Lola curled her toes into the soft grass below her. Tommy sat to her right, quiet and still, but she could feel his anxiety.
“Tom,” Lola whispered lifting her head from the tree trunk. “Please calm down, nothing is going to happen.”
“Maybe not to you,” he snatched back. “But I didn’t marry a cop. They’ll probably drop you off at home and lock me up.”
A small laugh rose in her chest, but stopped just short of her lips. She inhaled deeply trying to fill her lungs with the smell of the Maple tree.
“I’m sorry,” Tommy said glancing up at her. “I didn’t think…I’m sorry Lola.” He reached for her hand.
“I don’t want you to go back, I can’t…” His voice faded, and he looked down at his knees.
She watched as tears filled his eyes. She wrapped her fingers tightly around his, and for the first time she noticed his hand had outgrown her own.
“It’s ok…” she whispered and wiped her own stray tear from her face. “Did Mom tell you what I’m having?”
He shook his head.
“It’s a girl.”
Tommy sat still for a moment, then jumped to his feet.
“We need those doughnuts” he whispered with a grin, then crept to the car, gently opened the passenger side and slide the box out. He sat down again quietly beside his sister.
“Do you know what you want to name her yet?” he asked handing Lola a gooey glazed doughnut.
“No…” Lola said tearing a piece off.
“I was thinking…when the baby was born…I’d like to give it, I guess it’s a her now, well, I’d like to give her Tiger.”
“Oh, Tom, you don’t have to do that.” Lola swallowed, her eyes burned with fresh tears.
“Well, it’s just sitting on my shelf getting dusty.” he put another doughnut in his mouth.
“I think she would love that.”
Tommy tip-toed across his bedroom. He couldn’t believe he had made it back home without anyone knowing, not even his parents sleeping across the hall.
As he leaned over to get into bed, he pulled back his covers, reached under his pillow and gingerly picked up Tiger.
Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to start from the beginning to see a fuller picture, I've linked all the parts below!
