by Tara Brown
“Really?” The information sends a series of lifeline-style thoughts coursing through my mind. I could go back. I could work for Stan if it meant having a job. I’ve sold my soul once. I’d sell it again for my baby.
“Yeah, he already told me if I get the chance to talk to you about it this weekend, he’d be grateful. I think it’s why he gave me the days off for the wedding.” Sukii shrugs.
“Wow.” A half laugh of disbelief leaves my lips.
“Anyway, moving on because I will get fired if we keep talking about this. Cons?”
“Cost of having a baby in the US.” It’s the first and most distressing problem I have. “It’s free in Canada. And I already have a job in Vancouver waiting for me. I’ll be independent and have medical for my baby.”
“So I’ll just put cheaper and lonely.” She rolls her eyes and taps in the line.
“Hey, girls.” Nat and Bev come in our direction, waving.
“That’s not a strong or convincing list, just saying,” Sukii comments quickly before turning to the girls. “Hey.”
“This place is nuts, huh?” Nat waves a hand back at the mansion. “Lori’s so weird. Like what teenaged boy buys a manor home on Martha’s?” She laughs, shaking her head.
“After seeing that apartment mansion, we should have expected this,” Bev says. “Does anyone know how many houses he has?”
“Nope.” Nat’s eyes flicker to mine.
“Not a clue. I had no idea this existed. He said he had a place we could stay. I thought he meant he rented an Airbnb, not owned the island.”
We all giggle at the idea of it in comparison to the reality.
“Did you see the gardens over there?” Bev points to the far right-hand side of the property. “The cooks have farmers growing all the food for the house. They sell what doesn’t get eaten at a farmers’ market.”
“That’s crazy. Anyway, are you getting excited?” Sukii asks Nat.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better today, so that’s huge.” Nat hugs herself. “How are you feeling?” Her eyes flicker to me in a knowing way. Bev’s lips press into a line.
“Oh my God, you both know?” I accidentally say aloud.
“We do.” Bev gives me a worried stare. “I got suspicious when Lori told me you were destroyed over leaving but still doing it. I assumed you were pregnant with your ex and had to break things off with him. But you showed up at his house. It’s his, isn’t it?”
I nod but say nothing.
“I was with Sami when Matt called her after your brother phoned. Matt isn’t aware I know and thankfully Brady is in the dark. He’s the loose lips that sinks ships around here.”
“He kept Sami’s pregnancy a secret from Matt for a while,” Bev defends Brady, which I’ve never heard before.
“He did.” Nat’s cheeks flush and I’m sure there’s more to that story than I know.
“Sukii!” Cap calls from the balcony. “We’re gonna play some water polo, you guys in?”
“Hell yes!” Bev turns and marches back to the house.
“I’m good.” Nat waves him off.
“Me too. You go on.” I motion at Sukii.
She gives me one quick peek to see if I’m sure. I nod and she walks back to the house, shouting up at Cap, “I’m on Bev’s team!”
Nat smiles but there’s something in her eyes, nervousness maybe. “Wanna know the funny part of this whole story?” Her bright-blue eyes flicker to mine nervously. “Lori’s the one who’s keeping my pregnancy a secret right now. No one knows but him.”
Her confession is startling. “What?”
“Yeah, I started to figure out that something was wrong on Monday and Googled my symptoms. It said there was a good chance I was pregnant. I called Lori so I could take the tests at his house. I couldn’t bear the thought of taking them alone. And there’s no way I could tell Sami or my mom. And Brady would be too crazy and spill the beans.”
“Right, obviously.”
“I took the tests, all five. Every one of them was friggin’ positive.” She sounds about as excited as I am. “I didn’t want to tell Sami ‘cause we’ve put so much into this wedding.”
“I feel ya on that one.”
“Right.” She laughs but it kinda sounds like a sob. “And my mom is the strictest—anyway, she would be so disappointed. A baby out of wedlock, even if it’s by weeks. She barely tolerates Brady. And I just wanted this to be perfect, for Sami. And I screwed it up.”
