“What exactly scares you the most?” Trystan chimes in. Leave it to him. He wants to find the source of fear and fix it. Natural protector. He’s a good one.
“I’m afraid to even voice it.”
“It’s just us. Nothing to be scared of.”
“What if something happens? What if one of them…” he chokes up. “What if something happens to…her?”
We’re all quiet for a minute, contemplating what to say.Shit, that’s not what I was expecting. Most dads are, ‘What if I’m a shitty dad?’ or something along those lines. Colin’s already lost so much. Yeah, I guess it makes sense that that’s where his head would go.
“Sydney and the babies are going to do just fine. There’ve been zero worries from her doctor so far,” Mark says.
“You can’t promise or guarantee that. Nobody can.” Colin sets his pole down and rests his elbows on his knees as he lays his head in his hands, taking a deep breath. We all feel for him, and there’s no right words in this moment. All we can do is breathe with him while he rides out the waves of anxiety.
Garrett reaches out and pats him on the back, knowing he’s one of the only ones who truly has an inkling of what Colin’s feeling. Trystan’s right behind him with his and Brynleigh’s loss.
“We’re here. Between you and Dr. Sexy over there, yeah, that’s what my wife says the chicks call you…” Garrett peeks upat me with a smartass grimace. “Nothing big is going to get past your guards.”
“She’s what, thirty-two weeks?” Trystan asks.
“Almost thirty-three,” Colin says under his breath.
“At least we know they’re not coming too early,” I add.
“There’s that.”
“You guys really didn’t find out the sexes? You’re not just keeping it from us?” Mark asks, tentatively pulling us toward a lighter area of pregnancy thoughts.
“We decided to live dangerously. We’ve got plenty of neutral clothes to start, and I’m sure her mother will gladly come in blazing with all the pink things or blue.”
“Need help with the cribs and stuff?” Mark offers.
“All done.”
“See, you’ve got this,” Trystan encourages.
My line tugs hard.
“Oh, buddy–andI’ve got this!” Setting my hook good and hard, I wrangle in a nice-sized bass just as Garrett sets his hook and fights for a crappie. Typically, Trystan’s the one reeling in the majority of the good catches. Looks like luck seems to be on my side with more than one thing this weekend.
“So, since nobody else is bringing it up, are things starting to turn around with our Holly?” Trystan pipes up when the reeling slows back down.
“OurHolly?” I scoff.
“Yes,we’reall very protective of our ladies,” Trystan adds, no nonsense. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that by now. She’s practically little sister territory.”
“Then we’re good, because I don’t share.”
Garrett chuffs under his breath.
“You mean, we’re good, so we don’t have to whoop your ass?” Mark retorts.
“Everything is looking up gentlemen. Your little sister is in good hands.”
They go quiet, and I feel all their heads turn slowly my way before I actually see it. Yeah, totally a bunch of big brothers. Wrong choice of wording.
“I just mean that she’s safe with me.”
The snickers that ensue as Colin casts back out are contagious.