David held Ophi close, rocking her and keeping her warm, needing to defend her from the cold and the pain. All the anger and annoyance with how she’d treated him the past few weeks melted away when he realized holding on to that grudge wouldn’t benefit anyone. He could tell she wanted him as much as he wanted her and they could work with that. It might be slow and there might be more hiccups, but goddamn, she had more than enough reasons to be afraid of putting her faith in another man.

“Hey, man,” the well-dressed stranger said, holding out his hand to David. “Nice punch. What do you do for a living, boxing?”

David shook his hand. “High school principal.”

The man tilted his head and laughed, glancing over at Dearborne, who shrugged. “Interesting. I’m Mitchell Karmi. Nice to meet you. Sorry if I’m crashing. Mr. Dearborne was kind enough to invite me when he heard I had nowhere to go tonight.”

“Everyone is welcome,” Ophi said, raising her head from David’s shoulder. “Especially people who help me with my dumb ex.”

“Very dumb, to make a scene in front of all these people. Has he ever hurt you before?”

“No. He left when he found out I was pregnant and wanted nothing to do with me or his kid until a few years ago.”

“There’s some anger riding that guy’s soul. I’d reconsider what privileges he does have.”

“Thanks. What do you do now that you’re no longer a lawyer?”

“I used to be a family court lawyer. Now I buy and sell buildings. It’s fun.” He smiled dazzlingly white teeth at them, then clapped Dearborne on the shoulder before running back into the house.

“The kid is eccentric, but he seemed like a good sort, which is why I invited him. Now I’m glad I did.”

“Armie thinks his voice is hot.”

“Huh,” Dearborne considered it for a moment. “I don’t know if the guy is gay.”

“What about bi?”

“Maybe more that. Let’s find out for our Armie, shall we?” Dearborne chuckled to himself, then climbed the stairs, leaving her and David alone in the yard.

David kissed her forehead before asking, “I know this is stupid, but I need to know, are you okay? Do I need to follow and kick his ass some more?”

Warmth spread in Ophi’s cheeks at his concern.

“No, but I will have the image of you punching him stored in my heart for a very, very long time.”

“Speaking of that punch.” He lifted his hand, and Ophi could see bruises forming on his knuckles. “Got any ice?”

“I’ve ice and whiskey and pie.”

“Awesome. I made some of that pie.”

“Yeah, with your little girlfriend.”

“She’s just my neighbor and way too young for me, thanks.” David cupped her face, searching for something. “Hey, are you sure you’re all right? You look—I don’t know, something seems different from earlier.”

“Yeah, I’m happy you’re here.”

She went on tiptoe, and they kissed, slowly.

“Me too.”

Richard was waiting for them inside the kitchen. He sat at the counter, drinking some hot cocoa. Dani was with him, holding his hand.

“Daddy had to leave, didn’t he?”

Ophi sat across from her kids, hating that Lyle continued to do this to his own son. “Yeah, sweetheart. But it wasn’t work. It was me.” She wouldn’t lie to him. “I told him to leave. He knows he isn’t allowed to come here without asking first. You remember that rule, right?”

“I heard someone say he pushed Uncle Armie. Is Uncle Armie okay?”

Dani gasped. “Richard’s daddy hurt Uncle Armie? That’s not nice.”

“I’ll go check on him, but I’m sure he’s fine. You’re right, baby. It wasn’t nice of Lyle to do that.”

“He was mad?” Dani asked, clearly shocked by the misbehaving adults.

“Yes, your uncle didn’t want to let him in the house and he got angry. But that didn’t make it okay for Lyle to hurt Armie. You understand that, right?”

“I know, Mom.” There was a sheen of wetness in his eyes, but the young boy remained stoic. She was proud of her little big man, but she’d never stifle his emotions.

“Good,” Ophi said. “It’s okay to be sad about this, honey. You know that right? It won’t make you less of We can talk about this more, now or later. I’ll leave it to you.”

“We can talk later,” Richard chimed. “I heard David made a pie and that it’s really yummy.”

“I did make a pie. It's chocolate. Do you want to try it?” David made a chocolate pie sound like a fifty-pound bag of gold, at least to a ten-year-old.

