“What’s going on?” Kathy entered the living room, scraping sleep out of her eyes.
“Charlie’s here.”
“Oh. So you’re not being murdered, then?”
“Thankfully, no.”
“Then I’m going back to bed.” Kathy yawned and meandered off. The kibble scraping in the bowl halted in the kitchen, and Tabby streaked past me and followed my roommate into her bedroom. Her door shut, and I turned back to Charlie.
“You’re pregnant,” Charlie said.
“That’s correct. And you know that because you eavesdropped on a very important conversation this evening, when you should have been more focused on your own wedding.”
Charlie shook his head. “I—”
“No,” I said and raised a finger. “Brother, you spent a lot of time talking over me this evening or acting like I wasn’t around, and I did not appreciate that at all. I am not an object or something you can protect. I am my own person, and you should know that by now.”
“I’m trying to do what’s best for you.”
“I am not your daughter, Charlie,” I said. “You have no right to do what you did tonight. I’m not going to talk to you about your friendship with Jacob, I don’t have a say in that, but for me, you’re going to accept my choices or you can fuck right off.” My voice pitched higher at the end, and I had to force it back down again. Poor Kathy was trying to get some sleep.
“Fine. I won’t interfere in your choices, but I can’t tell you that I approve of you and Jacob. For fuck’s sake, you know who he is. You know what—”
“Yes, I know who he is, but I’m beginning to think that you don’t know your own best friend. You’ve been pretty shitty to him. And about him tonight,” I said. “You want the truth, Charlie? When I told him I was pregnant, he was there for me, and when you found out, you flipped out and got self-righteous. You have yet to ask me how I am. You only seem to care about controlling the situation. I’ve received no congratulations on my pregnancy.”
Charlie had the decency to look moderately ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I just want what’s best for you. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”
“Well, you did.”
“You understand how difficult this is for me,” Charlie said.
“Do you understand how difficult it is for me? Once again, you’re making this about yourself. For once, it’s about me. I’m pregnant. I’m dealing with it. And if you can’t accept any of that, leave.”
“I don’t have much longer. Addy’s waiting downstairs. We’re on our way to the airport for our flight.”
“Nice. That’s good for you, Charlie. Have fun.” I nodded to the door.
“I don’t want to leave when the air isn’t clear between us.”
“The air between us is fine. Just go enjoy your honeymoon.”
My bedroom door opened, and Jacob emerged, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He was ripped, covered in tattoos and intimidating. But Charlie’s expression instantly morphed from one of sadness to anger.
“He’s here, huh?”
“You have got to stop talking about people like they’re not in the room,” I said.
“Charlie.” Jacob looped his arm around my waist. He tugged me close and pressed a kiss to my temple. “You might not believe that we have this under control, but we do. I’m so serious about Chloe that I was willing to jeopardize my friendship with you. I love her. And I plan on staying with her. Forever.”
My heart beat against the inside of my ribcage. We hadn’t discussed anything along those lines. “What?”
“I’m serious. That’s how I feel about you, Chloe. You’re the one for me. We can take it slow. We don’t have to move in together right away, but that’s what I want. You and me, for good.”
Charlie stood dead still, eyes narrowed.
“I don’t have a ring,” Jacob said, taking my hand in his. He dropped to one knee in front of me. “But I want you to know that no matter what, no matter who approves or doesn’t, you’re the one for me. Chloe Grace, will you marry me?”
I gasped, pressed my hand to my mouth. “Are you serious? You really want that?”
“Of course I do. I want you. Forever.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. My heart pattered against the inside of my throat, crazy now. Was he for real? He wanted us to be together, forever? We’d gone from avoiding each other to this so fast, my head spun.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right away,” he said and rose from his knee.
“I can. I do. I mean, yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you.” I threw my arms around his neck and he lifted me into the air, kissed me on the cheek, the lips. We lost ourselves in the moment, and when we parted, Charlie was gone. The front door was closed.
