My Sibling's Struggle

by Rosa Swann

  He cocks his head to the side. “Apart from the ‘avoid stress’ thing maybe.” His smile turns wry. “But as a university student and an older brother... I’m not sure how realistic that is anyway.”

  I smile back, giving him a soft kiss. “I guess you’re right about that. Anything I can do?”

  “Just be at my side? That’s all I really need right now.” Then he thinks. “That, and maybe some cuddles.”

  I laugh, wrapping my arms around him, holding him close. “I can do that. I can definitely do that.” I kiss the side of his head. “And if you need me when I’m at work, you can just message me, and I’ll come right over.”

  He laughs softly, his arms sliding around my back, and then he leans against me more, taking slow, deep breaths. “That sounds great.”

  I want to protect him. I want to protect him from everything going on, but it’s not as easy as I thought it would be.

  But I’ll have to do it. I have to. My first priority is getting our lives into a new sort of order, getting us a place to live and surviving the coming months, until the summer.

  The whole mess with Dan is bad, but Seb and the baby inside him are my first priority. I have to take care of them first.

  While I’d love nothing more than to be at home with Seb, work feels like a welcome distraction today. I have things to focus on, things that are the same as ever. The others working in the orchard don’t seem to know what happened last weekend, or, if they do know something is up, they’re not saying anything, which I’m definitely grateful for. A couple of hours away from it all, doing the work I always do, feels like a very welcome change from the rest of my life.

  I’m pruning some of the trees. I still have a lot to learn about pruning and everything, Daddy is much better at that, but he has a lot more experience with it than me. I can do the easy bits, the branches that are easy to spot, while one of the other guys is following me, taking care of the branches that are harder to spot.

  Most of the guys are organising the barn and a couple of the other buildings around the orchard and the back of the garden around the cafe, like the greenhouse and a couple of the berry patches. Most of them will be moving to other parts of the company for the coming months, or cut back their hours, as the orchard doesn’t need as many people in the winter as they do during the harvest season at the end of the summer and all through fall.

  I’ll probably stay working in the orchard all through the winter. Though, on low days or weeks, I might help out at the main office or even in some of the prepping departments, like the canning or other things like that. Maybe even run the stall at the farmer’s market some days.

  Daddy has stored up a lot of fruits and some veggies, all things that he didn’t sell in one way or another, and those will be canned, pickled, or things like that, in the coming weeks and months. Of course, during the winter months, we also do a lot of cleaning up and preparing areas where we want to build new buildings and things like that. It might be winter, but there’s still a lot to do around the orchard and the farms.

  “Destin.” Daddy is standing at the bottom of my ladder, looking up at me, a soft smile around his lips.

  “Yeah?” I climb down, slightly confused why he’s here, taking my gloves off. “You need me for something?”

  “You were lost in thought.” He shakes his head as he smiles. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  I shrug. “I’m fine. I guess. Nothing much since when you last saw me.”

  He nods. “And Seb?”

  “You can ask him yourself. He’s either in the cafe or upstairs in the apartment. He hasn’t gone back home yet. But he’s fine too.” I look around. Daddy isn’t dressed in his work clothes, but in his office clothes. “Are you checking on me? Or do you need me for something?”

  “Nothing like that, no worries.” His voice is calm as he smiles again. “I’ve got a meeting with Zeke and Nic about next year, what we’re expecting to grow and maybe some new ideas for that. Mostly just get our schedules together.”

  He thinks for a moment. “Do you want to sit in on it? Learn a little more about how we run things? If you’re going to manage the orchard soon, this might be interesting to know. And I bet that by now, you probably know much better how the orchard is doing than I do. I see the numbers, of course, but I’ve not worked here in well over a decade. You have.”

  My heart skips a beat and my cheeks heat up. “Are you sure?” This would be a great opportunity.

  “Of course.” Daddy grins.

