Vivian (20 page)

She jabbed back at Amelia. “Why do you have to ruin surprises? Did you tell her you’re pregnant too?”

Penelope grit her teeth. “You’re pregnant?”

Amelia jabbed back at Vivian. “I said to not say anything until the wedding.”

“
Ahhhh!” Penelope held tight to her stomach. “The baby is coming. The baby is coming and you two are married, pregnant, and still fighting.” She grimaced at the pain and Brock moved in closer to her. “Go get those girls of yours. They’re about to meet their sibling.”

Vivian and Amelia both watched as they readied her for the birth of Adam’s baby.

Vivian looked up at Brock. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

His eyes were wide with the anticipation of what was about to happen, but he smiled sweetly. “I love her.”

Vivian and Amelia walked out of the room with their arms wrapped around each other. Who would have ever thought they’d be kindred souls?

“
I suppose I should call Dorothy,” Vivian said as they waked toward the waiting room.

“
I did.”

As they turned the corner Vivian smiled at the room full of people there.

All of Brock’s family sat in the room. His mother and father entertained his nieces and nephews. His brother’s wife sat rubbing her own growing stomach while his sister read a book to one of her children. Dorothy sat with the four girls lined up next to her. Weren’t they a sight?

Amelia nudged her again. “You should take them to see their daddy.”

Vivian nodded. “You’re right.”

She walked across the room toward Dorothy whose eyes opened wide the moment she looked at her.

“
Were you in an accident?”

Vivian rested her hand on Dorothy’s. “Sort of.” She looked at the girls who now looked up at her. She knelt down in front of Charlotte and Stephanie. “I want to take you to see your daddy. He’s in a room here. We did kinda get into an accident and he’s got some stitches in the back of his head,” she said as she pointed to where his injuries would be. “He has a big bandage on his head, but I know if he saw you girls it would make him feel better.”

They looked at her and she knew she must be a horrible mess with her blackened eyes, swollen cheek, and the deep mark on her collarbone where Darby had bit her.

“
I’m okay. And so is your daddy.”

Emma tugged on her shirt. “Can we go with you?”

Vivian pulled her close to her and kissed the top of her head. “Yes. We want to talk to all of you.” She looked at Dorothy. “Please come too.”

Her girls took her hands and Clayton’s girls each held Dorothy’s. Quietly they walked down the hall toward the room where Clayton rested.

Vivian poked her head in the door. “Hey, I have some people here to see you.”

His eyes widened and a smile formed on his lips as if he knew who was beyond the door.

“
Bring them in.”

The four girls walked into the room slowly. Emma and Ava stood close to their mother. Stephanie stared at her father, but Charlotte moved right to his bed.

“
You fall?” she asked as she looked at the marks on his face.

“
I did. I fell down the attic stairs,” he said and Vivian knew that was still the truth and he was okay telling her that. “Do I scare you?”

Charlotte shook her head, but Stephanie stood pressing her body into Dorothy.

“
It’s okay. I’m going to get to come home tonight and I’ll be better soon. So will Vivian.”

“
I have some essential oils that’ll help all that bruising you both have,” Dorothy said and then raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure you’ll explain that
fall
as soon as we get home.”

Clayton smiled. “Of course we will.” He looked at all of the girls and then to Vivian.

She smiled at him, genuinely happy about what they were about to tell the girls. “Clayton and I want to tell you something.” She looked up at Dorothy. “All of you.”

He reached for her hand and she moved closer to him, both girls still clinging tightly to her.

“
Yesterday I took your mommy on a long date,” he said to her girls as he gave her hand a squeeze. “I asked her to marry me.”

Emma and Ava exchanged looks. “Is she going to marry you?” Emma asked.

“
She said she would.”

They exchanged looks again and then looked toward the other two. “So we will be sisters?”

“
Is that okay with you?”

Charlotte began to jump up and down. “Sisters.”

“
Well, here’s the deal.” He gazed up at Vivian. “You are all sisters now. We got married yesterday.”

The girls jumped up and down and squealed in delight. But when Vivian looked toward Dorothy she was batting back tears with her hand over her mouth.

Vivian went to her. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t meant to upset you.”

She waved off the apology. “I’m not upset. I look at him and I know he loves you. Oh, I’ll never let her go. But I’ll never let him go either and I want him happy.”

“
I do too,” Vivian added as Dorothy pulled her into an embrace.

There was a tapping at the door and Amelia stuck her head in. “She’s here,” she said with a soft voice and a wide smile.

“
She?”

“
She.”

Vivian wanted to hate this moment, but she couldn’t. She was absolutely giddy at the thought of seeing Penelope’s baby—Adam’s baby.

“
I’ll be right down.” She looked at Clayton and then at Emma and Ava. “It’s a busy day for you. In one day you each went from having one sister to having four.”

Emma scrunched up her face. “Four?”