“Well,” Jacob said. “Don’t know if he’ll ever approve of this.”
“I don’t know how to feel about that,” I said as he set me down on my feet. “I mean, I don’t care if he approves of what I do in my life, but I don’t like the fact that I’ve come between you and a friend.”
“That’s his problem, Chloe, not ours. I care, but man, I’m not going to give you up for that. You’re everything I want, and I’m tired of lying to myself and everyone else about it,” he said and dragged his fingers across my lips. “If I had a choice, I’d do it again, but this time, I’d make the choice sooner. And I would never have promised Charlie anything regarding you.”
“Yeah, what was that about?” I asked. “Seems kind of immature if you ask me.”
“It was immature,” he replied. “We were teenagers, and he was overprotective, but I accepted that. But the more I saw you, got to know you, the deeper I fell. No more denying it.”
I rested my head on his chest and squeezed my eyes shut. All I needed in this moment was him. If I had him, it would all work out.
“Let’s get to bed,” he whispered and kissed me on the head.
“Sure. I’ll just lock up first.” I walked to the door and latched it, then followed Jacob into the bedroom. This morning, when I’d left for the church, I’d been sure I’d wind up eating Ben and Jerry’s with Kathy on the sofa, crying about how bad things were. How much help I’d need.
Now…well, now I had Jacob, and the baby, and a future that was a lot brighter than I’d expected.
Jacob caught me and pulled me on top of him in the bed. “Come here, gorgeous. The night’s still young.”
“Young? It’s almost two a.m.”
“Uh-huh, yeah, who cares? I only have one thing planned tomorrow, and the rest of the day is all open for you.”
“What’s the one thing?” I asked, sitting on top of him, keenly aware of how naked I was under the robe.
“Taking you to a jeweler to buy a ring. For real this time.”
We fell on each other again, and after we were done, I lay in his arms, comforted in the knowledge that we’d make this work. Together.
Thirty-Seven
Chloe
Just about seven months later…
“Ribs,” I said. “My ribs.” I was laid out on the sofa in the living room of the apartment I shared with Kathy, my eyes shut. “I don’t understand why it’s like this. I mean, haven’t I been a warm and comforting home these past nine months? Why won’t she just…come out?” I flapped my hands at my distended belly.
“I know, gorgeous,” Jacob replied, and massaged my feet.
We had Geordie Shore reruns on the TV because we couldn’t get enough of the trashiness ever since Kathy had introduced it to us. And Jacob had decided to take a break from the packing.
The house was ready. Our house. With a nursery for our little unnamed baby girl, who was a total pain in the ribs and bladder. And the lower back. And my nipples, oh god, my poor, itching nipples.
“The doctor said any day now.”
“I feel like Rachel in Friends. I’m going to turn into a demon lady and start mocking how nasal you are.” I pointed at him, lifting my head off the arm of t
he sofa, then regretting it instantly and setting it back down again.
The phone trilled across the room, and Jacob shifted.
“Don’t you dare,” I said. “Don’t you dare get up and stop being my foot-rub machine.”
“The phone, Chloe.”
“Fuck the phone. Not really. You know what I mean. Screw it. Whoever it is can leave me a message.” I moved my head this way and that, then focused on the screen, scrutinizing the antics of the house members. Some seriously tanned dude was hiding pickles under another girl’s bed. “They’re fascinating. It almost makes me want to go into labor.” I crossed my fingers. “Nope. Looks like I can’t talk myself into it.”
“It will be over soon. And tomorrow, gorgeous, we’ll be moving into our new home, and you’ll be in the lap of luxury.” Jacob kissed my shin.
I giggled and shifted on the sofa, then settled again, thoughts swishing through my mind.
The lap of luxury.
A few months ago that hadn’t been in the cards. I’d been sure that the baby and I would live here, that Jacob wouldn’t want to be involved, that I’d have to sing in clubs pregnant just to make ends meet. But Jacob had insisted that I relax and pick up on my singing career after the baby. He wanted me to be comfortable and had provided everything I needed for it.
