Every Rose Has It's Thorn

21.

"Hi, Luke." Maddie smiled at her friend's brother.

"Hey, Madz." He pulled her in for a hug. "Long time, no see. How've you been?"

"Good. Are you still sad?"

"I'm getting better." Lucas couldn't help but smile at the innocence of the question. "Listen, can I borrow my sister for a second?"

"Sure."

Tric was hosting another 'All Ages' night and Ava had finished all her homework so that her mother would let her go.

Little did she know that Karen was actually going to let her go regardless.

Ever since the accident, the woman had been overcompensating just a smidge.

In fact, everyone had.

Even Lucas' friends were doing their share. Brooke even stopped by with several packets of sour gummy worms that were so many different flavors Lainey didn't even know where to begin to eat.

"Thanks." He took Ava by the hand and led her over to an empty table. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"You."

"Me? What did I do?"

Ava hated it when he did stuff like this. It always made her rack her brain just to figure out what he could possibly be mad at her for.

And considering she hadn't really done anything as of late, it was proving to be a considerably hard task.

"Mom told you she was pregnant."

Oh.

Well, that made more sense.

But that didn't mean she wanted to discuss it.

"So?"

"She told me that you weren't too thrilled about it."

"Okay?"

"Ava, I'm not here to chew you out. I just wanna talk."

"Fine."

"What do you really think of the baby?"

"I don't know." Ava shrugged. "I like the way things are now. Me, you, and Mama."

"And you like being the baby."

"I'm not a baby. I'm almost ten."

"I meant, you like being the baby of the family."

"Well, yeah." Ava admitted. "But— never mind."

"No, what?" Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's okay."

"Ava, I can't help you, if you don't let me."

"The baby's gonna be her real baby." Ava sighed. "Like you."

"Ava, you are Mom's real baby. She raised you just like she raised me."

"You know what I meant, Luke."

Sometimes her brother could be so obtuse.

"I do and I think it's garbage. Mom loves you and that's not gonna change just because we're getting a new sibling. Look at it this way, Keith's gone. But now we're getting a little piece of him back with this baby. Doesn't that make you even a little bit excited?"

Well, when he put it like that.....

"Yeah. I guess so." She smiled slightly at the idea.

"You don't have to be jealous, Ava. Mom's not replacing you." Lucas ruffled her hair. "Actually, she's giving you one of the best presents you're ever going to get, a little brother or sister."