Sibling Secrets

Jordan

“Are you sure that she’s feeling alright? It’s not like her to sleep this late,” Cynthia worried as she looked toward the stairs of the beach rental we were sharing for the week.

“I think the last several months are just catching up with her.” I shrugged. “We’ve had a lot going on.”

“I know you have, but it’s almost lunchtime.” She looked at the clock like she’d been doing for the last several hours. I loved how worried she was about Hannah; she already considered her another daughter.

“It’s her vacation time too,” I insisted. “If she wants to sleep late, I’m not going to disturb her.”

“Maybe she’s just tired because you’ve been keeping her up too late.” Mollie laughed as she leaned around me to steal a piece of red pepper off the kitchen island.

We were planning to have an early dinner on the deck of the rental tonight and take advantage of their grill.

“Gross. I don’t think it’s normal to joke about your brother’s sex life.” Mallory made a disgusted face from her perch on a barstool nearby.

“Sweetheart, you know it’s acceptable as an adult to talk about sex with your family. I’d hope if you girls had issues, you’d come to me. We’re all mature enough to talk like adults.”

Despite Cynthia’s insistence that it was normal, I still felt weird thinking about my baby sisters as old enough to be having sex. They’d always be little blonde cherubs with sticky fingers to me.

Mollie and Mallory shared a look and snickered as they nodded at their mother.

“The only issue we’ve had lately is that there aren’t enough hours in the day.” I sighed. Hannah kept insisting that I needed to slow down, and I knew I did, but it was hard letting go.

“I can start back if you need me to,” Mallory offered quietly.

“No.” I shook my head as I put my hand on her shoulder. “You start when you’re ready. We’ve handled it this long; a few weeks more aren’t going to hurt anything.”

“Are you really looking at opening a new location?” she asked curiously. I knew she’d been listening to conversations between my dad and me lately but had never addressed the situation directly.

“Yeah, we’ve found a few potential locations and talked to an architect,” I confirmed. “No contracts have been signed yet, but I’d like to open sometime next year.”

“Are you going to have enough time next year?” my dad asked with a knowing smile.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He pursed his lips and looked over at Cynthia. She winked at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. “That girl isn’t going to wait around forever.”

“Wait around forever for what?” I asked him curiously.

He clasped my shoulder.

“I know you’re not this dense.” He laughed as he slapped me on the shoulder a few times before he reached down to steal some of the vegetables I’d prepped to throw on the grill.

“Beyoncé shouldn’t normally be a source of advice, but you should put a ring on it.”

“We live together. It’s not like we’re uncommitted,” I argued.

“You don’t think she deserves better than that?” He was almost as protective of Hannah as he was of the twins.

“We’re happy,” I insisted. We were. I loved having Hannah as a partner. At first, I was worried that there would be a considerable adjustment to her living with me, but it was like she’d always been there.

“I know you are, but sometimes having the security of those vows makes your relationship stronger,” my dad said with a fond glance at Cynthia. She smiled back, and I knew that I wanted what they had.

“We’re getting there.”

“I’m also not getting any younger. I’d like to be able to enjoy watching my grandkids be horrible at T-ball,” he joked.

“He’s not getting any younger either, Dad,” Mallory taunted as she gave me a knowing look. Forty was getting closer each day.

“Yeah, he might not even be working with full-strength ammo anymore.” Mollie giggled, and I rolled my eyes.

“Thanks, guys. It’s nice to have such a supportive family.” I told them with faux affection.

“Oh, you wouldn’t want us any other way,” Mallory laughed. “You love us.”

I hugged her into my side and pecked the top of her head. Mallory was actually smiling and joking again. It was a little disturbing to see her without the bitch face, but I was glad she had found some peace.

“Yeah... I’m also kind of stuck with you.” They all looked over at me and I shrugged.

“Goes both ways, son,” my dad laughed as he bumped my shoulder.

Hannah and I had kept it to ourselves that she had gone off birth control.

It had been a few months since we stopped using contraception, but I wasn't expecting it to happen quickly. We were both over thirty, and she had been on some form of contraceptive for a long time.

I'll admit I had been disappointed when she told me she wasn't pregnant last month, but I was trying to relax. We had enough other commitments. It would happen when it was time.

My parents also didn't know that I had had a ring for almost six months. I had realized shortly after she moved in that I wanted her there permanently.

We hardly ever fought, and I loved that she worked as hard at our relationship as she did at everything else in her life.

I quietly finished prepping for our dinner as my family chatted around me. Having them all close was amazing.

Hannah’s parents lived on the other side of the country and stayed busy with their jobs. I hadn’t met them yet, and it blew my mind that Hannah didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

She had told me that they had always been more focused on their professional careers than on family. It made me sad that she didn’t grow up in a chaotic house like mine.

Even knowing time wasn’t on our side, I still wanted at least one more child once we finally had a baby.

I had thought before that the prospect of having kids was a nightmare, but I didn’t feel that way knowing Hannah would be my partner.

“You okay? You’re thinking awfully loudly over there…” Dad accused.

“I can see the steam coming out of his ears.” Mollie laughed, her hands making a motion near her own ears.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I nodded, looking towards the stairs. “I think I’m gonna go check on sleeping beauty.”

“Here, why don’t you take her some crackers and some water?” Cynthia pulled out a plate and filled it with crackers, a handful of cheese cubes, and some grapes.

Mollie pushed a water bottle into my hand and reached around me to grab a grape, popping it into her mouth.

“Thanks. She is probably hungry by now.”

“No problem,” Cynthia smiled. “We don’t have any agenda for the rest of the morning, so take your time.”

“Speak for yourself. I’m hitting the beach,” Mallory smiled as she looked out the patio doors. “You coming with, Mol?”

“Yeah... let me grab a book first.” She smiled and then looked over at me accusingly. “My room is right below theirs... so I’m not relaxing in there.”

“Hmph... probably not.” My dad coughed and punched me in the arm. “Don’t tire her out again.”

“Please don’t embarrass her,” I rolled my eyes at him.

“I won’t, son. But that courtesy doesn’t extend to you,” he grinned mischievously.

“Such a loving family I have.”

They all laughed, and I rolled my eyes as I watched them file out the sliding glass door.