The last gig I’d done had been months ago, just before I’d started to show, at the Flapper Club, and it had been underwhelming.
“What?” Jacob’s head was turned toward me.
“What?”
“I can tell you’re worrying about something.”
“Singing,” I said.
“It will happen, Chloe. There’s no way it won’t happen. I’m going to be there for you every step of the way until it does.” Jacob squeezed my feet again. “And you know—”
The apartment door slapped open, and Kathy stumbled in, dressed in full costume and makeup from her play. It was definitely something from the Middle Ages.
“Oh my god,” I said. “You’re a princess.”
“YouTube!” Kathy yelled, and kicked the door shut. She swished across the room, nearly tripping over her masses of skirts.
“No. I’m Chloe. And this is Jacob. Honey, you’ve got to lay off the wine.”
“I’m serious, Chloe. YouTube.” She grabbed my laptop off the coffee table and opened it, then started typing one-handed. As she did, my phone trilled in the background again.
“Let me get that.” Jacob had a thing about phones going unanswered. It was the businessman in him.
“Trust me,” Kathy said. “You want to see this.” She set the laptop down on the coffee table, grabbed the TV remote, and muted Geordie Shore. “Watch.” Kathy lowered herself to the ground, her skirts puffing up around her and her bodice clinging to her chest.
“This had better be good,” I said, as my phone started ringing for a third time. “Oh my god, that’s annoying.”
“Let me get it.”
“Jacob, please. I need you on my feet.”
He chuckled and kept massaging.
Kathy hit play on the video, and my jaw dropped. It was me. Me singing in the Flapper Club. I was on stage, doing a rendition of one of my original songs, accompanied by the pianist. And I looked pretty damn good.
“I’m on YouTube?” I asked. “Since when?”
“Someone uploaded you,” she said. “And they put your name on it and everything.”
“That’s weird. Nice, though, but weird. I guess I should have made myself a YouTube channel ages ago. People do that all the time.”
“Yeah, they do,” Kathy said, and her voice caught, as if she could barely breathe. “But not many of them go viral. Check it out.” She pointed at the view count.
“Five—what? How many zeroes is that?”
“It has five million views, Chloe. It was uploaded this morning. Everyone I know is talking about you,” Kathy said. “Everyone.”
My phone went off again, and this time, I didn’t complain as Jacob rose and walked to the phone. He picked it up, his eyebrows rising. “Holy fuck.”
“What?” Kathy and I said in unison.
“You have like twenty missed calls and more messages. From numbers I don’t recognize.”
“You’ve been discovered,” Kathy squealed, jiggling up and down on the spot. “People know who you are, Chloe! You’ve been discovered.”
Tears gathered instantly. For once, it wasn’t the hormones. This was for real. This was what I’d dreamed of for years. “I can’t—what the hell?”
“There’s commentary afterward, too. The guy who uploaded it is this YouTuber who specifically seeks out talent and comments on people’s singing techniques and their history.” Kathy turned up the sound.
“The woman’s name is Chloe Grace, and she’s a resident of Los Angeles.” The guy’s voice droned through the speakers, and he appeared on screen. A well-kept dude wearing a checked scarf and a pair of hipster glasses. “I couldn’t find much information on her, but what I did find was interesting.”
My breath hitched. Oh god, what now?
“She actually featured on a track by Deezerdorf, the failed EDM artist who’s pretty much been shunned for stealing music and for his lack of crediting the artists he works with. Turns out that this gorgeous voice was in one of those tracks, and Chloe wasn’t credited for it. I can only assume that she’s not earning any money from it either. So, Chloe, if you’re out there, you just wait, girl. You’re going to make it big. I’ve got an eye for talent, and you’ve got it in spades.”