Richard nodded, sniffling a bit, but took David’s hand so he could jump off the high stool easily. David led the kids back into the dining room, and Ophi ignored her desire to slump onto a stool and bang her head against the counter. Instead, she grabbed an ice pack from the freezer for David’s hand. She was about to head back into the dining room when Armie and Nettie stomped in, sitting her back down on a stool.

“Do you have a bun in the oven, Ophi?” Armie asked on a whisper.

“No, all the buns are already served and out on the table.”

“You were doing that motherly cradle-the-tummy thing you always did when you were pregnant,” Nettie pointed out accurately.

“It was nothing. I have a bug. I’m fine.”

Armie shook his head, disbelieving. “I can’t believe it. Again? You are the most fertile woman in the world. Does David know?”

Ophi smacked him upside the head. “No, he does not know, and he will not know until I take an actual pregnancy test and tell him, so please do me a favor and keep your mouth shut. Okay?”

“Yeah.” Armie rubbed his head. “You know, it might be nice if you didn’t hit the blind guy on the head that just smashed into a wall.”

“Oh shit, Armie. I’m sorry.” He’d put himself in harm’s way for her, and here she was, treating him like a child. “Do you want to see a doctor?”

“Already did. Doctor Vigil is here. She said I’m good to go. No concussion, only a small bump.” He reached for her, and she went to him, breathing in the comforting, familiar scent of her brother. “Say it.”

Nettie wrapped her arms around both of them, her chin resting on Ophi’s shoulder. “Say it, Ophi.”

Ophi sighed and gave in. “Please keep in mind I have not taken a test or been to see the doctor, but based purely on my symptoms and what I know about my own body…I’m pregnant and you both are going to have another niece or nephew.”

They all looked at each other and grinned, then began jumping up and down, feigning screaming in excitement. Usually, there were vocals at this stage, but they didn’t want to scare the guests or tip David off.

“What do you think it’s gonna be, boy or girl?” Nettie squealed quietly.

“I hope another girl. Like it was for us.”

“Give Richard a brother, c’mon.” Armie groaned. “Women have been running this family forever.”

“I can’t exactly control the sex, guys.”

“Oh I’m crazy excited,” Nettie said, her voice high-pitched. “I love when you’re like this. It means we can eat whatever we want, and you won’t complain about calories because your cravings are insane.”

“Hey, you three,” Josh said, sticking his head into the kitchen, wearing his signature grumpy frown. His sometimes sour expressions used to be a barrier when the family first met him, but now that he was entwined securely in their net, they teased him endlessly for it. “We want dessert, and we kinda can’t start without our hosts.”

“Oh, sure. Of course. Sorry, grumpypants.” Ignoring Josh’s complaints over the nickname, Ophi grabbed the ice for David’s hand.

“Mommy, look at all the pie!” Dani yelled as they walked back in, standing on her chair. David steadied Ophi’s wobbly four-year-old legs with a hand on her back.

“I know. Are you ready to eat the pie?”

“Yes!” everyone yelled, making the Croft siblings laugh.

Mr. Dearborne tapped Armie on the shoulder, then placed his white cane in his hand. “You left this in the foyer, kid.”

“Thanks.” Armie’s voice was strained, snagging Ophi’s attention. He nodded stiffly in a direction near the first-floor restroom. “My chair is over there.”

“That’s the bathroom, Armie, and it wouldn’t kill you to actually ask for help. C’mon, I’ll take you to your seat, you stubborn lummox.”

“I beg your pardon, sir.”

“Stop being an ass.”

Dearborne was familiar with Armie’s antics, having helped raise him once their parents passed, but Ophi was caught by Dearborne’s gruff statement. Did Armie not ask for help? Dearborne had been overly attentive with Armie lately, stopping by at family gatherings, inviting him over to listen to some old, valuable records he kept hidden away from the public. The kindness wasn’t unusual, but come to think of it, the last time Dearborne had been this devoted was when Armie learned of his impending blindness.

“C’mon, Mommy,” Dani called, holding out her hands.