  “But...” I look around. “There are people here who would know that much better. They’ve been working here for much longer.”

  He shakes his head, still smiling. “But they’re not trying to become managers, are they?”

  “I guess not.” I put my gloves in my pocket. “Do I need to...” I hold out my hands. “Clean up or something?”

  “No worries.” Daddy tugs on my arm for a moment. “Nic is probably covered in flour and sugar from head to toe. I just didn’t need to be on the farm today, hence the boring clothes.”

  “Okay.”

  Damn. This feels like a massive step in the right direction. This feels properly official. I don’t even have the job yet, and I’m only hoping that I’ll even be able to get the job some day, but to be able to join Daddy on this. It feels like something in my life is going right.

  I grab my ladder and my pruning stuff and put them against the side of the barn. Then I follow Daddy to the cafe. Sitting in on an official meeting. That’s something I’ve never done before.

  Then I remember that Zeke and Nic have no idea what happened on Saturday, only that our parents cut the party short. Fuck. They’re going to want to know what happened.

  Zeke, who is Mia’s other Omega father, was in the room when they all found Mia, Seb and me hiding out in Seb’s dad’s study while the party was going on a couple of floors below. He must have some idea what’s going on, but unless Mia has told him anything, it will just be a suspicion.

  Fuck. This meeting is going to get so awkward...

  Fuck.

  Chapter Five

  Seb

  The doorbell rings and I look up, trying to disentangle my brain from the essay I’ve been writing. Who could that be? Maddy and Destin would just come inside, and so would our siblings, though our parents wouldn’t... Damn...

  With a heavy heart, I get up, opening the door. I kind of really don’t want to talk to my parents right now. The weekend was rough enough, one day of not having to deal with them would be nice right now.

  But, instead, I’m faced with Mia. She’s holding two glasses of mint tea and a couple of slices of pie on a tray, grinning at me broadly, until she sees my face. “Bad moment?”

  I take a deep breath, relaxing as I smile. Then I step to the side. “No. The exact right moment. Just, you’re not who I was expecting. Which is good.”

  “You were expecting your parents, or Destin’s parents?” She comes inside, putting the tray on the small dresser in the hallway as she takes her jacket and shoes off.

  “Yeah.” I pick the tray up and take it to the kitchen.

  With one hand, I push some of my notes to the side and then place the glasses and plates on the table with trained motions. I’ve worked at the cafe for years, setting the table like this is a habit that’s hard to break.

  Mia eyes my notes and my laptop, and then sits down, smiling softly. “Working hard?”

  I nod, putting the tray on the counter and sit across from her. “Yeah. Trying to get some work done while Destin and Maddy are at work. I don’t have too much to do, but getting a couple of solid hours of work in is nice.” Then I look up at her. “Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be back home by now?”

  She shakes her head. “Nah. Oliver is driving me back tomorrow. We’re going to make a day out of it. I think he needs some time with some of his siblings who have gotten past the whole puberty thing.” She lets out a laugh. “Rhys is driving him up the wall. And I found
out that Daddy Zeke had a meeting with Destin’s daddy, so I decided to come along. Destin already told me that you were still staying here.”

  “He told you that?” I frown. “Why?”

  She laughs again, popping a piece of pie into her mouth. “Because he’s a good guy who didn’t want me to worry that something was wrong when he didn’t drop you off last night.”

  “Ah.” I smile.

  She pulls up one shoulder, smiling too. “Not that I would have noticed, not being at home myself. But it was a nice gesture.”

  “I guess.” I take a bite of the pie. “Not something I would have thought of, though.” I let out a slight laugh.

  Mia shakes her head. “Not something I would have thought of either. But it meant that I knew that you’d still be here.” Then she looks more serious. “I just wanted to see how you were holding up after Saturday night.”

