Substitute Father (Ross Lynch)

Chapter 18

“Tell me, tell me, tell me!”  Was the first thing we heard as we walked into Rydel and Ellington’s house.

I blinked, stepping back so I could clearly see her face. Her nose was basically touching mine, and I went cross-eyed almost automatically.

“She’s been going crazy the whole day.” Ellington commented, grabbing his wife’s arm and pulling her back.

“And I almost locked her in the closet.” Riker added, his eyes narrowing at his sister.

I laughed and moved over to the couch, plopping down on the soft cushion. Ross took the seat next to me, throwing his arm over my shoulder. His siblings took any spots remaining in the living room, and they looked at me with eager faces.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Tell us!” Rydel shouted, her eyes wide. She was about to jump off the couch, but Ellington held her down.

Deciding to prolong the announcement, I turned to Ross. “I don’t know. Should we tell them? I think we should wait a while.”

Realizing what I was doing, he smirked. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“What are you doing?” Rydel yelled. She honestly looked like a crazy person right now. “Tell us!”

Rocky sighed. “Tell us, so Rydel can stop having a mental breakdown.”

I turned back to Ross. “Should we?”

He sighed dramatically. “I guess.”

Looking at all my friends, a grin immediately appeared on my face. “It’s a girl!”

Arms were instantly wrapped around my body, and I was glad that I was sitting down because I would have been on the floor if otherwise. Rydel was squealing in my ear, and I honestly thought I was going to go deaf. Her voice was going so high that she was starting to sound like a chipmunk.

“You’re having a girl!” She exclaimed, once Ellington pulled her off my body. “A girl! Ah!”

“My sister has gone insane.” Ross whispered in my ear, causing me to chuckle. “Del, relax, would ya?” He raised his eyebrows at his sister.

“But I’m so excited!” She whined, pouting. She then gasped and jumped up, clapping her hands together. “We’re gonna go baby shopping and buy so many cute clothes!”

Ellington looked at me, a serious look on his face. “Can I move in with you for a few days?”

Rydel narrowed her eyes at her husband. “You think I’m bad now? Just wait until we have our own kids.”

Everyone in the room erupted into laughter, while Ellington just sat there, shocked. He obviously wasn’t expecting that, and I had a feeling they had yet to talk about having kids in the future. But I could just picture little kids running around their house. They would definitely have Ellington’s personality, and they would look like both their parents. They would be adorable.

“Anyway,” Riker cleared his throat, glancing at Ellington whose color was returning to his face. “Are you gonna tell Matthew what you’re having?”

My eyes widened at his question. I hadn’t even thought of that. It wasn’t like I forgot that I had a brother, but telling him about the gender of the baby wasn’t even on my mind. Did that make me seem like a terrible person?

“I don’t know.” I admitted.

“Well, I think you should.” Ross told me. “He’s no longer a stranger to you, he’s your brother. The two of you talk more and you’re comfortable with that. Tell him that he’s going to have a niece.”