Vivian crouched down and held them both at arm’s length. “Penelope just had a baby girl. You have a new sister.”

Their eyes went wide and this time Ava jumped up and down, but Emma looked at her, her face pinched in thought.

“
So I got my sister from Penelope. When do I get my brother?”

Vivian pulled her in tightly. “We will talk about that, okay?”

Emma nodded. “Can we see her?”

“
I’m sure you’ll be able to in a little bit. You stay here with Dorothy and…”

“
Grandma Dorothy,” she said looking at Ava and Emma and then up at Vivian. “It’s Grandma.”

Vivian’s lip began to tremble. “Grandma Dorothy.” She let out a sigh. How could she be so thankful at that moment to her late husband and love Clayton’s late wife and her family so much?

She took a moment to cleanse her mind before looking at the girls again. “You stay with Grandma Dorothy and I’ll go check and see when you can visit the baby.”

They nodded in agreement and then occupied themselves with their other sisters trying to amuse Clayton.

As Vivian passed by Dorothy she reached out her hand and touched her arm. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Dorothy patted her hand and looked in Clayton’s direction. “You saved him and not just last night.”

Her heart was full and her body warm. This was the kind of love she’d been searching for years.

Amelia was in the hallway when Vivian stepped out of Clayton’s room.

“
Are they excited for a baby sister?” she asked.

Vivian laughed. “Oh sure. And they want a baby brother.”

“
My baby doesn’t count. He wouldn’t be their brother.”

Vivian wrapped her arm around Amelia. “He’d be pretty close. But I told them we’d talk about it.”

They walked back toward Penelope’s room and tapped on the door. Brock invited them in and they stepped in just far enough to see Penelope holding her baby draped in a pink blanket.

“
Come here. Come see her,” she urged them in a hoarse, tired voice.

Vivian and Amelia walked toward her with their arms linked and looked down at the beautiful little bundle.

“
Oh, Penelope,” Vivian’s voice cracked. “She’s beautiful.”

“
I think she looks like Ava. Don’t you?”

Vivian nodded. “I do. Ava looks the most like Adam.”

“
I thought so too,” Penelope said softly.

Amelia lowered her head toward her, but didn’t reach out to touch. “What’s her name?”

Penelope looked up at Brock who moved in next to her. “Gwendolyn Monroe Romero.”

Vivian felt the tears sting in her throat. “I like it. It’s a beautiful name.”

Brock smoothed his hand over the top of the baby’s head. “We wanted Adam to always be part of her. Without him we wouldn’t have each other.”

Penelope looked up at Vivian and Amelia. “And we wouldn’t have each other either.”

Vivian let out a chuckle. “I just realized it’s Thanksgiving.”

“
You’re right,” Amelia said. “You two ruined Thanksgiving.”

Vivian shook her head and laughed. “It’s been a long time since I was thankful for anything. I think that’s all changed.”

Penelope looked up at the both of them, then focused on Vivian. “Did you really get married last night?”

Brock’s head snapped up and Vivian only smiled.

“
I’ve never done anything so spur of the moment in my life.” She looked at them both. “Don’t criticize. You both ran off and married my husband. I deserve the right to run off and get married to someone I just met too. And now I’m married before both of you.”

“
You make everything into a contest don’t you?” Amelia scoffed.

“
Me? That would be you. I…”

“
Shhhh,” Penelope scolded. “She’s sleeping and you both always argue.”

“
We do not,” Amelia whispered.

“
Yeah,” Vivian added with a smile.

Penelope kissed her daughter’s forehead before she looked back up at Amelia.

“
Are you really having a baby?”

Amelia gave a shrug. “Yes, that’s what the stick said. And then the doctor said.”

“
I think you’ll be a good mom,” Penelope said softly and Vivian let out a cough.

“
She’s going to be extremely overwhelmed.”

“
What if I’m a perfect mother?” Amelia fisted her hands on her hips. “I might be better than you are.”

“
At least I’ll be around to see. Then I’ll laugh. And then I can save you if you need it.”

Amelia just laughed and Vivian knew they’d all be around for when the other one needed them.

“
The girls want to see their sister. Are you ready for them or do you need a few moments?” Vivian asked, as the moment grew serious again.

“
Bring them in. I want them to see her before anyone else. Adam’s girls.”

When she said that, Vivian looked up at Brock to see his reaction, but he was gazing down at Penelope and the baby. He wasn’t worried about Gwendolyn Monroe being Adam’s girl. He was obviously confident enough to know she’d always be his little girl.

Vivian walked back through the door a few minutes later with Emma and Ava, each holding one of her hands. She wondered if they’d sleep at all tonight. They had to be very overwhelmed. Their mother looked like she’d slammed her face into the ground. Their stepfather, which they just found out they had, looked just as bad. They’d found out their new best-friends were their sisters and their actual sister was born. Even Vivian wasn’t sure she could wrap her head around it.