“Oh,” she said, really not sure what to do with the frank line of conversation.
“Can you guys not scare her?” Wolf asked.
Elsie shrugged. “I’m just being myself.”
Midway through dinner, a baby started to cry, and when Evelyn left the room, and appeared with the most adorable little girl Violet had ever seen, her hormones did something very strange. Her whole face got hot, her entire body feeling unsteady.
“You want to hold her?” Evelyn asked.
“Oh, I... I probably shouldn’t. I...”
But she found the baby being dumped into her arms, and she could only stare at her, as the little girl with wide blue eyes stared back.
“She’s beautiful,” Violet said, meaning it.
She had a lot of experience with babies. After all, she had younger half siblings. And so many baby cousins. But...she had never been pregnant while holding a baby before. And imagining that in just a few months’ time, she herself could be a mother.
“Oh,” she said, touching the baby’s downy cheek, and feeling it all settle in, very real. Very intense.
“Her name is June,” Evelyn said.
“Hi, June,” Violet whispered.
After a minute the infant got fractious, and she passed her back to her mother, thankful to have a slightly less intense moment to exist in. Dwelling on the reality of the situation was only acceptable for a few minutes at a time.
When they finished they adjourned to the living room, with plates of dessert. And Violet, feeling like a coward, stayed at the kitchen table. It surprised her that it was Elsie who stayed behind.
“So you’ve been just staying in my brother’s cabin?”
“For the last couple of days.”
“Are you in love with him?”
The question sent a streak of horror through Violet. She wasn’t ready to think about that, let alone talk about it.
“It’s complicated,” Violet said.
Elsie nodded, her expression thoughtful. “Yeah. Well. Wolf is tough.”
So it wasn’t just her who thought so. It made her feel... Well, validated if nothing else. If his own sister thought he was tough, then maybe there wasn’t something wrong with her that she couldn’t just magically understand him. “Well, he’s tough but he is kind,” Violet said, feeling defensive of him.
Is he kind? When exactly has he been kind to you?
The whole situation with her family. That demonstrated how deep he did care, even if he had difficulty conveying it.
“He’s... I mean, he really loves all of you,” she continued. “He says we’re about the same age?”
“Yeah,” Elsie snorted. “You’re younger than me.”
“Oh. Yeah. I guess so.”
“I can’t believe you’re having a baby. I’m not ready for anything like that.”
“I don’t know that I’m ready...” Violet said.
“Well. I have a lot to do before I could consider it.”
“Is Hunter your...”