Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

She glanced at Lucy curiously as she recited something under herbreath but Vannah only caught the tail end. “. . . then comes mewedge. Thencomes baby—” She stopped suddenly as her mouth fell open. “Ah you getting meweedand having a baby?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Byron said exaggeratingly loud. “Shedidn’t say all that.”

Vannah laughed swatting him playfully. “Why is that so out of thequestion?”

“Yeah, Uncle B.” Elsa asked. “Aren’t you in love with her too?”

“Well, yeah but—"

“Mommy said that’s what happens when two people ah in love,” Lucysaid almost in a scolding tone. “They get meweed and have babies.”

Deciding to get him off the hook, Vannah turned back to thegirls. “I still have four years of school to finish.”

“And?” Both girls asked simultaneously.

Byron and Vannah exchanged glances and Vannah laughed nervously.“Well, I have to concentrate on finishing first before moving on to otherthings.”

“My mommy got married and had me before finishing college,”Elsa countered.

“That’s different,” Byron said as they pulled into the hospital’sparking lot.

“How?” Lucy asked looking genuinely curious.

Vannah felt her eyes widen, because Byron had told her about thiswhen he’d elaborated further about his relationship with his brother. Gettingmarried and having a baby before their mother could finish school, was notsomething either Ali or Byron had planned. But Vannah was quite sure the girlswere still too young to know the whole truth.

“Never mind how,” Byron said putting the car in park afterpulling into a parking space. “But I’ll tell you this much. I do have everyintention of marrying her someday. If it were up to me.” He glanced up atVannah and flashed that beautiful smile. “I’d marry her tomorrow.”

Both girls smiled big as Vannah’s heart sped up instantly. Sheknew he couldn’t possibly be serious. Clearly, he knew his Littles thatwell, that he known that’d be enough to satisfy their curiosity and get themmoving on to the next topic.

“I wanna hold Lucas fuhst,” Lucy declared, as all four walkedthrough the parking lot holding hands.

“But I’m the oldest,” Elsa protested.

“So?”

“I heard he’s a big one,” Byron said as they walked into thehospital. “Probably too heavy for either of you to hold him by yourselves justyet. You can both sit on a chair and hold him together. How ‘bout that?”

Just like that, both girls were smiling again, their bright eyesfull of anticipation. Fortunately, when they got in to see the baby, Lucas wasthe immediate focus of everyone’s attention. Byron had given Beast and Ali aquick and dirty introduction to his girlfriend, but the girls were sofull of questions about the baby their parents couldn’t really ask too muchabout Vannah right away.

Only that didn’t last long. As soon as they set the girls up in achair like Byron had suggested so they could hold him together, Ali turned to Vannahand smiled.  “I knew things were more serious than Byron was letting on.Girlfriend, huh?”

“They’re getting married,” Elsa announced.

“And having babies,” Lucy said following Elsa’s lead and now Vannahnearly choked on her own spit.

As expected, his brother and Ali both turned to them looking abit stunned. Beast’s eyes even fell to Vannah’s belly for a second, beforeturning to Byron. “What?”

“Not any time soon.” Byron playfully glared at the girls andshook his head.

“You said you wanna mehwee her tommowoh.”

Vannah couldn’t help giggling now though it was more out of angstthan anything else. “I said,” The playful glare went even more severebefore Byron turned back to address his brother and Ali. “If I had it my way,I’d marry her tomorrow. But she still has four years of school.” He shrugged asif to make less of it. “You know them. They asked about everything.”

“Still,” Beast said. “That’s a bold statement. Tomorrow? Really? What’sit been? A few months?”

“Show me the rule book,” Byron squeezed Vannah’s hand. “Specifically,where it says how long it has to be before you just know.”

Unlike her family, whose jaws would likely be on the floor, Beastshrugged now too, turning to Vannah. “Guess you’re the reason this guys smiledmore in the last few months than he had in years.”

Before Vannah could respond to that, the baby squirming, makingnoises, and scrunching his face like he was getting ready to wail, was thecenter of attention again. Thankfully so, because Vannah needed a breatherafter the subject had gone there, the very first time she’d met hisfamily. She’d been certain meeting his family would be much less nerve wrackingthan his meeting hers.

Not so.

Byron picked up Lucas from the laps of his now anxious lookingnieces. Vannah leaned in to get a closer look at the little guy, as Byron’slulling seemed to calm him. “He’s beautiful,” she said glancing up at his proudbut very tired looking parents.

Despite the subject going back to mostly Lucas and the long nighthis parents had, Vannah’s head kept going back to Byron’s nonchalant declaration.She’d been certain he’d said it the first time for the sake of acquiescing hisLittle’s take on love and marriage. But now he’d said it to his brother and Alias well. And he hadn’t even flinched when he did so.

Both Beast and Vannah’s father were big, intimidating, and quicktempered, yet she was certain her father’s reaction to what Byron said aboutbeing ready to marry her tomorrow would be so much different. It’s whydespite her mother insisting their family didn’t keep secrets from each other,she wouldn’t even mention this one to Nena. It’s not like they were gettingmarried tomorrow, right? Both times, he’d mentioned the four-year waitingperiod they still had. That said, she knew her family would still get a little freakedif they knew the subject had even come up. It’s why Xochitl would likely be theonly one to hear about it.

Twenty-Seven

The Earring

Vannah

Rushing out of her car, Vannah sprinted up the walkwayto her dorm. She’d been at Byron’s for the past several days. Since she washeaded home tonight for her mom’s birthday dinner and Byron couldn’t make itout with her, he’d convinced her to stay another night at his place and they’dmade the most of their time together last night. They’d woken several times lastnight to make up for the one day they’d be apart