“How far along?”
“Just over a month. I started a different pill three months ago to ensure I wouldn’t get my period for the summer. And I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t strong enough. Anyway, I went to a Planned Parenthood because my regular doctor can’t be trusted not to tell my mom. They did a quick ultrasound and figured about five weeks.”
“Gestational sack?” I ask with a stupid embarrassment coursing through me.
“Yeah, it wasn’t visible.” She swallows hard. “The reason I’m telling you is because his response was the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. He was so excited for me. I was freaking out and he was just—Lori. So amazing. He’s the best guy I know. And before he met you, he always tried to do that whole ‘never falling in love’ thing, but the truth is, I think all he wants in life is to have a family. Deep down he feels he’s never had a good one.”
“I noticed he doesn’t like talking about them.”
“He pretends like they’re not so bad because he and his dad go skiing at Christmas and stuff, but I think they’re awful. His grandpa built the family empire and works hard for what he has, but the rest are leeches. Snobby leeches. Lori almost never goes home. Unless he gets word about Sean. But that never turns out to be anything.”
“Who?” That’s a new name.
“Sean, his older brother. He’s an addict—heroin and meth. Lori thinks he’s in Seattle maybe, in a homeless camp.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah, it’s why Lori’s always feeding the homeless. I think he’s buying karma for his brother in hopes that someone else is doing the same for Sean, wherever he is in the world.”
Her words bring tears to my eyes. “I had no idea.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, he’s not what he seems. He’s like Sami. Heart of gold if you look past the way they are.”
“Thank you for telling me that,” I whisper. “I’m bad at assuming things.”
“I know what you mean,” she says with a heavy sigh. “It seems unreal that they all have a story we can relate to and a past that shaped them in the same way ours has, even though their wealth is extreme.”
“Totally. When are you telling Brady?”
“I was going to surprise him on Sunday. I’m assuming you’re telling Lori the same day?”
“Yes.” It sounds so firm and fierce but the reality is different.
“Prepare yourself for his response. I know Lori. He’ll need a minute to digest it and then he’ll be excited and overjoyed and he’ll take charge.” She smiles and nods at the house. “Anyway, I’m going to lie down before Sami gets here. I doubt napping is on the itinerary.”
“Okay. Thanks for not telling him.”
“No, thank you for waiting until after the wedding. I owe ya.” She winks and walks away.
Her words stick with me, giving me more to think about than I’m prepared for.
14
The calm before the storm
Friday, July 28
Lori
The rehearsal was nice, calm and relaxed as Nat and Brady joked their way through it. Us guys were allowed to be fun and mess around. Even Sami seemed better behaved and calmer than at her wedding.
Now that we’ve finished dinner and what’s left of the intimate gathering is sitting around the pool in my backyard, with firepits lit in the many conversation areas, I find myself watching Brady and wondering if he suspects something. Nat hasn’t had a drink. I can’t believe she’s pregnant, but what’s more, I am struggling to comp
rehend how I’m the only person who knows.
She hasn’t even told Sami, which is strange but I get it. The weddings have been a source of anxiety and pressure for Sami and adding an event she couldn’t have planned for would be the tipping point. She’d lose it.
And Nat doesn’t need her mom knowing. Between Brady and Sami, there’s no guarantee they would keep their mouths shut long enough.
As has become my new norm, my eyes find Jenny in the crowd. She’s sitting with Bev, Nat, Sukii, Sami, Liz, and Brady’s sister-in-law, Lacey, in a conversation pit across from where I’m sitting. From here it seems they’re getting along quite well. But maybe that’s because Sami is the lone blue blood in the crowd.
Matt, carrying his sleeping son, comes to take an empty seat next to me, resting the baby against his chest.
“That’s all he does, isn’t it?” I joke.
“In the evenings, yup. Eat. Poop. And sleep. Sometimes he gets miserable but that just means he needs one of those three things.” Matt kisses the top of his blond head. The kid looks like a toy in Matt’s massive arms.
