Page 28 of Love is Grand
“Things happen,” I said. I didn’t add they seemed to always happen to me.
He nodded. “If you want me to leave, I will. I don’t want to upset you.” Then he looked at me as if I were a fragile person completely foreign to him, turned, and left.
So much for a good night’s sleep like my mom suggested.
Cal
“Man on deck,” I called out to announce myself as I entered the huge beachside villa the girls were getting ready in. Rylan and Shell were on the patio, so I joined them. I was trying to be as cheerful as I could. Between the bomb that Shell dropped on me last night and zero sleep, it was taking an effort.
My soon-to-be sister-in-law turned from where she was standing at the railing and rolled her eyes at that, like I knew she would. Even though I pretended to be annoyed by Rylan, I liked her. She was the type of fire my brother needed in his way-too-serious life.
I knew she was hip to something being up with Sophia and me, but she wasn’t the type to intrude. Although, I suspected when the time was right, she would.
Bringing Sophia was a bad idea. I’d broken off from her, and somehow bringing her made her catch the wedding flu, as in she was going to be sick if we didn’t get engaged. And I hadn’t even kissed her.
“Hi, sis,” I said to Rylan, determined to shut off my inner monologue.
Another eye roll came my way, but I ignored it, because standing at her side was Shell, looking like a goddess. A goddess who was carrying my baby while I worried about another woman. Shaking the nonsense from my head, I concentrated on the task at hand.
“Wanted to see if you hired a small plane and flew off the island,” I told Rylan. “My brother is pacing my villa like he may never see you again.”
Adam was a wreck. He wanted to marry this young, carefree woman more than anything, and was terrified something was going to prevent it.
“I’m going to check on Weez,” Shell said, interrupting my conversation with Rylan. She smoothed her hand down the side of her dress and looked away from me, avoiding direct eye contact.
“See you soon,” Rylan said to Shell, seemingly none the wiser.
Then, as she was leaving, Shell stopped and said softly, “Hey, Cal.” When I looked up, she asked, “What’s that thing called again? The hut?” She looked off toward where the wedding was taking place on the beach, pointing toward where my brother was going to get hitched in less than an hour.
“A chuppah,” I said, using the guttural Jewish pronunciation for the ch. It was the traditional canopy a man and woman stood under during the wedding ceremony—and something I’d never envisioned in my future. Except, I was having a baby.
“Right.” She nodded and hurried away before I could say anything else.
I guessed that was good since I wanted to hold her and kiss the fuck out of her, tell her I was going to take care of the baby and her, even though I had no freaking clue what that meant.
Pulling my attention back to her, Rylan said, “You can tell your brother that I’m right here, and more than happy to skip this whole shindig and go have a drink with him.”
“Not if our mom has anything to say about it,” I deadpanned.
Rylan even laughed at my joke. “I know Ruth is a bit set on the whole event. Tell your brother I’ll be there, and remind him we didn’t have to do this whole thing of not seeing each other before the wedding.”
“Wrong,” I said. “My mom is sitting in the corner of my room, alternating between giving Sophia the stink-eye and making sure Ad stays put. I’m her last chance for her son to marry a nice Jewish girl, and Sophia is neither nice nor Jewish.”
I wondered what Mom would think of Shell. Not Jewish, mixed race, Catholic (I was pretty sure), fifteen years younger than me, and a single mom. She didn’t tick off one box my mom had for a spouse of mine. Too bad my mom didn’t value how another person made me happy, because when it came to Shell, she sure as fuck did.
Standing in front of me, wringing her hands, Rylan asked, “You sure she’s not upset about that when it comes to me?”
“Nothing upsets her when it comes to Adam. He’s the favorite son. If he’s happy, she’s happy. Plus, rumor has it you’re fine with raising a Jewish family, or whatever else you promised my brother.” I waggled my eyebrows at her, then lowered my gaze to her belly. “Does that mean ...”
Wouldn’t that be funny? My brother, one of the two I shared a womb with, and I were having babies at the same time.
“Would you stop staring at my wife in her robe?” came from behind me.
Speak of the devil.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Adam, using two fingers to point from my eyes to his, signaling I was watching him.
“Don’t worry, I cleared it with Mom.”