"I can't believe it," Maribeth said as she got in the car.
"Aren't you the least bit happy?" I asked, getting in the drivers side.
"I am, but what about AJ? How do you think he's gonna take the news?"
"Well, he's always wanted a big family," I said, trying to calm her fears.
"We were gonna wait until we got married or at least until our careers calmed down," she said.
"Don't worry about a thing. Everything will work out. And besides, I'm the one who's going to have to do most of the work."
"Why you?" Maribeth asked.
"Who the hell do you think you're going to get to baby-sit?" I asked, laughing. "Certainly not Joanne!"
"True," Maribeth said, laughing off some of her tension.
"And if they're anything like the two of you I'll have to child-proof my entire house." The two of us laughed and sat in a comfortable silence the rest of the way home. (That's the good thing about the two of us. If something's bothering either one of us, we tell each other, get it out in the open, fix it, and sit back comfortably.)
"You ready?" I asked.
"Might as well get it over with," she said, smiling slightly. We walked into the house to see everyone exactly where they had been when we left.
"Is everything okay?" AJ asked, immediately coming to Maribeth's side.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked him. He nodded and she looked at me.
"You can use my room," I said. Then I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Good luck." She smiled and they went upstairs, leaving the rest of us in silence.
"Is everything okay?" Brian asked, pulling me onto his lap.
"Yeah, in a sense," I answered, leaning my back against him.
"What do you mean 'in a sense'?" Jamie asked.
"You'll have to ask Maribeth about that. I'm not at liberty to say." We sat there in silence for a few minutes, listening to the soft music playing in the background combined with the muffled voices from upstairs. After a while, we heard footsteps and a yell.
"We're having a baby!!!" AJ yelled running down the steps and around the room. I looked up at the top of the steps, where Maribeth was standing. I fell of Brian's lap onto the floor and the two of us cracked up.
"Are you serious?" Kevin asked. Maribeth nodded.
"Not just one," I added.
"Twins!" AJ yelled, hugging all of us in turn. He ran up the steps, grabbed his fiancée, and swung her around, kissing her passionately.
"How far along are you?" JC asked as the two of them made their way down the steps.
"Not even three weeks," she said, smiling. We talked for hours about her pregnancy and our honeymoon. I called Jessica in Philadelphia and talked to her for a few minutes. then I gave the phone to Maribeth, who told her the news. She didn't really have to, though, because AJ was still screaming it in the background. Maribeth then handed the phone to Joey, who talked to my sister for a few minutes. He hung up when Joanne started giving him a lecture about the long distance bill. After a few more minutes, Harold spoke up.
"Look, I think we should all go home now and leave the newlyweds in peace," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
"Yeah, I think they want some 'down' time," Justin added. Joanne looked at me questioningly and I nodded. She smiled and hit Justin on the back of the head. "Thank you," I mouthed.
"Well, why don't we help clean up," Harold suggested, "and then we'll go." Everyone agreed and helped up put the dishes in the dishwasher and the candle in places where they couldn't do any harm (AKA burn the house down). Before they left, we made plans to meet for lunch before the three siblings had to go back to Kentucky. After giving Justin, who was the last person to leave, a hug good-bye, I shut the door and sighed.
"Wow," Brian said. I turned to face him and leaned my back against the door.
"Wow, what?" I asked.
"I didn't AJ would be the first to have children, that's all," he said, coming over and wrapping his arms around my waist. "And they're not even married."
"Well, it seems as though that's the 'rage' nowadays," I said in a false, valley-girl voice. "I mean, it's just the 'in' thing to do."
"Are you upset that we waited?" Brian asked.
"No, of course not. I mean, it's so passé, anyway," I joked. "I went out with last weeks clothing." He laughed, then his face turned serious.
"You sure?" He asked, worriedly. I kissed him lightly.
"You mean to make love? Of course not! I, honestly, didn't care, as long as I still got to marry you. And, you know what?"
"What?" Brian asked, a faint smiled playing on his lips.
"You still haven't carried me over the threshold." Picking me up like a baby, I don't think I've ever seen a man bolt that fast up the steps.