Page 147 of Let Me Show You

“Good.”

Lord, it must take a witch’s brew to get more than one-word answers from him.

I look at him through the rearview mirror and ask, “What do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t care.”

“Noah found a new movie to stream he thought you’d like. Could make some popcorn and snuggle up with blankets,” I say enthusiastically, hoping he’ll budge. He’s been in a mood for the past two months, and I don’t know why he won’t talk to me about his feelings. I won’t push him, but I want him to know he can open up to me.

“Maybe.” He shrugs again, staring out the window.

By the time I pull into the garage, I give up on getting him to talk. As soon as we walk inside, he rushes to his room, and I remind him to take a shower since he’s all sweaty. Instead of responding, he slams his bedroom door.

“Hey,” Noah says, coming from our room. “What’s that about?”

I inhale sharply. “Who the hell knows.”

Noah wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a kiss.

“He used to be so clingy and loved hanging out with me. Now it’s like he doesn’t want anything to do with me at all.” I pout.

“Give him time. He’s still adapting to all these changes. Plus, he’s almost eleven and probably going through preteen hormonal changes.”

“Well, I wasn’t ready for this yet. It seems way too early.”

“Want me to talk to him?” Noah offers.

“You’re sweet, but somehow, I think that might make it worse. Maybe it’s best we just let him know we’re here if he wants to chat and let him come to us whenever he needs to.”

“Sounds like a solid plan.”

Since finding out we’re pregnant, we’ve tried to include Owen in all the excitement and house planning, but he hasn’t seemed interested. I know a lot of changes are happening at once, but I hoped he’d come around by now and would want to be a part of it.

The following morning, I stay in bed later than usual and catch up on sleep.

So I can have a peaceful morning to myself, Noah takes Owen to the new house with him. I hope they’ll be able to bond or at least have a conversation that consists of more than one-word answers. Noah’s trying so hard not to overstep his boundaries while still wanting to be the role model Owen craves.

I never seriously dated anyone after Gabe, so I didn’t know what to expect when I finally did. I hadn’t anticipated that Owen would feel like Noah was trying to replace his dad. I can’t help but feel guilty about not only adding a man to our lives but also two siblings.

Everleigh

You should come shop for some maternity clothes before the end of my shift. Then we can go to the Coffee Palace together!

I read her text after inhaling a big bowl of pasta and feel more bloated than ever.

Katie

Hope you have extra, extra, extra large. I look like a whale.

Everleigh

We have everything from petite to whale size

Katie

Har har. Fine, I’ll come around four.

Everleigh