After jiggling the key a little more, I finally got the door open.

The interior was just as dilapidated as I remembered. But all I could see was potential. New paint, new floors, cozy furniture. I was going to take this old abandoned house and turn it into a home.

Before I’d even shut the door, a truck pulled up on the street. I’d invited my siblings to come see the house. My brother Cooper hopped out and pointed through the windshield at his wife, Amelia. It looked like he was telling her to wait. He went around to the passenger side and helped her out, keeping a firm grip on her arm, as if he was afraid she’d fall without him.

Of course, Amelia was a little off-balance. As tall as she was, I was surprised her pregnancy was showing so soon, but she had the cutest baby belly. It hadn’t been long after their wedding that they’d announced Amelia was pregnant. I wondered if they knew if the baby was a boy or a girl yet. So far, they hadn’t said.

Cooper stopped, his eyes widening as he took in the house. “Holy shit, Gracie, what the hell did you buy? This place is falling apart.”

“I told you it was a fixer-upper. Hey, Amelia.”

“Hey. The house is…” Amelia glanced around. “I bet it’s going to be nice someday, but I kind of agree with Cooper.”

I waved a hand. “I know. It’s a lot of work, but it’ll be fine. The inside is… well, it’s not much better, but do you want to see it anyway?”

“Yes,” Amelia said brightly. She looked adorable in a light blue t-shirt that said Beauty and the Bump.

Cooper had traded his cute husband t-shirts—which had replaced his extensive collection of boyfriend t-shirts—for new dad shirts. The last time I’d seen him, his shirt had said future awesome daddy. This one said Sorry Ladies, This DILF is Taken.

“Come on in.” I moved aside and held the door open.

“You’re right, the inside isn’t better,” Cooper said. He kept a firm grip on Amelia’s arm as they stepped over a pile of debris. “Careful, baby.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be so beautiful when it’s done.” I heard another car pull up outside. “I’ll see who’s here, but you guys are free to look around.”

Cooper eyed the place warily, as if dangers to his pregnant wife lurked everywhere.

I went outside and waited on the front step while Leo and Hannah unloaded their little family. Their daughter Madeline was about twenty months, and their newest addition, a son named Zachary, had been born five months ago. Madeline had been a surprise, but they’d loved being parents so much, they hadn’t waited long to have another baby.

Leo’s hair was shorter than it used to be, but he still had a thick beard. He held Zachary up against his shoulder. Madeline slipped one hand in his, the other in her mom’s, as they walked up the path.

“I know,” I said, holding up a hand. I could see the doubt on their faces. “It needs a lot of work.”

“No, it has so much potential,” Hannah said. “I love it.”

Motherhood looked great on Hannah. Despite the splotch on her shirt that was probably baby spit-up, she looked fantastic. She and Leo had moved into the house they’d built on Salishan property shortly before Zachary had been born.

“You have such a great eye for color, I’m totally going to pick your brain,” I said.

“I’d love to help,” Hannah said.

“Uncle Cooper?” Madeline asked, looking up at her dad.

“Yeah, sweetheart, I think Uncle Cooper and Auntie Amelia are already here.”

“They’re inside,” I said. “I don’t know if there’s anything sharp on the floor, so we’ll need to be careful with her.”

“I’ve got her,” Hannah said, scooping Madeline up and perching her on her hip. “Should we go see Auntie Grace’s new house?”

“Yeah,” Madeline said, her little pigtails bobbing as she nodded.

“Go on in,” I said. “Cooper and Amelia are in there somewhere.”

“We can wait until everyone gets here for the official tour,” Leo said.

“Sure,” I said. As if on cue, two more cars pulled up. “And here they are.”

Brynn and Chase got out with their dog, Scout. Brynn held his leash to keep him from running off.

“Scout, chill,” Brynn said. “He loves car rides, but I think he loves getting out in a new place even more.”

“Scout, sit,” Chase said, his voice authoritative. Scout immediately obeyed and Chase scratched his head. “Good boy.”

“Hey, you guys,” I said. “Thanks for coming. You can bring Scout inside, but be careful. I don’t know what he’ll find in there.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Brynn said.

Roland and Zoe had pulled up behind Brynn and Chase. Roland got their three-year-old son, Hudson, out of the car. Zoe was pregnant with their second child, a girl this time.

“Hey, Zoe,” I said. “How are you feeling?”

She leaned against the car, resting her hand on her belly. “Not bad, all things considered. Four weeks and we get to meet her.”

“How does Hudson feel about having a baby sister?” I asked.

Zoe shrugged. “He says he’s excited. But I think he figures this baby will be like his cousin Zachary. He’ll come over and then leave when he gets fussy. We’ll see how he feels about her when she’s in his house all the time and he has to share his parents with her.”

Roland came around, holding Hudson’s hand. “Huddy, can you say hi?”

“Hi, Auntie Grace,” he said.

“Hi, buddy,” I said. “Listen, I told Leo and Hannah this too, but I don’t know what you’ll find on the floors in there, so just be careful. It’s… well, it’s a mess.”

“No problem.” Roland picked up Hudson. “Come on, buddy, let’s go check out the new house.”

I followed everyone inside, then showed them around. They meandered through the house, peeking in bedrooms and wandering through the kitchen and living rooms. It wasn’t very big, but the lot had room to add on if we wanted to, down the road. Of course, making it livable was the first step, and it was going to be a while before that happened.

It was fun to see everyone with their growing families. My family dynamic had changed so much in the last several years. First with discovering four new siblings, then with my mom getting married. They were good changes, but it had taken some time to process.

And it was sad not having Asher here to share in it. We should have been married by now. Maybe even starting our own family. I wrote him letters regularly, so of course I’d told him everything. But when he got home, these people would be strangers to him. Moments like this made my chest ache with the pain of missing him.

“Oh, hey, we’re all here,” Cooper said, as if just realizing that fact. Glancing at Amelia, he grinned. “Should we tell them?”

“Tell us what?” Brynn asked. “Oh my god, did you find out if the baby is a boy or a girl?”

Amelia’s face lit up with a grin to match her husband’s. “We did.”

The room went quiet, as if everyone was holding their breath. I certainly was.