“He’s so tiny. Aren’t you ever worried about breaking him or accidentally hurting him?”
“No.” He laughs like the question is ridiculous. “He’s huge. Ninetieth percentile. He’s eight months old. He’s been crawling all over, dude. How are you missing this?”
“I don’t know, I swear every time I see him he’s sleeping or eating.” I shrug, still baffled they have a kid at all.
“Well, apparently in the next few months the sleep is gonna go. I’m not looking forward to that development. He isn’t teething yet, but Gran said I didn’t get teeth until I was well over one.”
“That would be a problem for me. I love my sleep. I’m never having kids,” I admit. “Of course, if I accidentally have kids, I’ll be similar to my sister. She’s exactly like our parents. Nannies and cooks and butlers. Everyone taking care of her kids but her. Her life hasn’t changed a bit. They’re going on a yacht cruise in a month for forty days in the Mediterranean and not taking my nieces or nephews. Just leaving them behind, like pets. Not like you guys.”
“If it wasn’t for Sami’s parents needing to be such a heavy part of Eli’s life, I doubt we’d leave the house except for me to go to games and training. Ever. You’ve seen it, she sets up those photo shoots in the house now.” He chuckles. “But I guess we do still have the flip side where like your parents, my mom couldn’t care less about her grandson. She hates me so she ignores him. So long as her monthly allowance shows up, we don’t speak.”
“Aren’t you worried about being like them?” I ask.
“Nope.” He kisses the small tufty head again and pauses there, like he’s inhaling him the way I do Jenny. “I’m gonna mess up a lot of things. But they’ll be all new. I couldn’t replicate a single moment from my childhood, even if I wanted to.” His eyes dart to Bev. “Except them. He’ll spend his summers working the farm and learning to appreciate every day Gran lets him live.” We both smile.
“I’ll never forget going there and sleeping outside with you because she wouldn’t let you in the house. I think it might have changed me a little.”
“Gran’s good for everyone.”
“Speaking of good, Sami seems better,” I change the subject.
“This week brought up some old wounds and we’ve been having heart to hearts. It’s what we needed.” Matt has a curious look in his eyes, and I wonder if he knows about Nat, but I don’t say anything, in case that’s not what he means. “I think this finish line is bigger for her than she realized. Both weddings being done means regular content shoots and fun projects again. Time off and away from social media.”
“Did she tell you about the wedding dress?” I crack a smug grin and glance to where Brady is sitting with Cap, Mike Smolinsky, Brady’s brother Andy and his mom, and some uncles I don’t know.
“No. Why?”
I lift my hands like I’m cupping boobs. “Someone’s pizza and beer diet has hit her in all the right places. It’s obscene. He’s going to have a jammer.” I can’t help but laugh even though I know it’s not pizza and beer.
“Seriously?”
“Carson and I were dying at the last fitting. She was all out of the dress and Sami was losing her mind.”
Matt doesn’t say anything but the pleased smirk on his face when he turns to Brady is noticed.
“What?” Brady shouts at him. “Why do you two shits look so pleased with yourselves?”
“No reason.” Matt waves him off, causing Eli to stir and make a face. “I better put him to bed before this becomes something. Be right back.” He gets up and Sami’s eyes are on him as if she’s double-checking his movements.
The breeze is perfect, warm but fresh, and the sun is setting, leaving a glow in the sky around us that’s lighting up the dark-blue transition to night.
Jenny’s laugh draws my stare. She’s miming something, shooting. Bev’s finishing her sentences. The girls are gutting themselves over the story. I assume it’s about the paintball game but God knows with those two.
She’s so free with them, I’m jealous. She hasn’t been that way with me since the LA thing.
“Looks like we lucked out with the weather,” Nat’s dad says as he walks over to where I’m sitting, interrupting my thoughts.
“It’s supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, Mr. Banks. As will your daughter be.”
