Chapter 328
Lilly looks at me, then back at the door. “I wonder who that could be p>
“I have no idea,” I shrug, trying to get down from the stool.
Before my feet can even touch the floor, Lilly stops me.
“Let me get it,” she says, hopping down. “You just stay there p>
Given that I really don’t feel like getting down anyway, I nod and watch as she rounds the corner and disappears from sight. Seconds later, I hear the door open. From the low murmur of voices, I can tell it’s a woman, but they’re too quiet for me to make out who it is.
I try to get down anyway, struggling a bit, and when I finally do, I swear to never use that barstool again.
I head toward the hallway, only to yelp when I nearly collide with Lilly.
“What the hell?” she says.
“You startled me,” I gasp, pressing a hand to my chest as I try to calm my racing heart.
“I was just coming to get you p>
“You were taking too long, so I came to see what the hold-up was,” I say just before my eyes shift past her to Aunt Ava, who stands there, watching us.
She smiles the moment our eyes meet. “Hey, Sierra p>
“H-hi, Aunt Ava,” I stammer. “I wasn’t expecting you today p>
“I know, darling,” she replies gently. “But after what happened yesterday… I had to come p>
I had gotten a few calls from my aunts and uncles earlier. Every single one of them apologized for how things had turned out.
They were angry at Noah, yes, but more than anything, they called to support me. They made it clear that no matter what, even if Noah didn’t accept the baby, my child was loved and they would stand by me.
I hadn’t heard from Aunt Ava or Uncle Rowan, but honestly, I hadn’t expected to. I assumed they probably needed time to process the fact that they were about to have another grandchild.
“We can sit in the backyard; I’m suddenly getting hot flashes,” I say, forcing a small smile.
She nods, and we all head outside.
The moment I open the door, Blackie darts past me like she’s been waiting her entire life for that exact moment.
“I see you still garden,” Aunt Ava comments with a small smile, glancing at my little garden.
I smile back, a bit proud. “Yeah… it’s a little harder now with the bump, but I try and when I can’t, I get my neighbor’s kid to help out p>
“I’ve never really understood your obsession with dirt,” Lilly says, folding her arms as she eyes my garden. “Don’t you care about your nails p>
“It’s not about the dirt, Lilly,” Aunt Ava replies. “It’s about therapy—emptying your mind, being present, feeling the energy of the earth and letting it ground you when you feel depleted. I tried getting you to like it, but you never did p>
“Remember that one time you were teaching us how to plant carrots,” I add, grinning, “and Lilly went ballistic when a worm landed on her dress while I was digging p>
Aunt Ava and I burst out laughing, while Lilly just stares at us like she did all those years ago. Like she’s debating whether to strangle us and bury us in that same soil.
“There is nothing funny about that,” she huffs. “Gardening is just… icky p>
I’ve always loved nature, so when Aunt Ava offered to teach me gardening, I was all in. Eventually, it became something we shared.
It started with her teaching Gunner, then I joined, and later Iris once she was old enough not to try eating the soil or the bugs.
We don’t do it as much now that Gunner and I have grown into our own lives, but back then… it was something that brought us together.
“Okay, let’s sit,” I grumble, lowering myself into a chair. “My ankles are starting to ache p>
“Yeah,” Aunt Ava says with a small chuckle. “That’s one thing I definitely don’t miss about being pregnant p>
They sit, and for a moment, no one says anything. We just bask in the sun, enjoying the cool breeze and the quiet between us.
“How are you, sweetheart?” Aunt Ava asks after a while.
I turn to face her. “I’m good, all things considered… Just taking it one day at a time p>
“I’m glad to hear that,” she says, though there’s a slight hesitation in her voice. “I actually came because I wanted to apologize for how I reacted yesterday p>
“Aunt Ava p>
She cuts me off before I can finish.
“No, let me say this,” she insists, her voice firm but not harsh. “I crossed a line yesterday, and I know it. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I took it out on you when I shouldn’t have p>
I stay quiet, watching her watching as she exhales slowly, like the words are heavier than she expected.
“You didn’t deserve that, Sierra,” she continues. “You’ve been carrying this on your own, protecting that baby, protecting yourself… and instead of supporting you, I came at you like you’d done something wrong p>
My chest tightens slightly at her words.
“I was hurt and angry, finding out like that,” she admits, softer now. “It felt like the ground was pulled out from under me and so I lashed p>
She finally looks at me fully, tears welling in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart… I’m ashamed at how I reacted and even more ashamed that it was my son that put you in that difficult position p>