I knew he was right, but I worried about Neckie and the baby, my brother and Nico, and most of all my sister’s heart. If something happened to Neckie this soon after coming together with MJ, I wasn’t sure if my sister could take it.
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
Doc’s face widened into a grin. “Make us a big stack of grilled cheese sandwiches. I brought groceries.”
So I went to work. As the hours of Neckie’s labor passed, I made myself as useful as possible. I cooked and cleaned, ran laundry, and even drove Grandpa’s truck out to fill it with gas. At one point I realized I’d never brought up the real estate mystery to Augie in my haste to get him in bed. I spent time trying to figure out the best way to tackle the tricky subject without making his family out to be scammers. One thing was for sure: I’d have to tread lightly.
By the time my new niece came into the world, it was after dark and half my family was huddled around a makeshift fire ring next to Neckie’s driveway.
“She’s here!” Darci called from the front door. “She’s tiny but strong as hell. Gonna be just fine. West wanted me to get Doc and Grandpa.”
Doc and Grandpa were in the midst of a tight hug of relief when they heard that. Doc pulled away but not before leaning in to place a soft kiss on his husband’s lips. I couldn’t hear their whispers from across the fire, but I could see the words of love on their lips.
It was the most selfish thought in the world considering the timing, but I couldn’t help but want that. I wanted what the two of them had shared for the past forty-something years.
I couldn’t help but think of Augie and wonder if he’d ever allow himself to have that kind of love—open and free for everyone around him to see.
There was one thing I knew for sure regardless of how Augie felt about finding love.
I, Saint Wilde, was finally ready for it.
MJ had been a star. She’d mastered the balance between soothing and encouraging Neckie to keep going when she’d wanted to give up. As soon as I had a turn to go in and see them, I noticed the way Neckie looked at MJ.
Like MJ was a frigid waterfall in the middle of a desert, offering sweet relief for Neckie’s parched and tired soul.
All around me were shining examples of partners loving and supporting each other. How in the world I’d managed to make it to thirty-one without realizing I was missing something huge was beyond me.
I spent a few minutes examining the tiniest toes on the planet as Nico and West sat huddled together on the papasan chair in Neckie’s front room staring at their new baby.
“We already asked Neckie’s permission to use her name,” Nico announced.
The room fell silent.
Neckie and MJ were still in the bedroom with the nurses, but the Wilde family in the front room were careful not to make a single disparaging noise. All ten of us siblings could attest to the sheer frustration at having an unusual name. Our Canadian mother had been fucking insane when she’d named us all after towns in her beloved home country.
“Um…” My sister Sassy looked worried. “Can I just tell you from personal experience that…”
West cut in. “Relax, everyone. We’re going to call her Reenie. Her full name is Adriana Nectarine Wilde after Nico’s sister too.”
Sassy sat back with a smile. “Reenie. I like that.”
Nico’s tears overflowed, and West leaned over to thumb them away before replacing the dampness on Nico’s cheeks with kisses. “I love you so much,” he murmured with a choked voice.
I heard Grandpa turn to Doc and call him “Great-Grand Doc,” which set all of us off laughing.
After a few more moments spent celebrating the new Wilde among us, it was time to clear out and let Neckie get some peace and quiet. I poked my head in long enough to blow Neckie a kiss and thank her for giving my family an amazing gift. MJ walked me out to the car.
“You were incredible today, Em,” I told her. “She obviously loves you as much as you love her.”
“Isn’t she amazing?”
I pulled my sister into a hug. “You both are. She’s going to need your quiet company in the days to come, I’m sure. Please tell me if I can help in any way. I know West and Nico will not just ditch her, but it might be easier for me to help than them. I’m sure looking after a two-year-old and newborn is going to be a challenge.”
MJ nodded. “If you can keep helping at the gym, that’ll be the biggest worry off her shoulders. She has good staff, but I’m sure she can use all the help over there she can get.”