  I take a long breath and grimace. “I’m good. It wasn’t really that bad. They were pretty good about it. Especially considering that...” I sigh. “Considering how we dropped it on them.” Then I eye her. She’d already left with her daddies before we confirmed to our parents that I was indeed pregnant. “How was it for you. Did your daddies give you a hard time?”

  She shakes her head, though she’s still looking serious. “They asked me, but when I didn’t want to confirm or deny it, they let it go. I just... I felt that that was up to you two, not up to me. Of course, they probably know what’s going on, but until either Destin or you confirm it, they will keep their mouths shut.”

  “Ah.” I think for a few moments. “I’ll probably talk to your daddy before you leave. We want to keep it in the family for now, but we’re not going to deny it. You know?”

  “Yeah.” She nods. “Are you feeling okay? Are you having much trouble with morning sickness? Are you taking your vitamins?” She’s looking much more interested and I smile as I roll my eyes at her.

  “I’m not some test subject for your classes, you know?” I wink and she grins.

  “We’re not even dealing with pregnancy stuff in class anyway. So I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her voice pitches with way too much denial as she takes a sip from the mint tea, looking at the glass longingly. “We should get some of these mint plants for the apartment. These are nicer than the mint we get at the store. I never realised how different they can taste, but these are really nice.”

  “I know.” I also take a sip, but it’s still slightly too hot for me and I pull a face. “I’ll see if I can get us a plant or two from the greenhouse. Daddy and Dad actually tested a lot of them when they started buying mint from Destin’s daddy, and they all came to the conclusion that this type is the best for mint tea. Or, at least, the flavour that most people seem to like best.”

  Mia laughs, grinning. “You really know a lot about these companies, and about different types of mint or tea.”

  “Part of the job.” I grin back. I’m so glad that she came here. I really needed someone to talk to easily, not stressed about anything. Just to relax for a while. And I also really needed the sugar boost from the pie before I go back to work later.

  I walk down the stairs with Mia, as she’s about to leave. Mia’s daddy is standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for us together with Destin and Destin’s daddy. I raise an eyebrow at Destin but he shrugs. I guess I’ll ask him why he’s here later.

  Then, behind them, I spot Nic as he’s sauntering over, holding a bag with what looks like empty boxes and he’s animatedly talking to Maddy. Oh, that’s a lot more people here than I expected there to be. I thought that I’d just tell Mia’s daddy about my pregnancy, I didn’t realise that Nic would also be here...

  When I reach the bottom of the stairs, Destin automatically steps closer to me and I feel the way that Mia angles herself slightly in front of me, like she wants to protect me too. But none of that lifts the mood, and my heart feels heavy as I try to find the right words.

  Nic realises the mood and looks at each of us, until his eyes fall on Mia, Destin and me. “What’s going on here? These guys have been acting all weird all day.” He pulls a funny face, trying to make everyone relax, though it doesn’t work that well on me.

  I look at him and then meet Mia’s daddy’s eyes. “I wanted to share that... I just wanted to tell you that I’m pregnant. I know that things went a little weird at the party. This is why.”

  I watch the guarded look in Mia’s daddy’s eyes, waiting for his reply, but it’s Nic who breaks the tension.

  “Congrats. I hope you’re feeling well.” He dramatically leans closer, like he’s asking about some big secret, as he motions to Destin and then to Mia, who are now both angled to protect me. “So, whose is it?”

  “Destin’s, of course.” I level a look at him, trying to glare, though with the way he’s smiling, it’s not easy to do. “Mia is my cousin. That would be weird.”

  He shrugs, not looking in the least sorry for his question. “You’re not related by blood, and stranger things have happened. I don’t know when, but I’m sure they have.” The way his voice peaks up and he’s grinning at me, he’s obviously trying to lighten the mood.

  “Nic!” Destin’s and Mia’s daddies look at him scandalously. Apparently not sure what else to say and I can’t help a slight smile at their total shock that Nic, the one guy you can depend on to make these types of weird comments, would say something like this.