Ophi’s first children were her siblings; she loved them with a combination of motherly and sisterly love. But she had her own babies now, and would soon be bringing another into the world. It was impossible to focus on her siblings as much as in the past. Nettie had a good job she was great at and was the town darling. Ophi would have been satisfied with that outcome for her sister’s life, except now she was with Josh, a relationship that had started on uneven footing but had grown sure and strong this past month. The baby of the Croft family was in a good place. Nettie was happy.

If David decided to only take an insignificant role in raising their child, something Ophi found to be nauseating, she would still happy. The image of a big family complete with two parents was something she desperately wanted for her kids, but she would be okay without a man in her life. Ophi had her children, and her costume design company for kids was taking off with all the online orders she received, augmented by the popularity of her parenting blog. Ophi would be good.

But Armie…he’d always been a bit of mystery to Ophi, even when he wasn’t aware of the degenerative disease taking his vision. It was why she’d asked for paternal advice from Rabbi Schultz and Mr. Dearborne. Both were good men who had raised young boys into honorable and trustworthy men. Yes, there had been hard times at the start of Armie’s vision loss, but he seemed to have adjusted fine. Then again, Ophi had been busy lately and was stretched too thin to watch over her kids, her business, and the well-being of her siblings.

She made a mental note to chat with Nettie about him, make sure he was doing all right. There would come a time when Armie might need to face some demons he’d been keeping at bay, and it hurt a little to think Ophi might not be the one to help him through it.

Ophi wished she could be ten people at once, giving her time to her children and family, making sure all their needs were met. But she was one woman—a strong and independent woman who fought and scraped to keep her family together, but even Superwoman had her limits too.

Once everyone was seated again, Armie safely guided to his chair and not the bathroom, the twenty-plus guests began to dig into the desserts. Pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, apple pie, red wine chocolate cake, rainbow cookies, and a trifle soaked in brandy. If Ophi could think of it, they had it.

The kids had chocolate and whipped cream covering their faces within five minutes, and there were moans and groans of food-related bliss spreading across the room.

David placed his fork on his empty plate and sighed deeply. “That was amazing.”

“Yeah, you make good pie, Principal David.”

“Why, thank you.” His blue eyes were heavy-lidded with Thanksgiving gluttony, but still shining. “Now what happens?”

“Now,” Mr. Dearborne said, standing and throwing his napkin on his plate. “We clean up while the hostess relaxes with a big glass of whiskey.”

“No whiskey for me tonight, thanks.”

“What are you, pregnant?” Armie laughed, making the rest of the table laugh as well. She forced herself to laugh along, swearing she’d make him pay for that joke with David sitting right next to her.

“I’d actually prefer some hot chocolate for me and the kids.”

David kissed her, right on the lips, right in front of everyone. The entire town would know they were together the second these people left the house. They’d be respectful while under her roof, but in their cars, they’d be texting and calling like mad, activating the unwritten but very real gossip tree. “Three hot chocolates coming up.”

“Can you make that six? Nettie and Josh helped getting things ready, and Armie is useless during clean-up so he might as well sit with us.”

“You bet.” David squeezed her shoulder. “Be nice to your brother.”

“Oh, trust me, he deserves it.” She glared over at Armie, and despite his failing vision, he must have sensed her scowl, because he cowered back in on himself. It was a little satisfying to know she still had that motherly command of him.

The Croft family moved into the living room and gathered around the fire. Nettie wouldn’t stop smiling at her, and Armie kept apologizing about nearly spilling the beans, claiming he’d been possessed by some evil creature that took over his voice.

“I’ll get you back for that.” Ophi would make good on her promise.

“I know. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Get you back why?” Josh asked, his arm around Nettie as she dozed on his chest. “That pregnancy joke? It’s not like you’re actually pregnant—” He turned to Ophi, his eyebrows raised. “Are you pregnant?” he asked, mouthing it so nobody, the kids included, could hear him.

She nodded deliberately, figuring he was going to know as soon as Nettie told him, which would probably be the second she left the house that night.

“Wow. Yeah, you should get Armie back for that. Is it David’s?”

“Is what David’s?” David asked with impeccable timing, carrying a tray with six hot chocolates.

“A scarf I found,” Ophi covered quickly. “But I don’t think you were wearing a scarf when you got here, were you?”

