Emery
“Twins?”Reed exclaims, leaping from the couch. “Wait, what? What do you mean twins? You’repregnant?” He begins pacing the room, pulling on his mop of curls while he tries to come to terms with what we’ve just announced.
“Well, I mean generally having twins means you are pregnant bro.” I say.
He stops pacing to look at me, “Sorry if I’m in fucking shock that my best friend knocked up my baby sister. Wait, wait, wait.Is my sister your Tuesday hookup?” He looks like he’s about two seconds from stalking across the room and killing Graham.
I’m going to die of mortification.Jesus.
“Fuck no, she is not. I’m not hooking up with anyone for your information.” Graham says to Reed, shooting him daggers with his eyes.
“Good, I’d hate for my nieces or nephews to be fatherless because I had to kill him.”
I roll my eyes, while Holland shakes her head, stifling a grin at my brother’s reaction to the news.
“Oh my god,” my mother cries, covering her mouth as tears well in her eyes. “My baby is having babies!”
Trust me when I say, I didn’t actually plan to have everyone here at once, dropping this kind of bomb, but Graham said it’s like a Band-Aid, and we needed to rip it off and get it over with.
And… he’s probably right.
So, here we are. In my living room surrounded by our family and friends, less of Graham’s, of course, since they’re in Indiana, or Idaho or wherever they are.
We’ll cross that bridge once we cross this one. I’m taking it one day at a time.
“So, you two have been secretly banging? Wow, and I thought you hated each other.” Hudson smirks, looking between the two of us.
“Well, I’m pretty sure she still hates me, but here we are,” Graham says.
I reach over and punch him in the arm, not hard, but enough to sting.
“What the hell was that for, Em?”
“Don’t be crass. Either of you.” I narrow my eyes at Hudson, who raises his hands in surrender. “I’m pretty sure we’re all adults here and we know exactly how babies are made since you all have them. Yes, Graham and I are having babies together. Two. Twins, and they are identical from what we know right now.”
“Identical twins,” Reed squeaks, his eyes wide, “I feel like I missed a chapter. Fuck, I’m in the wrong goddamn book.”
Holland shoots him a death stare and yanks on his hand, pulling him back down to sit.
“I know it’s shocking, we’re pretty shocked too, but we’re having babies. And there’s no going back. So, we just wanted to tell all of you together. This is a… complicated situation. We’re not together romantically but wearegoing to work together to raise the babies.”
“Sound familiar?” Briggs nudges Maddison, who’s trying to wrangle Olive, their toddler from knocking over my bookshelf.
Maddison laughs, nodding. She clutches her belly lovingly, rubbing the protruding bump. Kind of ironic that Holland, Maddison and myself are all pregnant. At the same time.
Honestly, it makes me feel marginally better about being pregnant for the first time. Knowing I’ll have the best support system in the world.
“I’m just ready for all this baby shower food,” Asher quips.
“Yeah, dude, same, they always have those little BBQ weenies,” Hudson agrees. “Oh hell yeah, and cupcakes.”
“Fuck yeah, those are my favorite. We’re definitely having those, right Em?”
Jesus Christ.
“Will all three of you be quiet?” Reed grunts. “I just found out my baby sister is pregnant, and you fuckers are worried about BBQ weenies and baby showers. Em, are the babies going to be okay? Are you okay?”
The entire time he’s speaking, he’s pacing the floor, running his hand through his already tousled hair. Something I’ve seen him do a hundred times.