“Ronan is the father of Skylar’s baby.” Fionn was shoveling cake into his mouth which he choked on when I admitted Ronan was my baby’s father. His face was turning red. Aine pounded him on the back. Ciaran came over to the table where we were sitting with Ronan right behind him to check on Fionn.
“Do I need to do the Heimlich?” Ciaran asked.
Fionn shook his head no but he still couldn’t speak. He grabbed Aine’s glass of water and gulped it down. She just looked at him in disgust. “I’ll get you another one,” he gasped when he could finally speak.
“Why don’t I get it and get you one for yourself,” Ronan offered. He took Aine’s glass and headed towards the house.
“You have to tell him,” Fionn rasped.
“He doesn’t remember. Do you know how humiliating this is?” My eyes teared up. I could see Ronan coming out of the house. “Stop talking about it before he or someone else hears you.”
“It’s a boy too,” Ryan told them.
“A boy?” Ciaran said. “When did she find that out?”
“A boy? Skylar that is great news.” Liam and Harley sat across from Aine and Fionn. Ronan sat the two glasses down in front of his brother. Aine reached for hers and gulped it down.
“Thought of any names?” Harley asked.
“No I haven’t,” Skylar replied. “I just found out the sex of the baby.”
“I could suggest a few,” Ryan said.
I rolled my eyes at her. “Could we just stop talking about the baby?” I pleaded with them. I didn’t want Ronan to find out like this. Not here. Not in front of the entire family.
“We’re here for you, kiddo.” Jamie joined our group too. “You don’t have to worry about being alone. We’ve gotten so much practice with the five girls we can even help babysit.”
“That’s great,” I replied trying to sound happy.
“They can be uncles to your baby, Skylar,” Ryan offered.
“Ryan, stop it.” Ciaran was frowning at my sister, his wife.
I was ready to melt into the ground in a full blown mess of tears if she didn’t stop. I had reached the end of my rope with this discussion. It was hard enough coming here today. Facing everyone, especially Ronan and have them all staring at me. Wondering who the father of my baby was. “She needs to just be honest,” Ryan snapped.
“What bug crawled up your ass?” Liam asked Ryan.
“Your brother,” she shouted getting angrier by the minute. So, when I made the decision to tell Ryan that Ronan was the baby’s father I knew I was taking a chance because she and Ronan didn’t always get along and she was angry at him right now but I didn’t think she would do this to me or to him.
I expected Ryan to lure him to her house and tell him there if I wouldn’t do it. Not here. Not in front of everyone including both sets of parents and grandparents. “Ryan,” I said her name, fear clinching my gut.
“Which brother?” Liam asked. “I have four of them. The one you’re married to or one of the others.” The tension was building. Ryan was getting pissy, more so by the second. I warned her again to be quiet.
“Ryan,” I snapped at her. She looked at me and sighed heavily. Then she looked at Ciaran. She was weighing her options. She was about to explode with the truth.
“Don’t do it Ryan,” Ciaran warned her.
“Please Ryan,” I begged.
She didn’t listen to either of us.
“Ronan is Skylar’s baby’s father.”
She did it.
“What?” I heard the one word come out of his mouth but I couldn’t look at him.
**