Tamsyn Bester - Precious Consequences

My mother surprises Hayley and gives her a warm, affectionate hug instead. “Please, call me Gemma. I am so happy to finally meet you, darling girl, and we’re more than pleased to have you here.”

My mother whispers something into Hayley’s ear and she giggles, her cheeks turning rosy. She nods, smiling warmly at my mother and then looks down at a very shy Ari who’s hiding behind her legs.

“And you must be Princess Ari,” my mother coos, bending down to Ari’s level. Ari eyes my mother reluctantly and then takes two steps, falling into my mothers open arms. My mother's face beams with excitement and immediately, I see Hayley relax.

Just then, the front door opens again and my sister, Candice, walks in, followed by her Husband, Brett, Hannah and Noah. I go to hug my sister and greet my brother-in-law with a fist bump, and after saying hello to Hannah and Noah, too, I turn to introduce Candice and Hayley. But my girl has beaten me to it.

“You must be Candice,” Hayley greets. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Candice looks between the two of us, not saying anything, and Hayley stiffens slightly. Shit. I knew my sister would pull something funny like this. And just when Hayley started feeling comfortable. “Cameron, you little liar, this girl isn’t average looking. She looks like a damn supermodel.”

Hayley’s eyes widen, as do mine, and with that the ice is broken. We share a laugh and Hayley hugs Candice around her belly, hitting it off immediately. My whole body sags with relief, not because I was worried that my mother and Candice wouldn’t like Hayley, but because having her here with my family is a big deal for me.

After all the greetings and introductions are made, my mother and Candice head back into the kitchen, while Hannah and Hayley decide to make their way into the living room.

“So, Cam, how was your date last night?” Noah asks, wriggling his eyebrows. If he thinks I’m dishing about sex with Hayley then he’d better be prepared to be disappointed. I’ve always shared everything with him, but this time it feels wrong to give him details, although judging by the animated conversation going on between Hannah and Hayley, and the way Hayley’s cheeks redden, that’s exactly what they’re talking about. Still, I don’t think it’s any of Noah’s business.

“It was,” I pause, trying to find the right words. “The best date I’ve ever had.”

Noah’s eyebrows knit together and he looks at me incredulously. “Is that it?”

“That’s all you’re getting,” I chuckle.

He grumbles something and heads towards the mini fridge in the bar. He comes back with three beers and hands one to me and one to Brett, who comes to stand next to us.

“Where’s Jordan?” I ask, taking a swig of my beer. I’m a little disappointed that my nephew isn’t here. I miss the little guy.

Brett also takes a swig of his beer, and replies, “He’s with my parents for the week. Candice and I have been on high alert all week, with her being five days past her due date, and we thought it would be a little less stressful if my parents looked after him for a while.”

“We should’ve just done Thanksgiving at your house this year,” I remark, watching my sister waddle her way towards Hannah and Hayley. “There’s no way Candice should be walking right now.”

Brett rolls his eyes. “Please, have you met your sister? She’s as stubborn as you are.”

“Hey! Be careful, otherwise I’m telling my sister how you bumped her car the other day.”

Brett pales and I laugh. I slap him on the back. “That’s what I thought.”

“Not funny,” he mumbles, running his hand through his sandy blonde hair. Brett and Candice went to high school together and they’re a walking cliché. He was Varsity football team captain and Candice was captain of her cheerleading squad in their senior year, but they’ve been together since they were sophomores. He’s the same height as I am, standing at over six feet tall, but he’s built like a football player, whereas I am a little less bulky. I see the way he looks at Candice, even in her pregnant state, and it’s obvious that he adores her. Sure, they drive each other up the wall constantly, but I’ve never seen two people more right for each other.

Seeing the way he looks at my sister, even after all these years, makes me sick, but I feel a pinch of jealousy, too. Not that I don’t think they don’t deserve their happiness, or their growing family, but after meeting Hayley, I find myself wanting that, too. “So, you guys ready for baby number two?”

He sighs, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “Yeah, man. I can’t wait, and neither can Candice. As much as I love seeing her pregnant, I think we’re more than ready for the baby to get here.”

“You guys picked out a name yet?”

Brett shakes his head. “No, Candice seems to think we’ll know once we meet her.”

“I hear having a daughter is way worse than having a son,” Noah remarks. “Especially when they hit puberty and shit.”

“You’re in for one hell of a time if she’s anything like her mother,” I laugh.

“If who’s like their mother?”

Our heads whip around and my laughter gets stuck in my throat. Candice is standing behind us, hands on her hips, with her belly sticking out.

“Nothing, baby,” Brett replies quickly. He is so whipped when it comes to my sister that I’m sure he relinquished both his Man Card and his balls a long time ago. Yeah, being married to my sister can have that effect on a man.

Candice’s eyes narrow and she purses her lips. “You’re lucky I’m still pregnant, babe, otherwise I’d have to coax it out of you.”

Brett chuckles, and leans down to kiss my sister's nose while touching her belly. “Um, baby, I believe your method of coaxing something out of me is what got you pregnant in the first place.”

Candice’s cheeks redden and she playfully slaps his chest. “Brett! No bedroom talk around my family!”

I laugh and throw my hands up. “Yes, please, I don’t need to know anything about your kinky fuckery, dude. You’re still my sister and imagining you two like that is going to scar me for life.”

Candice shoots me a look and before she can render any physical injuries to my body, my mother walks in and announces that dinner is ready. I find Hayley and we all take our places at the dining room table. “Looks delicious, Mom,” I say, taking n all the delicious smells floating in the air. “It’s almost as good as my cooking.”

My mother swats me with the dishcloth and Hayley giggles next to me. Man, I love that sound. I look around at all the familiar faces and stop at the empty seat at the head of the table, wishing that my father were here. He may be just down the hall but he’s not really here in the way our family needs him to be. I shove the heavy feeling away and decide to enjoy this one day without allowing the guilt to settle in my stomach.

“Well, don’t just stare at the food, go ahead and eat up,” my mother instructs, making us all laugh. We dish up a bit of everything and fall into an easy conversation as if we’ve done this every year for the past decade. I’ve missed this feeling.

“Have you seen Ari?” Hayley asks next to me.

“No, last I saw she went to the kitchen with mom.”

I look around and spot a little head of brown hair bobbing up and down. Ari makes her way around the table and instead of going towards the high chair my mother set up next to Hayley, she comes to a standstill next to me. The table grows quiet and for some reason everyone’s eyes are on me. Ari looks up at me with those big, brown eyes and I swear my insides turn into fucking putty.

“You want to sit with me?” I ask her, surprised.