Brides and Brothers by Anneka R. Walker
Chapter 41
Camille
The whole house was full of bickering. The men were angry because of the van, and the women were angry because they were missing the holiday with their families. All Camille cared about, though, was that Benson had managed to get ahold of Aiden on the phone to reassure Camille that he hadn’t died in the storm. Now that she could breathe again, she climbed the stairs to where the women had been hiding, ready to put an end to all the conflict.
Camille opened the loft door and immediately regretted it. Macey was wrestling Raina on the floor, and Sage was yelling at Daisha. Emma and Amy were watching the scene, almost bored.
“Stop!” Camille shouted. Nothing happened. “Stop it!” This time Sage quieted, and Macey rolled off Raina. “What is going on?”
“She’s wearing my only clean shirt!” Macey yelled.
“I didn’t pack one, and my other one has lunch all over it.”
“I don’t really want to know what you’re all arguing about,” Camille said. “I just want it to stop!”
“So you can be upset, but we can’t?” Sage asked bitterly.
The comment floored Camille. The words tumbled out of her mouth. “When you’re pregnant and constantly battling hormones and nausea, we’ll talk.”
Silence filled the room. Humbled by her lack of self-control, Camille turned to stare out the window. She wanted to explain that dating problems and marriage problems were a little different.
It was all Aiden’s fault. Too bad she couldn’t blame him for her outburst too.
Amy’s squeal broke the silence. “I’m going to be an aunt!”
“When?” Daisha asked, a smile spreading across her face.
Their enthusiasm tugged a small smile from her own lips. “June.”
“I’ve always wanted a summer baby!” Sage gushed. “Then you don’t have to worry about the cold and all the germs. You’re so lucky.”
“Shouldn’t you be sitting down?” Macey asked.
Raina nodded. “We wanted to throw an impromptu baby shower for our sister this weekend. Will you let us throw one for you?”
“We could make those cute cakes with the colored middle for a gender reveal,” Emma suggested.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Amy clapped her hands like a child. “And I’m going to put up a string and hang up adorable little clothes on clothespins for the backdrop. I saw it on Pinterest!”
Camille’s brows scrunched together. “When were you looking at baby stuff on Pinterest?”
Amy rolled her eyes. “You know we’ve all done it. Those cute newborn pictures are too hard to resist.”
“What can we do for you, Camille?” Sage asked. “With Aiden gone, this has to be pretty hard.”
Camille sank onto a bed and nodded. They had no idea. It was an extension of what she’d endured before, and yet it was completely worse. “Especially because I was going to surprise him with the news right before you guys showed up.”
“He doesn’t know?” Raina blurted.
“Oh, Camille,” Daisha said. “No one deserved a night to herself more than you. I’m so sorry we messed it up.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Camille shook her head, wishing her tear ducts would dry up. “Regardless, I shouldn’t have lost my temper. The boys don’t know about the baby either. Let’s keep it a secret until I can tell Aiden. He deserves to know before the others, okay?”
They all nodded in unison.
“Thanks. Now, about today . . .”
“We’ll cook the food,” Emma suggested.
Camille exhaled slowly, glad to have peace restored. “I can help with the food, but I’m more worried about all this fighting. It’s already been a hard morning for everyone.”
Sage held up her hand. “Enough said. I learned in my child development class that stress isn’t good for a pregnant mother. It can actually lead to miscarriage.”
Macey gasped. “Sage!”
Sage glared back. “What? It’s true! And we’re all going to do our part to call off the war and get along.”
“I agree,” Daisha said. “Thanksgiving is a time to look for peace and to count our blessings. The boys wanted to do something sweet for us, and it’s not their fault that they weren’t smart enough to know better.”
Emma giggled. “That’s why they have us, right?”
Raina sighed. “Do they have us?”
“If there’s any question, we’ll put it to rest.” Sage put her hands on her hips. “It’s time we acted like mature adults. Staying mad isn’t helping any of us. Let’s talk it out with the guys and salvage what we can of the weekend.”
The others nodded.
Camille scanned her friends’ faces in awe. If she’d known announcing her pregnancy would lead to all this goodwill, she would’ve announced it long ago. “Thanks. I appreciate it. Anyone ready to start making pies for tomorrow? I’d hate to have our Thanksgiving feast served on Black Friday. That would really depress me. You know how I feel about food.”
“Don’t we,” Daisha said, leading the way down the stairs.
Camille was the last one to follow. A lump formed in her throat. She missed Aiden. It was hard to be thankful right now, but she would do her best to help the others have a good weekend. With each step, she tried to count her blessings. She was thankful for the baby growing inside of her and for medicine to endure the morning sickness. She was thankful for her brothers-in-law and how hard they worked to please everyone. She was thankful for her dear friends who had chosen to forgive despite how hurt they’d been. She paused before taking another step, wishing she could forgive as easily.