He smiles down at me. “I would kiss you right now, but just in case your mother is waiting at the window for us, I’ll refrain.”

I laugh because it’s a very real possibility. I see Mason’s car in front of us but I don’t see Chloe’s but given her track record of tardiness I didn’t expect her to be here yet. We enter the house to the sounds of laughter and it puts me at ease that it seems that everyone is in a good mood for now. We walk down the foyer toward the living room to find my parents and Mason talking and they all stop when Jacob and I enter the room. My mom hops up from her seat, the only person in the room not privy to some piece of information regarding me and I hate that I’ve kept her in the dark. My biggest supporter and probably the person that’s going to be caught most in the middle of this situation and she has no idea the bomb I’m about to drop.

“Whitney!” She pushes her glasses into her blonde curly hair that she has pulled into a bun and makes her way over to me and pulls me into a hug, kissing me on the cheek and pulling me to sit next to her on the love seat. “I made brunch, it’s that time you know? So, we can eat when Chloe gets here,” she says and I briefly wonder if like our normal brunches and if she’s already had a mimosa but I don’t see anything on the table except one of her sparkling waters and a bottle of water in front of my father.

My eyes move to my father for the first time since I walked in, eyes that are sad with maybe a hint of comfort. Like he knows this might be difficult but that he understands.

You do not know the half of it.

The sounds of the door opening stop me and I’m grateful to see my cousin walk into the room and her eyes fall on me immediately. I’m here. Her eyes tell me with a nod.

“Oh lovely, you’re here! We can all eat. Unless you want to tell us your news now!” My mother claps her hands together in excitement. “You said you had something big to tell us.”

“I said important…?” I wince, not understanding how she’s excited when I’m fairly certain I did not sound enthusiastic about this news I’m about to deliver.

“Tomato, tomahto.” She waves at me. “Are you pregnant?” Her eyes widen. “I know you drank with us last weekend, but if you just found out, it’s early enough that it’s okay, sweetheart.” She pats my arm and I shake my head.

“No. Not pregnant.”