“Please. I don’t want to. I’m too tired. I want Shane. Get Shane, Mama. Please.”
I’d closed my eyes as soon as I’d heard my pleading words, but finally opened them when the recording shut off and the kitchen was silent.
Shane was frozen, staring down at Bram’s phone like it was about to explode. His face was slack and his eyes wide and filled with tears.
“Goddammit, Bram,” I yelled, turning to shove him backward. “What the fuck is the matter with you!”
“How the fuck are you going to make that right?” Bram said contemptuously, stepping out of my reach to glare at Shane.
Bram looked back to me, but there was no apology in his expression. “You deserve better.”
Bram reached out to touch me, but I pulled away sharply. I was so angry and embarrassed I could have hit him. He shook his head before turning on his heel and storming out of the room.
“Kate, I—” Shane’s voice shook, but at that moment, I heard someone pull up in front of the house. I raised my hand to stop his words and listened carefully before walking quickly to the front door.
There was a silver mini van that I didn’t recognize parked in the driveway, but the glare on the windshield hid the driver from my view. They turned off the engine but didn’t climb out. Then suddenly the back door slid open and a little body was tumbling out and running for me.
“Auntie Kate!” Keller screamed. “I’m here! Auntie Kate!”
I ran across the porch, ignoring the ache between my legs, and met him at the bottom of the steps, crouching as tears rolled down my face.
“I missed you,” I cried as his body hit mine—his arms and legs wrapping around me like a vise. “Oh, buddy, I missed you so much.”
“I came back,” he said quietly into my ear. “I missed you too much.”
“This is the best day ever,” I replied, reaching out behind me to steady myself as I sat down on the bottom stair.
I looked up as my brother Alex stepped out of the car with a small smile, then walked back to the other door and opened it wide. It took a few moments before anything happened, and then first Gavin, then Sage, and finally Gunner were racing for me, rubbing their eyes and looking tired.
“Hi!” I called, laughing as I cried.
“Annie!” Gunner shouted, tripping on the gravel and climbing right up again to run, only this time sobbing from the small scratches he’d gotten on his palms. “Annie! Annie!”
Gavin and Sage reached me first, hugging me tightly, their little hands pulling at my shirt.
“Hey, hey,” I crooned as they held me tight, reaching out to pull Gunner onto my lap. “It’s okay, guys.”
“Gavin peed in his car seat, and Uncle Alex had to cover it with a garbage bag!” Keller announced.
“It was an anccident!” Gavin cried back, his face turning red. “Anccindents happen, Keller!”
“He’s right, bud,” I told Keller sternly. “You wouldn’t want Gavin making fun of you.”
“I made you a bracelet,” Sage said quietly, reaching in her pocket and pulling out a jumble of embroidery thread.
“Thanks, princess!” I reached out so she could tie it on my wrist.
“Baby?” Gunner asked abruptly in confusion, pushing on my still-squishy belly.
“Where’s Iris?” Keller yelled, his head snapping back.
My face ached, I was smiling so hard, as I answered in a stage whisper, “She’s in the house with Uncle Mike and Auntie Liz.”
“She came out?” Gavin asked, eyes wide.
“Yep!”
The kids scrambled off me, and we turned to head toward the house—then froze.
Shane was standing outside the closed front door, completely wrecked. “You guys going to go in to see Iris?” he asked softly, looking between us, but never meeting my eyes. “You have to be really calm and quiet so you don’t scare her, okay? She’s really small.”
The kids gave their agreement, and he pushed the door open so we could pass him. I let the children go first, but when I tried to move past, he halted me with a hand gripping my hip.
“I’m sorry, Katiebear,” he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I won’t ever do it again.” I stood frozen as his breath fanned over my cheek and jolted as his lips brushed over mine.
Before I could pull away, he was moving farther onto the porch and pulling the door closed between us.
“That guy loves you,” Alex told me from a few feet away.
“Hey, brother,” I greeted, hugging him tight. “Thank you for bringing the kids up.”
“He does, you know.”
“Have you seen the baby yet?” I asked, ignoring his words.
“Nah, I was waiting for you,” he answered with a cheeky smile.
“She’s gorgeous,” I gushed, pulling him toward the family room where I was pretty sure my parents were hiding. “Bald, but I’ve heard that goes away at some point…”