I could tell Becca was nervous about telling my family, and I couldn’t blame her. The way Nick and their father reacted was awful, and if I were in her shoes, I would be apprehensive, too. But I knew my brothers were going to be excited rather than upset, and my mother was going to absolutely have a fit, in the best of ways. Her grandbaby dreams were coming true repeatedly, and now I was adding to them.
The drive home was quiet and peaceful, and for being a Sunday afternoon, the traffic wasn’t that bad going up the coast. We arrived in Astoria just after three and headed back to the house to get changed and drop off our stuff. Unpacking would happen later or tomorrow. In spite of everything happening with her family, I felt peaceful and happy, and Becca seemed content as well.
Once we were dressed, we got back in the car and drove to Mom’s place. The brothers were all there already, except for Tom, who usually only made one monthly dinner. I wanted to wait for that one, but if I gave Nick too much time, he would end up blabbing at the bar about it. I was kind of surprised he hadn’t yet.
Mom greeted us with hugs as soon as we walked in, and we headed for the kitchen to help bring out the salads and get everyone situated. Dinner would be another half hour away, so appetizers and drinks were flowing. As we got into the kitchen, Mom turned around with two wineglasses and handed them to us.
“Hand me that wine bottle, Tyler,” she said, pointing behind me to the shelf on the wall. I grabbed the bottle and handed it to her, and she opened it up.
“Do you have any acetaminophen and dark soda?” Becca asked.
“I believe we do in the refrigerator, yes,” Mom said.
“I’ve got it,” Ava said behind her as she opened the door. “Had to get the dressing bottle anyway.”
Ava handed Becca the bottle, and she poured it into the wineglass. Mom eyed her concernedly, but Ava made a face I couldn’t quite decipher and waited to put the bottle back in the fridge.
“Do you have a headache?” Mom asked.
“Yes,” Becca said. “It came on all of a sudden, actually. Acetaminophen and dark bubbly soda with caffeine are what my grandmother swore by, and it works.”
“I’ve heard that, too,” Ava said.
“Oh,” Mom said. “Tyler, do you want wine?”
“Yes, please,” I said, and she poured me a glass.
“I think I’ll skip wine, if that’s okay,” Becca said.
“Of course,” Mom said. “Wine makes my headaches far worse. I understand.”
Becca gave a smile to Mom, and we headed into the kitchen. Ava had a smirk on her face, and I started to put two and two together. She knew. Somehow, Becca gave it away and Ava picked up on it. Or Nick talked to her. One way or the other, I needed to get the news out of the way quickly. As Ava sat down next to Mason, she didn’t make any attempt to whisper to him surreptitiously or anything, which was good. So, I took the opportunity as soon as everyone was in the room to clink my spoon on the glass.
“Here we go,” I said under my breath to Becca, who clasped my hand and squeezed. “I have something I would like to say before we get dinner underway.”
“It better be good. I’m starving,” Jordan said, and Mom elbowed him in the arm.
“It is, I promise,” I said, and Jordan sat back in his chair. He was the only one who might not be excited, and it was only because the poor boy was hungry. Oh well, he could deal.
“Well?” Mason said after a moment of silence while I tried to gather myself.
“I enjoy our Sunday meals, and I am glad you all have seen to it that you have included Becca into them so seamlessly, and from both of us, we appreciate it. It can be difficult for some families to handle change—” Becca squeezed my hand harder. “—but in the Anderson family, we have always been welcoming and happy to add a new person to our little clan. So, it is with great happiness that I want to announce that next year, we will have yet another person at our table. Albeit they won’t need a seat for a little while on account of being a baby.”
There was silence for a moment as everyone worked it out and then a glorious uproar. Mom squealed with delight, and Mason shot up from his chair pumping his fist. There was much laughter and congratulations, and when I looked down at Becca, her smile was from ear to ear, tears flowing down her cheeks. Ava wrapped her up in a big hug, and the family descended on us for one of their own.