The tears spilled over now, ran down my cheeks. I smacked them away, struggling upright. Pain shot through my belly. “I—ooh—I can’t believe this. I can’t believe it! This is happening? This is really happening?”
“It’s happening,” Kathy said. “It’s happening.”
Jacob was at my side, holding the phone. “This is amazing,” he said. “Chloe, this is amazing.” He kissed me softly. “Are you OK?”
“It’s—ooh.” The pain seared through my abdomen, a cramping that didn’t go way. I bent over it, gasping. “Oh my god. Oh!”
“Chloe? What’s wrong?” Jacob placed his arm around my shoulder.
“The baby,” I said. “It’s coming.”
* * *
I lay on the pink sheets in the hospital room, holding my bundle in my arms. I dragged the sheet back from her tiny fingers on tiny hands, satisfaction coursing through me. It had been sixteen hours of the most unbelievable pain, followed by the best reward possible.
I was exhausted, but I’d still given her the first feed and been coached on how to get her to latch onto the breast.
“She’s perfect,” Jacob said at my side. He was my hero. He’d held my hand, gotten me ice chips, anything I’d needed, and when I’d screamed and cursed and squeezed his hand so tight it had to have hurt him, he’d been my rock. “Just like you. She’s got your hair.”
A thin patch of dark hair smoothed over her little head. I kissed her button nose, and her lips moved softly, suckling on nothingness.
“Oh my god,” I said, choking up. “How are we this lucky?”
“I don’t know,” Jacob replied. “I know you deserve this. Maybe I do too.”
“Yeah.”
Jacob caught my lips, kissed them softly. We rubbed our noses together. The fatigue hovered behind my eyes, waiting to take me, but I wasn’t ready to let go of her yet.
“We still have to name her,” Jacob said. “Any ideas?”
“What about…Rebecca?” I asked. “It was my grandmother’s name.”
“I like it. And it suits her perfectly.”
“Are you sure? What about a second name?”
“I think Rebecca is just fine,” Jacob said and pulled up a chair. He yawned as he lowered himself into it. “And I think Rebecca’s got the right idea. We should get some sleep while we can. You know, I hear babies like to keep you awake.”
“Hmm, I heard the same thing. I’ll call the nurse.” I reached back and hit m
y button for the nurse’s station.
A light knock sounded at the door, and it pushed open. Charlie and Addy appeared.
Jacob raised an eyebrow, and we shared a glance. My brother hadn’t been in contact with either of us for months, not since we’d gotten engaged.
He entered slowly, almost timidly, and stopped at the bottom of my bed. “We just wanted to say congratulations,” Charlie said, and peered at Rebecca. “And, I wanted to say…sorry. For the way I behaved. For everything. Jacob, Chloe. I was caught up in my own issues, and it was wrong.”
I sighed, managed a smile. He was my brother, and he’d always been there for me. I wouldn’t stay angry at him for what he’d done. I was also way too tired to talk about it now. “We’ll talk later, Charlie. For now, come meet your niece. Her name is Rebecca.”
Jacob was out of his chair, at my side again, protective as he gently took Rebecca from me and walked her over to Charlie and Addy.
“Rebecca,” he said and smiled at her. “Like Grandma?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is.” And she was ours. The start to our family and the rest of our lives. My eyes drooped, a smile twisting my lips, but before I could drop off, a needy wail erupted from my daughter. I opened my arms, and she was returned to me again.
“All right,” I cooed softly. “All right, little one. Mommy’s here.” And I promise, I will always be here for you, no matter what.
Epilogue
Jacob
Eighteen years later
Paris, France
“So, what do you think?” I asked, sitting across from Rebecca, at the table on the corner at our favorite café. Chloe’s and my favorite café, in Paris. The one where we’d spent a day chatting and laughing after picking out rings together, years ago.
My wife was at my side, her hand resting gently under mine on the tabletop. She lifted a cup to her lips and sipped. A few teens at the table near the door had already spotted her and were snapping a few sneaky pictures.
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