Shane
Instead of getting wasted like I had originally planned, the guys and I decided to just have a few drinks and pack up the apartment. It's going to be hard to say good bye but it's time. When you move you find all kinds of things you thought you lost. I found an old wallet, a hat, and my brother’s report card collection. I'll have to yell at him later.
I'm super stressed out about Brittany's wedding which is tomorrow. I have everything I need I just don’t feel right about my sister getting married. But then again, I don't know how she felt about me having a baby when I was seventeen.
Hannah's probably called me a million times since I walked out of her apartment almost two weeks ago. I'm not mad I just don't understand why she had to hide the fact that the twin’s dad was in their life. I look over at the clock and realize that it's eight in the morning and I should probably get out of bed because Claire is going to wake up soon.
I walk out into my mostly-empty apartment; everything is packed in boxes which are lying around. How we managed to pack everything in one day beats me but I'm just glad it's done so I can start moving into a real house. It's going to be nice for Claire, Cole and I to all live in a house that is big enough to actually breathe in.
I get up and walk into my living room to fine Logan alone passed out still on the couch. I gotta hand it to him, he hangs out with my brother and all of his friends when they’re smoking and drinking yet he doesn't do any of it. He's a good kid, always has been. Wow I feel old.
"Why are you standing there watching me sleep?" Logan asks groggily.
"I didn't realize you were awake, sorry."
"So you would continue if I wasn't asleep? Because that's not creepy." Logan jokes and sits up so he can stretch for sleeping on the couch.
"Where are Drew, Adam, and Cole?" I ask Logan and he just shrugs at me so I head toward Cole's room to find out.
I open the door to find Adam on the bed and Drew on the floor.
"Guys, did Cole ever come back last night?" I shake the bed and kick Drew so they will both wake up.
"He went to Noah's, guess he never came back."
"Daddy!" Claire's tiny voice squeaks before I ask say anything. "See Daddy's still here." Logan says holding Claire.
"Hi baby girl." I say grabbing Claire out of Logan's arms. "Has anyone herd from Cole?" I get three people shaking their heads at me. I sigh as I run my free hand over my unshaved face.
"I'll call him. Logan give me your phone." I say and Logan starts searching his pockets for his phone and hands it to me.
I walk with Claire into the other room and punch in Cole's number, I know it from memory because my mom made us learn everyone's number in our family.
"Hello?" Cole sounds like he just woke up.
"Where are you?" I ask calmly.
"Noah's, I crashed here last night after we talked things out.. Shane I'm sorry I didn't tell you I just had to get her back..." His voice trails off. I know he's in love with her and I can't stop that. I also know I can't stop him from growing up. He fixing things with Noah makes me realize I need to fix things with Hannah.
"It alright." I say into the phone, Claire's talking in my ear so it's hard to hear what my brother is saying.
"I'll come home right now and explain everything, okay?" He tells me. Wow, this doesn't seem like my brother at all but then again, I haven't been the most attentive lately.
"Claire and I will see you when you get home. Claire says hi." I tell her and she takes the phone from me, "Hi Uncle!" She yells louder then needed but I hear Cole talk to her until she gets bored and wants to go play with the things I left unpacked for her and I hang up with my brother.
Eighteen minutes later I'm alone in the apartment with Claire because the guys started moving stuff into the new house and unpacking boxes. We left the TV and DVD player so I could put on movies for Claire and myself because I'm staying the night here in the apartment for the last time, but I'm having Claire stay with Drew and Kelsey because all of her stuff is packed and she has a few things that I leave at Drew's house.
I hear the door open and I ignore it because I think it's another one of the guys getting more boxes to put in the car for the house. But clearly I'm wrong when I hear Cole's voice. "Where the hell is everything?" He says in a panic.
"Watch you mouth!" I say threw my teeth because Claire is with me. "Almost everything is at the new house. We packed last night."
"You guys went threw my stuff...." Cole says uneasy. I knew he had stuff that he didn't want me to see.
