(Mira)
The compound felt different after we found out we were having a girl.
Not loud different, because Ridge still had half the place acting like I might break if someone breathed too hard near me. It was more in the way people looked at me, then looked at my stomach, then tried to pretend they hadn’t. Harlow was the worst at pretending.
She had already said “my niece” at least ten times before lunch.
I sat on the couch with the ultrasound picture in my hand while Ridge sat beside me, close enough that his thigh touched mine. His hand rested on my knee, warm and steady, like he needed the contact as much as I did. Cassidy sat on my other side, and Harlow paced in front of us with too much energy for someone who claimed she was calm.
“I’m going to be an aunt,” Harlow said again.
“Yo
