Chapter 1
(North Carolina)
7:12 pm
" Sister, what's the time?" Zoe asked smiling as she looked around the wall clock in their small but well-furnished living room wishing it would tick more faster while her pregnant sister and her best lady smiled at her as they stared at each other. They could see the happiness which was laced in her face.
" Tomorrow is almost here, okay? Save the excitement for tomorrow!" Riley, her pregnant sister said while her best lady nodded and looked at her.
" Lover girl, just calm down. Everything is just a matter of time, okay? Sister, I doubt if this young lady will sleep tonight." Rose, her best lady said and laughed lightly.
" Sister, I will surely miss you" Zoe suddenly said almost wanting to tear up as she hugged her sister lightly while Riley smiled.
" Is it the fact that you will be getting married and will not see me as often as before or the fact that I will be all alone with my baby? I'll also miss you no doubt!" she said and interrupted her sister
" Sister, will you come and stay with us instead? I can't get used to the fact that I will not be seeing you as often as before." She said in a tiny voice while her sister hurriedly shook her head.
" What? No! I don't want to be a burden to your new family"
" I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind. You're pregnant and…"
" No dear, I'll be fine," Riley said while Zoe sighed.
" Sister, you keep saying you'll be fine on your own. How can a pregnant woman tell me that? Until when will you introduce the father of the baby to the family? Maybe I will be less worried when I get to know that he is less responsible… do you know how worried I am to know that I will be leaving you all alone to yourself? No one to help you with…"
" No baby! I'll be fine. I promise." She insisted smiling while Zoe sighed again and looked at her eight month pregnant sister.
She had a feeling that her delivery date was due and she could not help but feel worried. She wondered how her sister would cope all by herself since she was always there for her. It sometimes made her wonder who was responsible for the baby because Riley would not say anything about it. What sort of a sister keeps her baby's daddy away from the family?
She hated to talk about it and each time their parents ask her, she would only smile to herself and tell them not to mind the pregnancy and focus on her. When the question became persistent to Riley, she got fed up and left their parent's house while Zoe followed her because of the love she had for her. She believed that she would find out the truth from her and get back to her parents but then, she did not open up to her. How then did Riley expect her not to feel worried about her condition when she would be getting married the next day and had not met the father of her baby? Who knows if the man just took advantage of her and ran off without a trace? Can she bear to leave her all by herself? Will she even be happy when she gets to her newly found home and her mind drifts to her sister? She thought and sighed.
" Baby, I know that you're worried about me but you don't need to be. You should be happy instead. I'll be fine. So, let's talk about the latest bride in town!" She said smiling while Zoe blushed not getting a hint that her sister hurriedly had the conversation changed.
It made Zoe remember how her fiancee had called her that also the day he proposed to her at an expensive hotel rooftop. It was the best moment for her with few friends and families. Now, her sister called her that. Isn't she lucky to have loving people around her? She thought and smiled.
" Woah!" Rose shouted and brought out a bottle of champagne and popped it immediately while Zoe gasped as she looked at the price tag. She screamed in shock as she saw that it was worth thousands of dollars.
" Sister, it's very expensive! You could have used the money to fend for you and your baby while I'm away and…"
" Shush!" Riley said and placed her hands on her lips and smiled. She almost got so emotional because she wasn't expecting this. They feed on her merge salary as an hotel keeper and could not afford such and now, her sister had done this to her. Has her sister been saving for this behind her back and did not tell her? Where did she even get such money? Why couldn't she just manage it instead of spending it on some damned wine?
" Today is all about you. You're worth it. You've been so good to me. And if anyone deserves the happiness in this world, it should be you. I don't know how to repay you for everything you've done to me and that's why I had to save up for this. I know it's small and…"
" No sister" Zoe replied sadly and shook her head as she cleaned the balls of tears that had formed at the corner of her eyes. Even though she felt that her sister wasted a lot of money, she could not help but get emotional.
" You shouldn't shed tears, okay? Let's drink because I am sure that there will be no day like tonight again" she said with the never-ending smile on her face while Zoe nodded and managed to smile as her sister handed her a cup and poured her wine inside it. If only she understood what her sister meant by that statement.
" Cheers to a happy married life, Zoe." Her sister chorused and smiled as they sipped the wine gently.
Just as Riley was about to say something, her phone rang out and when she saw the name flashed on the screen, her eyes widened. Zoe was about to look at the phone when she hurriedly stood up and picked up the phone in a flash. She didn't want Zoe to know what she had been keeping from her. Her sister mustn't know her secret.