Always Us

secret keepers

i've wanted to write this moment for a long time, so here it is

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Rapt on the hushed whispers spilling out of the bathroom, Savannah struggled to keep her wiggling captive from catapulting herself to her death.

"No, Winnie," she whispered, dragging her niece back to the center of the bed and into the pillow fort she had built around her. "Sit still."

The one-year-old giggled, exposing her gummy smile.

Savannah plucked at her little nose and felt a sudden rush of gratitude for this adorable, little mistake. Because earlier that morning, the sixteen-year-old had caused an admittedly embarrassing scene in her parents' hotel suite when her mom asked her to help Audrey instead of spending the day with her sisters in satin robes sipping on fruity fizzy drinks in champagne flutes. The justification then had been that Caleb would be with the other groomsmen and that Winnie was a bundle of self-destruction.

Except now, Caleb was in the bathroom with Audrey, and there wasn't any amount of money that anyone could pay Savannah to be anywhere but here.

"Ow," she screamed, a sharp pain radiating at her scalp.

The bathroom went quiet, and prying the sweaty little fist from her hair, Savannah held her breath through the pain.

"Go check."

Her brother's hushed voice seeped through the crack under the door. "They're fine."

"What's wrong with you?" Savannah murmured at the giddy baby.

Staring down at her baby niece, she waited for a reply. But all she got was a trail of drool disappearing into Winnie's neck. A stain started forming at the collar of the cotton dress and she wondered whose idea it had been to dress the baby over an hour before the ceremony. As soon as she got her hair free, she decided she'd undress her and save herself from getting blamed. If only she could get Winnie to let go. It was taking an unreasonable amount of force to unfurl finger after chubby fing—

"Everything okay?"

Caleb's presence caught the young duo by surprise, and Savannah and Winnie both whipped their heads up at the bathroom door. The latter squealed happily, bouncing uncontrollably in her aunt's arms.

"All good," Savannah muttered, finally yanking her hair free. She smiled sarcastically at her brother. "Having a ball."

He nodded absentmindedly and the door shut again.

Something was up.

Savannah knew each of her siblings to a T, and she'd hardly ever seen her brother look so distracted. Not when checking in on his siblings, and definitely never when dealing with his daughter.

Locking Winnie's fists together in one of her own, Savannah tiptoed towards the bathroom door. She widened her eyes at her baby niece and prayed to God that the one-year-old could read her body language. Be quiet.

"I don't know what to do."

Winnie stiffened at her mom's voice, and Savannah shook her head frantically. Please. Not now.

"How about we wait?"

"Caleb."

"Baby, just until tomorrow."

"I can't wait. I have to know. I already know. I just have to see it."

"Mama!"

Savannah froze, clamping her hand over the wet, smacking lips, which only made the infant jolt her head back further. Muffling the baby, she strained to hear Audrey speak, the words now strangled in silent tears.