancy and surprised by Alex’s announcement, but all of that was gone now.
I frowned. “What’s this all about?”