“No scarf. I’m going to go back and help with clean up.” He kissed her softly, stroking her hair, his thumbs playing at her temples, then winked and went back to the kitchen. She didn’t want him to ever stop touching her or looking at her with that goofy, happy smile. But he might. Kids weren’t in everyone’s plans, especially kids from a former relationship.

Ophi turned back to Josh and answered his question with another exaggerated nod when her stomach lurched, and she felt herself beginning to throw up again. She pushed herself off the couch and ran as fast as she could to the downstairs bathroom. She closed herself in, fell to the floor, and every single thing she’d eaten over dinner and dessert came roaring back up with a vengeance.

She hadn’t missed this part of pregnancy, no sir. Once finished and the toilet flushed, she rested her head against the cool seat lid, then remembered she had a house full of guests, and many different asses had sat there that night. She groaned and moved to lay on the floor, her head on the tile instead.

A knock on the door. “Ophi, are you okay?”

Of course it was David. He and everyone else had probably seen her mad dash, clomping on the wood floors in her heels and slamming the bathroom door shut.

She couldn’t speak, her head was spinning so hard, but her stomach was at least calming down rapidly.

“Ophi?”

“David, I’m sure she’s fine,” she heard Nettie say. “Sometimes she eats too much dairy and needs a few minutes to herself. You know how it is.”

“Dairy?”

“Lactose intolerance sucks, especially on Thanksgiving. Let me set you up with a glass of whiskey while everyone gets their coats. I know you’ll probably want to stay a little later than the other guests.”

“I would, thanks.”

“Great, then we can chat about how if you hurt our sister, Armie and I will murder you and the town will cover it up for us.”

“We will,” Ophi heard Mr. Dearborne say on the other side of the door, making her smile. Dearborne knocked twice, then said, “Feel better, sweetheart. Make sure she gets some fluids.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you, okay?” David asked. Her throat was so raw she didn’t think she could say a thing, but David didn’t give her a choice. “If you don’t respond, I’m barging in there.”

“I’m good, thanks,” she croaked. “Just embarrassed.”

“Okay, be back in a few.” The sound of his footsteps walking away was bliss.

Someone else knocked on the door. “It’s me, Ophi. Let me in and I can help.”

“It’s unlocked.”

Nettie walked in and instantly pinched her nose. “Yup, smells like barf in here.”

“My head hurts.”

“I know, sweetie. The first few months are always rough for you. I brought you a bottle of water and some Tylenol.” Nettie scooped her arm under Ophi’s back and pulled her up. “Try to sit up, please.” When all Ophi did was groan, Nettie scoffed. “I forgot what a whiner you are while pregnant. C’mon, work with me.”

“I’m not a whiner.” Her voice sounded scratched and grated.

“Stop fighting me and let me help you. Drink this water.”

“I don’t want it.” Ophi childishly slapped it away, wanting nothing more than to put her head back on the cold tile. It hurt like crazy.

“No, you have to have it and the Tylenol. It will help your head.”

“I’m fine.”

Nettie growled at her. “You’re not fine, wacko lady, now take the damn pills.”

“Why are you such a pusher? Sheesh.” But Ophi relented, needing some sort of surcease from the pounding in her head. She took two Tylenol and downed half the bottle of water. They both waited nervously, praying it wouldn’t come back up. When things seemed to be stable and settled, they relaxed.

“I’m going to get your toothbrush. You can’t kiss David with barf breath.”

“No, no. What if he sees? I don’t want him to know I’m puking my guts out.”

Nettie opened the cabinet and fished out a disposable toothbrush and a travel-size tube of toothpaste. “Here, use this instead.”

“Can you send him home?”

“What? Why?”

“I can’t face him right now. I feel disgusting. I don’t want him to see me like this.”

“Hey, if you’re gonna tell him about this pregnancy, he’s gonna see a lot worse than barf. There’s the birth, and the afterbirth, and the blood pads you have to wear after the birth. And the stretch marks, though you said he already saw those. And those C-section scars…which will be worse after the third time.”

Ophi groaned and leaned her head back against the tile floor, still cool and still comforting. “I hate you.”

