A Perfect Momen(3)

I blink and tears slide down my face.

“That looks like the opposite of happy,” Tanner adds flatly. I burst out with a garbled laugh and quickly swipe at my cheeks.

“What is it?” Booker asks again.

“Out with it,” Gareth adds.

I exhale and decide to stare at the floor while I say it. “I’m pregnant, you sods.”

I’m met with silence, so I look up to see their reactions.

Camden’s face looks contorted. “With whose baby?”

“Hayden’s!” I bellow. “Who else’s would it be?”

His shoulders drop as he runs a hand through his hair. “Well, fuck! I don’t know. You’re sitting over there crying, so I thought maybe you were up the duff with another bloke’s kid and that’s what’s got you all emotional.”

“No,” I groan.

“Then, why are you crying?” Booker asks.

I turn and drop down onto the edge of the tub with my head in my hands, unable to look at them. “I’m supposed to be setting a good example for you four. You’d all be the biggest sluts in football if I didn’t thump you from time to time. Now I’m over here being a hypocrite and getting things horribly out of order. This isn’t the way things are supposed to be.”

“Vi,” they all reply in unison.

I look up when Gareth approaches me. He’s got his big brother face on again. The one that almost always makes me cry. His dark-rimmed hazel eyes pierce through me with so much emotion, I feel my knees begin to tremble.

He sits down beside me. “We weren’t supposed to lose our mum before you guys started primary school, either…but we did.” The entire room freezes. Gareth spent the most time with Mum at the end, but he rarely talks about her. “Life is full of things that aren’t supposed to be, Vi. We weren’t supposed to watch Dad spiral into a deep depression for years after Mum passed, but we did. I wasn’t supposed to sign with Dad’s old team, Man U, but I did. If things happened the way they were supposed to, life would be pretty boring. Doesn’t mean it can’t all turn out great in the end.”

“Just look at how great the two of us are,” Tanner adds, throwing his arm around Camden that ripple effects into Cam shoving Tanner into Booker. An amused glint in all of their eyes as they playfully shove each other brings a genuine smile to my face, and even to Mr. Serious, Gareth, himself.

“Yeah, you guys aren’t horrible, I guess,” I reply and Gareth nudges me with his shoulder.

“I know you’re going to make a wonderful mum,” he says softly.

My happy smile falters. “How?”

“Because you were wonderful to all of us.”

“I’m going to puke,” Tanner bellows, smashing the moment to smithereens. “This is way too much emotion. I survived for about two minutes, but I’ve reached my quota. Can I leave? There’s a guest out there with my name on her.” I roll my eyes and he adds, “No, literally, she has the name Tanner tattooed on her wrist…It has to be destiny.”

Camden shoves Tanner out the door, and Booker comes over to give me a hug. He whispers “congratulations” before following in the twins’ wake.

“Can I give you one piece of advice?” Gareth adds from the doorway while I stand by the sink touching up my makeup. “Tell Hayden tonight. I have a feeling it’ll only make this evening all the more special for you.”

He shoots me a wink and departs, leaving me all alone with the nerves swirling in my belly. I have just the perfect time in mind.

***

I feel a moment of guilt when I stride out of my bedroom to see that the party is in full swing already. I say my hellos to some friends from work and accept their hugs of congratulations, but I can feel Hayden’s eyes on me the entire time. It’s like a warm heat blowing against my skin. I look over my shoulder and we connect eyes instantly. He tries to have a silent conversation with me from across the room, but my father is doing his best to keep Hayden’s attention focused on him. Our eye contact breaks when the lift dings and I look over to see Frank, Theo, Leslie, and a newly-walking baby Marisa come striding in.

Hayden’s brother, Theo, and my friend and co-worker at Nikon, Leslie, have been married for over a year now. It was an emotional event for me as Hayden and I had just broken up. I was doing my best to put on a brave front, but when Hayden cornered me in a wine cellar and kissed me like he thought he’d die without it, I didn’t think I’d have the strength to walk away. But I did.

And then he took the mic and everything changed. Now, Theo and Leslie’s wedding is one of our favourite memories.