Leap of Faith

Day Two

Ever since I could remember I had been different from other people. It wasn’t an obvious difference, but it was one that I had always felt. My older sisters were perfect and had fit in seamlessly to every social setting they found themselves in. They were naturally perky and outgoing, especially Anna who could sell ice to Eskimos. Libby had mellowed out in the last few years but at least she didn’t hyperventilate when she met new people or got too close to strangers.

No, that was just me.

“Morning,” I say to no one in particular as I enter the kitchen.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” I heard my eldest sister’s familiar voice. I spun where I stood and stared at Libby who was sat on the couch in the adjoining family room. “Surprised to see me?”

Libby and her boyfriend of three years, David McFarland, live in Boston where she worked as an art dealer and he was a Harvard Law student, so seeing them here could only mean one thing. Something was wrong.

This realization did nothing to help with my anxiety disorder, but I persevered and made my way through the house until I found not only Libby and David visiting, but Anna and Sawyer, too. Sawyer Lawson was the joker, much like Anna, and once he saw me approaching he ran over to me and slung me over his shoulder. I yelped and kicked at him to let me go, which he eventually did when Anna threatened him.

“Catherine, you’re awake,” my mom beamed up at me from where she sat in deep conversation with David. “Come here, honey. Elizabeth and David have some news for us.”

“You’re pregnant?” The words slipped from my lips before I had time to process them and I threw my hand over my mouth when I heard what I had just said. “Oh, my God, Libby. I’m sorry. No, not pregnant.”

Libby blushed, the red matching her hair color, and she looked to David. He stood from where he sat with my mom and was quick to reach my sister’s side. He kissed her gently on the lips before he turned to smile at me.

“Well,” David began. “We are pregnant, so you’re going to be an aunty, but that wasn’t what the news was. We wanted to keep that a secret for a little while longer, at least until Libby is in her second trimester.”

“David,” Libby warned him with a slight scowl. “Focus on the other news.”

The look that passed between David and Libby was one of sheer love. He gazed at her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him, and a blind person could see that he utterly adored and doted on her. Libby, in turn, had never looked so serene. She was practically glowing and I wasn’t sure how much of that was down to her being pregnant. She radiated, and it was beautiful.

“We’re engaged,” David finally said, never once taking his eyes from his fiancée. “We’re getting married in six weeks. On Valentine’s Day.”

“And you’re going to be my bridesmaid!” Libby added in excitement.

I’m pretty sure that this was meant to be good news. Or to a normal person, it would have been. But in that moment, when the announcement finally sunk in, fear gripped me. The thought of having to stand in front of hundreds of guests, most of which I hadn’t met before, and be a huge part of my sister’s perfect day was nearly killing me. Literally. My breathing became erratic and my heartbeat went into overdrive, but through the inner turmoil, I still managed a smile.