"Yeah, and found everything." I say with a smirk while Cole avoids eye contact. "We only found one dirty magazine. Oh, and your stash of report cards." I fold my arms in a parent like way.
"I'm trying to get them up I swear." I roll my eyes and sit down on the floor because it's the only thing left to sit on.
"Just get them up before Mom finds out please." Is all I say and he sits on the floor across from me.
"Why are we moving the day before our sisters wedding?"
"I just wanted it out of the way; I got the keys early and tonight is the last night anyone is staying here."
"You going to miss living thirty seconds from your girl?" Cole asks.
I shrug, "Space might be good for us." I say thinking about Hannah.
"DADDY!" Claire screeches.
"Right here baby, what's wrong." She runs in and lies down on my lap.
"My room is bye-bye." She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.
"It's at our new house. You're going to love it sweetie pie." I don't know how to explain moving to a two year old so I just lay her down on my lap. She hasn't stayed like this probably since the first day I brought her home. Claire isn't one for sitting still for long periods of time. But I love it when she falls asleep in my lap like this.
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You ready for this?" I ask my sister as she puts the finishing touches to her hair. My sister looks like a beauty queen, if her future husband isn't completely speechless when he sees her, he doesn't deserve her.
"Nervous." She turns and looks at me.
"Don't be, you'll be okay." I give her a sympathetic smile so she relaxes.
"How do you know, you've never gotten married." She protests.
"That was exactly the words you told me when I first brought Claire home." I tell her and bring her into a hug. I know she's nervous but she shouldn't be.
She doesn't let go of me until Cole comes into the room. "Shane can you help me with my tie-oh, um, should I come back later?" He says awkwardly.
Brittany wipes a tear away from her eye and says, “No, its fine. Come here I'll fix your tie."
"Where's Claire?" She asks my brother who had her last. I'm not worried though because it's pretty much a bunch of family and friends here who all know Claire and me.
"Courtney's got her." Courtney and Claire are Brittany's flower girls.
Our mom sticks her head and almost starts to cry. "My babies aren't babies anymore." She says with a sad sigh. "One's married and one has a baby of his own." After she says that she starts to cry and my brother hands her a tissue.
"It's time sweetie." She says between sobs.
Brittany takes a deep breath and we walk out of the room to the chapel. My mom opens the double doors and she walks down the aisle and the music starts to play. Next Kelsey and Drew walk down because Kelsey is Brittany's maid of honor. A few of Brittany's other friends walk down ands then Courtney and Claire. Finally it's our turn and Cole and I walk Brittany down the aisle. Everyone stands and looks at us. I see everyone in the crowd, my dad and his new wife, Adam and Logan, Noah and then next to her is Hannah. I knew that Hannah would show up. I'm glad she did, I need to tell her I love her.
I'm zoned out on the fact that Hannah's here because I haven't seen her in almost three weeks. I wasn't avoiding her or anything I've just been busy unpacking my new house and saying goodbye to our apartment. I love Hannah it's finally time I actually told her. I've said it before but this feels different. Since I zoned out I missed all of the ceremony, the only part I paid any attention to was the 'You may now kiss the bride'. My sister went from Brittany Cooper to Brittany Ridgestone.
I'm having a good time with my friends, and getting caught up with family I haven't seen in ages. Everyone always tells me how much Claire has grown up. I'm sitting at one of the tables taking in the whole scene. Everyone is dancing and laughing and having a great time, Claire is running around with some other kids at the party. I haven't been able to talk to Hannah the whole wedding.
I spot her talking to Noah and my brother. I walk over there, "Can I have this dance?" I ask her and she blushes and takes my hand and pulls me on the dance floor. She wraps my arms around my neck and I put my hands around her waist.
"I love you." I tell her.
"I love you so much, I've missed you."
"I've missed you too baby."
"I'm sorry about not telling you about the twins father-" I cut her off with a kiss; it doesn't matter now I just want to spend this moment with her. We end up dancing for three or four songs before she pulls away.
"Shane I need to tell you something." She says with a sweet smile on her face.
"What is it beautiful?"
"I'm pregnant."