1
Penny
NOW
“Wait—what did you say?” I sputter, the steaming water gently sloshing around me as I grip the sides of the bathtub. Hoping desperately that I had misheard my sister, I take the phone off speaker and hold it to my ear.
“I’m pregnant, Penny,” Fia repeats herself.
A few beats of dead silence stretch between us as I close my eyes, leaning my head against the lip of the tub. My heart was already hammering in my chest from breaking one of my rules—no devices in the bathroom. This was supposed to be my time to relax and indulge. My twenty-dollar bath bomb is still fizzing around my legs, and a glass of chilled white wine is balanced on my bath caddy. I even lit a damn candle, the expensive soy jasmine one I bought at the farmer’s market last week.
This wasmytime, and I’ve been looking forward to it all year.
Yes,year.
Because I’m a self-inflicted workaholic who rarely gets to rest.
But my little sister was never great at timing.
“Okay…” I finally find my voice, swiping a wet hand over my blonde, messy bun to make sure it’s still in place. It is. “And you’re, like, totally sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Fia chirps, annoyed with me.
I blink hard at the ceiling.
Being the older sister—older by seven years—means two things: hold it together when your little sister clearly isn’t, and do not judge. Because the world already does enough of that.
“Alright, start from the beginning.”
Fia exhales a trembling breath into the phone. “Brett’s the father, obviously, but I haven’t heard from him in weeks.”
I jerk upright, no longer submerged peacefully in the rose-scented water, and grip the phone like it’s Brett’s neck. I never liked him. Never,ever.
The crisp white subway tiles on the surrounding walls blur together.
“First, I want you to know, I’m going to keep it,” says Fia in a little voice.
I press my lips together, still stuck on the whole Brett ordeal, but exhale deeply through my nose, my jaw tense. “That’s 100% your choice, you know I’ll support you either way, but why didn’t you tell me earlier? If I knew what you were going through, I wouldn’t have nagged you so much over finals and Christmas details.”
The sharp pain of a migraine hits me behind the eyes, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. I’ve been hounding her about nonsense, and the whole time, she was dealing with an unexpected pregnancy.
“It’s okay… I knew you were busy with work. I’ve been busy trying to wrap my head around everything and didn’t want to tell you until I got things in order.” Her voice fades at the end of that sentence, which leads me to believe shehas notbeen getting things in order.
It’s no secret I’ve been consumed by my wedding photography business and filling my free time with social outings, but I would’ve dropped everything for this.
Us Hanson girls are stubborn and fiercely independent—we’ve had to be without the guidance of parents, raised by our single Nan since Fia was in diapers. However, that’s where our similarities end.Where I’m sunshine and fire, Fia is a gentle breeze. She doesn’t plan; she trusts everyone immediately, and she is a kind, flowery soul. But that’s all going to change for her now. A baby changes everything—I don’t know if she’s grasped that.
There’s only one way to help her.
“I’m coming home early.” I step out of the tub, wistfully looking at the still steamy water, and grab my white robe. Even if I wanted to, there will be no more relaxing tonight; my nervous system can’t come back from this news bomb.
I tighten the robe around myself, still damp from what was a promising bath, and walk into my bedroom. The bed is perfectly made, all my white velvet throw pillows in line, the chunky beige knit blanket strewn across the comforter—just inviting me to sink into it, close my eyes, and forget the last five minutes.
“No, no, please, you don’t need to rush here,” Fia replies hastily.
I tune her out, crouching down to drag out my set of colossal suitcases from under my bed. I may not be spending my winter break in Raleigh, but that doesn’t mean I have to schlep around Wilmington in sweatpants either.
I’m bringing clothes for any occasion, just in case: cozy neutral-tone lounge sets with the tags still on them, a cashmere turtleneck and leather miniskirt combo I’ve been dying to wear, and all the boots I can fit in a second suitcase.
