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“Okay, brake! Brake!” I shouted, my pulse racing a mile a minute, even though we were only going twenty-five miles per hour on our dead-end street. “Now put the car in park before I have a heart attack. No, P is for Park! Not R, P!”
“What’d I do wrong?”
I was gripping the door, and looked up at the roof to rein in my response. “Nothing. Nothing at all. I needed a good life-flashing-before-my-eyes moment. I’ve been living too safe an existence.”
“You said to put my foot on the right pedal, so that’s what I did.”
“Yes, but you can’t keep your eyes on the pedal. You have to watch where you’re aiming the car. See?” I pointed to the mailbox he’d almost hit.
Finn deflated at my valid point. “Oh. Well, now I know. Let me try again. How do I back this thing up?”
“Ho, no. Boston can teach you. I’m too young to die like this. We’re switching.”
Finn glared at me and got out with a frustrated huff, slamming the passenger door shut when he flopped into his seat. “You’re a terrible teacher. Made me nervous with your little terrified hisses every five seconds. I was going slow, just like you told me.”
“I guess I don’t realize how many things you have to pay attention to. It’s good you were focusing on which pedal you were pressing, and great that you were watching the speed limit. But you also have to watch where you’re going. It’s hard. You did a good job for your first time.”
“Don’t patronize me.” Finn crossed his arms petulantly and stared out the window with a frown.
I don’t know why his pouting struck me as funny, but I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my lips. “You’re adorable when you suck at something. Never thought I’d get to see you actually be bad at anything, but it’s cute.”
“Shut up.” He shifted in his seat. “I hope you brought your swimsuit, because I’m teaching you how to swim the second we find a lake.”
“The hotel’s probably got a pool, but I don’t want to learn to swim. I don’t plan on ever going into the water again, so I don’t need to know how.”
“That’s weak,” Finn said, calling me out with no room for mercy. “That’s not you. Be afraid all you want, but don’t you ever tell me fear’s stopping you from doing something important.”
“Hello, swimming’s not important in my line of work.”
“What if someone you loved was drowning?”
I chucked his shoulder while keeping my eyes on the road. “That’s why I have you to save the day in such a situation.”
“I won’t always be here. I’m sure the second Von comes back to himself, you’ll send me on my way.” He raised his hand when I opened my mouth. “Don’t bother with the denial, or the charade you fed Ollie that you’re taking some space from him. I’m a big boy. I know it’ll be him. I’m just enjoying the time I get while I have it. I told you I’d be your friend before, and I haven’t changed my mind on that.” He cleared his throat. “But I’m firm on you learning how to swim. I’m here to keep you safe, so let me do my job.”
“Well, I don’t own a bathing suit, so that’s that.” I kept my eyes on the road, maintaining my silence as best I could until we neared the hotel. I checked us into a room on the same floor as Mariang’s, and went straight to her room instead of unloading my bag into ours. The cleanliness of the lobby and hallways put me at ease. This was easily a five-star hotel, and the difference in room price meant more Lysol was used, the sheets were washed regularly, and the vacuum was run more often. My shoulders relaxed at the heady feeling of comfort the non-germy environment gave me.
Mariang let us into her room with a hug that threatened to force emotion out of me, so I ducked out of it five seconds in. “I missed you, too,” I admitted with a smile. Her belly was big and round, making her tiny frame look unstable. I ignored the stab of pain I felt at being around a pregnant woman, and chose to focus on my sister going into the tail end of her third trimester. “How are you feeling?” I asked, rubbing her belly without asking permission. She didn’t have the hang-ups about touch that I did, and reveled in the glory of pregnancy.
“Great! Bored, but I feel fine. So ready to meet little Anastasia Grace.” She grinned at my eyes that went wide.
“Grace? Like, after me?” I was stunned. It dawned on me that no matter how much I adored Mariang, she would always find a way to be more generous with her love. “Are you serious?”
Mariang nodded quickly, finally backing up to let us all the way in after she shook Finn’s hand. “I’m so in love with the name. It was Danny’s idea, actually.”
I shot her a withering look, getting the familiar feeling that she was trying to force me to like Danny by putting nice words in his foul mouth. “I can’t picture that. Hey, Boston,” I said to the brother who was texting on his phone from the chair by the window. He didn’t bother to stand up to greet us, which only added to Boston’s brand of charm.
“Hey, sis. Miss me so bad you just had to come visit?”
“Something like that.”
Mariang held her hand up. “Honest! It was Danny’s idea. He wanted to name her after a strong woman, and said he didn’t know any who were stronger than you.”
I winced. “Yikes. I almost feel bad for yelling at him before I left. He really said that?”
Boston nodded. “I remember because I made him repeat it. I mean, strongest woman? I nominated Wonder Woman, but he turned it down. Anastasia Wonder Woman Vandershot. Has a certain ring to it.”
I chuckled and bent slightly to kiss his forehead, mussing his hair. “Missed you too, Bos.” I scribbled down our room number on the pad of paper on the desk and flopped onto the bed next to where Mariang sat, rubbing her belly like it was a crystal ball. “So tell me about my niece. What’ve I missed? Kicking a lot?”
Finn excused himself to go do a few rounds to inspect the grounds, and put up charms to reinforce the ones Boston already had in place. Mariang and I talked animatedly about her pregnancy while I brushed her hair and braided it for her. With every question I asked her about her baby, she grew more and more overjoyed, relieved that I didn’t hate her for being able to keep her baby when I couldn’t have mine.
I loved her, plain and simple.