“I know. I’ll be right back.” Nettie kissed her on the head, then left, closing the door gently, thank goodness. She didn’t think she could handle anything louder than the snick of the latch.

She closed her eyes and willed the headache away, visualizing herself standing at the door and waving her guests off with a smile. It was the least she could do for them after everything they’d done for her tonight, supporting her where Lyle was concerned and being altogether damn pleasant and not drunken idiots. She loved them all for it, no matter how low she set the bar.

The door opened quietly, the squeak of the hinges all she could hear. Nobody said anything, making her worry it might be someone who still thought she was suffering from lactose intolerance pains. But a scuff on the tile gave away that it was Armie, the sound of his cane hitting the floor too familiar now that he’d had it for well over three years.

“Armie, shut the door. The light is making my headache worse. Although at this point I’m sure it’s a migraine. Don’t talk, please. Words just make the pain acuter.”

He closed the door as gently as she’d ever heard it close; the hinges didn’t even squeak.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes shut tight. After a moment the water came on and quickly off. Soon after, a cold cloth rested against her head, and she groaned in relief. Yes, that is exactly what she needed.

“Ugh, that is amazing. Where did you learn to do that? Can you wet it again? It’s getting warm.”

Instead of wetting it again, a new cloth settled against her forehead, already damp from the first time running it under the water. “Whoa, you are good, little brother. Too bad we didn’t know about this trick with the first two, huh? Maybe something as revelatory as a wet towel will make all the difference with this pregnancy.”

The cane dropped to the floor, and Ophi could hear heavy breathing. She opened her eyes, looking up to see if Armie was okay. But it was David, holding Armie’s cane for some weird reason, not her brother. “Oh, hi.”

He was sitting on the closed toilet seat, one hand on his chest the other on his forehead. “You’re pregnant?” he asked, not looking at her directly.

That wasn’t a good sign.

“Why did you have Armie’s cane?”

“You’re pregnant?” he asked again, ignoring her question.

“Yeah, I’m pregnant. Lucky number three. Seriously, what’s with Armie’s cane?”

“Didn’t we use protection?”

“I can categorically say we did not…and I don’t take birth control. It messes with my equilibrium.”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugged, trying to keep the exchange light. He looked freaked out, and she didn’t want to set him off. “It makes me depressed so I don’t take it.”

“What about an IUD?”

“Hey, when they invent a method of birth control that is shoved up your dick for five years, then you can complain about me not having an IUD.” This wasn’t going well at all.

She sat up, needing a bit more dignity than lying on the tile floor while speaking to the father of her unborn child. She mustered what sense she could through the massive headache assaulting her brain and took stock of what was in front of her. David was slack-jawed, clearly in shock, and had no idea what to do next. Sure, if someone asked what he would do if he theoretically impregnated a woman, David probably would have solemnly stated that he would take care of the mother and child because he was a good man.

But Ophi knew better than most that assuming what a person would do during a crisis was a dangerous pit fall. What they actually did could be a complete disappointment. She’d always said if she ever got pregnant before marriage she would get an abortion, but then Richard came along. She instantly fell in love with the little bud of life inside her, and she knew she was meant to be a mother. And a kick-ass designer, and a parenting blog expert, and a bunch of others things she hadn’t thought of yet.

She couldn’t blame David for freaking out—any normal person would.

“Look, I know this is a shock.”

“Shock is one word for it,” he said, his voice quiet.

“But we can talk about it later. Regroup, take some time to think about stuff and then come back. It’s okay to be weirded out, David. Neither of us was planning for this.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. Time is good. I’m just gonna…” He pointed at the door and suddenly stood, grabbed Armie’s cane, then walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him as he went. She listened to his footsteps followed by the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing.

“I didn’t mean leave right this second…”

She’d told a man she was pregnant with his kid, and he left. Just like Lyle, but different. When Lyle left, she didn’t feel loss or pain, mostly anger. She’d honestly gotten over his absence within a day or two. This time, an aching chasm seemed to open inside her chest where her heart should have been. Her headache worsened as she imagined raising the baby without David, and the burning in her throat increased.

She crawled over to the door, locked it so her siblings couldn’t get in, then lay back down on the tile floor. It was still cool.

At least she had one stabilizing force in her life.