  Nic holds up his hands, still grinning. “I was joking. You should have seen your faces. That was priceless.” He winks at me. “Again, congrats. Let me know when I need to make you a ‘welcome home baby’ cake.” Then he nods to the others. “With that, I’m off. They need me back at the bakery, like, an hour ago.” He leaves and we hear his car drive off, down the gravel path.

  We’re all quiet, not really sure what to say next, and then Mia’s daddy speaks first. “After finding you three in that office, we suspected this was going on.” He takes a slow breath as he looks from me to Destin and then back to me. “I guess that congratulations are in order, both on your mating and your pregnancy. So, congratulations.” He’s smiling slightly now. “And if you need any help, just ask. We’ll try to help however we can.” Then he looks at Mia, smiling more. “Though, I suspect that with Mia at your side, you’ll probably be fine.”

  “Thanks.” I nod, anxious and relieved at the same time. I guess I should get used to having to tell people about my pregnancy. “And, we’re just telling family for now. We’re waiting to tell the world a little longer. So...” I don’t even know how to explain it, or ask him, but Mia’s daddy smiles softly.

  “I’ll tell my husbands, and explain the situation to the kids. Though, I suspect that Mia has much more to tell than I will be able to.” He gives her a look and her cheeks colour.

  “I’m not going to share anything that they don’t want me to tell you.” Mia puts her chin up defiantly and her daddy laughs and so does Destin’s daddy.

  The mood is much easier now. But I’m still nervous.

  Everything is still so much, but it’s good knowing that more people know about it now. It makes... It makes things a little easier. Not having to hide such a big secret makes things a lot easier.

  I don’t think I’d have been able to keep my own secret and Dan’s secret at the same time. Keeping just one secret at a time is bad enough.

  Keeping just one life-changing secret at a time is more than enough.

  Chapter Six

  Destin

  As I walk back from the orchard to the apartment, I’m feeling positively exhausted. All my muscles feel like they’ve done more than they have in months, burning comfortably, and it’s been a pretty good day in general.

  Sitting in on the meeting with Daddy, Mia’s daddy and Nic was really interesting, I definitely learned a lot from it. And it made me realise how much I’ve still got to learn.

  Then, there was the situation where Seb told Mia’s daddy and Nic about his pregnancy. That was nerve-wracking, but it fe
lt good to have it out of the way. After that, I had lunch with Seb, before going back to work. I’m by far not done with pruning the whole orchard, but it was a good start.

  Then I spot someone near the walls around the cafe. Dan. What is he doing there?

  He notices that I’ve seen him and he raises his hand awkwardly.

  I stop, just looking at him, waiting, and he pushes off the wall and comes over to me, his shoulders slumped. He seems to be on his own, no Mikey or Leon around. Interesting.

  “Hi.” I keep my voice low, not sure what to think of him coming here. Though, with the way he looks, he doesn’t look so sure of himself either.

  “Hi.” He nods at me, keeping his eyes to the ground. “I’d like to talk to you and Seb.”

  “You can talk to me, but I can’t promise that Seb will listen.”

  He quickly nods, still keeping his head down. Gone is the self-assured boy I’ve always known. “I understand.”

  I look behind him. “How did you get here?”

  “I took the bus. I also told Daddy that I was coming here to apologise to Seb, so he knows I’m not breaking his rules for nothing. Which I am. I’m here to apologise.” He quickly looks up, his eyes filled with honesty and a plea. “I know that I went way over the line yesterday, twice. I said things that I shouldn’t have said.” He looks back down, his shoulders sagging again as he lets out a short sound. “Even Mikey and Leon are angry with me. They won’t even listen to me apologising to them before I’ve talked to Seb.”

  I grab his shoulder. Not so sure about his intentions anymore. “So, are you here because you want to apologise or because they forced your hand? If it’s the second, you better turn around right now.” I let the threat in my voice come through clearly, I’m not letting him mess with Seb’s emotions again.