“Yes, but Nat could wear a paper bag and be stunning. Takes after her mother. Do you mind?” He points at the chair Matt was in.
“I insist, please.”
“You know, Lawrence, when you have a daughter, you expect to cover the costs of the wedding. It’s tradition. From the moment Natalie was born, I’ve been saving for it. But when Sami and Nat decided to include their weddings in their online company, I understood all funds would come from the business.”
“Right.”
“So then I hoped we would be permitted to at least cover the rehearsal dinner. I tried to convince her to let us help, but she said you covered it.”
“Did she?” I glance in her direction and see her attention is suddenly focused on us. “Well, the thing is, I owed Brady a lot. So me offering my place and services was repayment of an old debt.”
“I see.” He nods his head as if contemplating the sentence. “Well, I guess the next time we’re all in the city, dinner’s on me.” He offers me his hand.
“That sounds perfect.” I shake his firm grip and give a kind smile back. “You should take that money you saved up and go on a nice holiday. Nat would want that.”
“You’re a strange kid, Lawrence. So old and responsible for such a young man.” He lightens up. “People must tell you that you have an old soul.”
“Yes, sir,” I confess. “My grandfather has been saying that very thing since I was about six or seven.”
Matt saves me by coming back.
“I’m in your chair.” Mr. Banks stands but Matt puts a hand on his arm.
“No, stay. I’ll sit here. Better view of the sea.” Matt sits in a different chair and lifts his drink and the three of us watch the water for a moment as the last of the light fades.
“Some view you got here,” Mr. Banks offers after the silence.
“It’s why I picked it.”
“You plan to move here and live with your family one day?” His question is absurd.
“Oh, uh, maybe one day.” I try not to make a disgusted expression. “Ten years down the road, maybe twenty.”
Matt chokes on his drink.
“No rush like these crazy fools.” I point at Matt.
“Indeed,” Mr. Banks agrees. “You’re only young once, might as well enjoy it.”
Matt struggles to recover.
“It’s good scotch, Brimstone, but you can’t huff it.”
Mr. Banks laughs and stands. “On that note, I better turn in. I have a feeling I’ll have a hard time sleeping tonight. Night, boys.” He pats Matt on the arm once and walks
away.
“Remind me tomorrow when the wedding’s over and we’re all drunk that you and I should have a chat. In case I forget.” Matt lifts his drink.
“I don’t need to remind you, you never get drunk.” I clank my glass against his.
“That’s true. Not in a long time.” He turns back to where the girls are seated and stares.
“You thinking about that weird strip show you gave them?” I can’t fight the snicker with the question.
“Fuck you, Lori,” he grumbles and I laugh harder.
15
Big reveal
Saturday, July 29
Jenny
Natalie in her dress is a vision.
It’s a creamy white A-line gown with a spaghetti-strap lacy bodice and plunging neckline that reaches all the way to the massive tulle skirt. A princess dress.
Her light skin is slightly tanned and her pale hair is loosely braided in a sweeping updo that doesn’t seem like it will hold. Her makeup is flawless.
I’ve never seen such a beautiful bride.
Sami in her wedding dress can’t hold a candle to her.
I shift on the bed uncomfortably as I watch them get ready. Her wedding party is Brady’s sister-in-law Lacey, Sami, their quiet friend Liz, and Bev who are all wearing aqua blue jewel-tone dresses that match Nat’s in style with plunging necklines and spaghetti straps. The four of them are stunning.
They invited Sukii and me into the fold this time, to see them get everything on. But the show is Nat’s mom. I had no idea she was anywhere near this bad. Not even with Lori’s warning.
“You really want to wear your hair this way?” her mother picks. Again.
“It’s what I want, Mom. I showed you the pictures.”
“I know, Natalie, darling, but you have to remember this is it. This is your day. You don’t want to choose a fad over elegance.”
Nat flinches and Sami cuts in, “You haven’t seen the jewel pieces we’re using yet. If you want to grab them, they’re in Nat’s purse. They match our dresses.”