let's take these moments day by day,

and what's in store for us,

who can s a y

〰️〰️〰️

"Welcome home! Oh my God, you're so tan!"

Cyclone Sutton touched down at the front door of my parents' house. Her shrill voice greeted me first, her arms winding around me as she yanked me into her chest, holding me with an iron grip that'd go toe to toe with a pro wrestler.

I grunted against her shoulder, "Sutton, it's fucking hot out here. Can we do this inside?"

She clucked her tongue before releasing me while making sure I saw the dramatic roll of her eyes. "I missed you, too," she mumbled.

"Inside. Please. I need AC," I said flatly.

Sutton wrapped Gus in a quick one-armed hug, who was standing patiently beside me for the whole encounter, then she finally let us in and shut the door behind us. A long sigh escaped me at the cold temperature change, thanks to my dad's lifetime rule of the thermostat needing to be just under 70 degrees during the summer months. It was one battle my mother never won.

"Shouldn't you be acclimated to the heat by now? You were just in Hawaii for a week," Sutton bluntly pointed out. As if she suddenly noticed we brought Ziggy with us, she glanced down at our dog wagging his tail at her, and gave him a welcoming pat on his head.

"Yeah, but it's still nothing like an east coast summer. This humidity is unreal," I said, whisking my hair off the back of my neck. "I broke a sweat just walking from the car to the house."

"You're lucky I told Mom not to have this shindig outside. She wanted to at first, but I said you'd hate that," she told me, a subtle hint to praise her. She crossed her arms and watched me as I unhooked Ziggy's leash, leaving him to run free throughout the house.

"Well thank you, Sutton. That was so kind of you." I sent her a mocking smile. When I turned to drape Ziggy's leash and my purse on the coat rack, it vanished from my face.

Before she darted into the dining room, she called over her shoulder, "Plus, sweat doesn't go with my outfit."

I could have had a number of responses to that one, but I held my tongue. Literally. It was pressed against my clenched teeth when I looked up at Gus. He offered me a chuckle of amusement, then turned me around and guided me by the waist to the kitchen where I assumed everyone else was.

My birthday was last Tuesday, but since Gus and I were on our yearly traditional trip to Hawaii, obviously I couldn't celebrate it with my friends or family. Our flight landed in the middle of the night on Friday, we slept for all of Saturday until we got drinks later at Cruiser's with Collin, Fallon, and the rest of my friends. I nursed my jet lag with one too many Old Fashioned's, ordered four rounds of pickleback shots, and stayed out way too late for me to be functioning this well with my family for the day.

Even Gus, the natural early riser that he was, struggled to get out of bed this morning. He pulled me back under the covers so many times, I had to elbow him in the chest to escape. Not that I wouldn't have wanted to spend a whole lazy Sunday with him, but I knew how my mom was and I didn't have it in me to skip the birthday celebration she planned for me.

I brewed a big pot of coffee, took something for my impending headache, and we were on the road by nine o'clock. I had to admit, I was pretty proud of myself.

"There you are!" My mom shrieked from where she stood on the other side of the island. She nudged Sutton aside, practically tripping over Ziggy who sat right at their feet hoping a scrap of whatever appetizer they were whipping up would fall into his mouth. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Mom. Thank you for doing this," I said as I embraced her hug.

"Of course! Twenty-five is a big year. I wouldn't want to miss it," she smiled, pulling herself back and tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Alright now that they're here, can we eat? I'm starving," Duncan whined from where he was leaning against the island with an icy cold Stella in one hand.

I scoffed, "Sorry. We would've been here sooner but there's road work on every other street in the city."

"Don't believe her," Sutton interjected, sparing a second to shoot me a glare while she garnished a bowl of dip. "Traffic is always her excuse and it's always a lie."

Duncan hummed in thought, a knowing smirk on his face. "Well, maybe if you guys moved out of Philly, you could be living that sweet suburb life like the rest of us."

"And be right around the corner from all you people? I think I'll wait a little while longer," I jokingly grimaced. I had to ignore the rolling of my mom's eyes at my comment as I let her go and hugged my older brother.

Deep down, she had to know I was kidding. On the other hand, maybe not so much.

"Where's your other half?" I asked Duncan, realizing that although his daughter was here with him, there was another certain brown-haired beauty not currently present. I stole a peek at Sutton to see if my question stirred up any reaction from her, but to no avail.

"Today's her mom's birthday actually, so she's with her parents for the day," he told me after taking another swig from his beer. "She said to say happy birthday and that she's sorry she's missing this."

"That's nice of her." I smiled, at both the pleasantry from the wench formerly known as the snake and how far we had come. Things weren't tremendously better, but they weren't worse either so that was progress in itself.

I was sure it'd always be weird for Sutton – her best friend and her brother falling in love. She had learned to deal with it over time, as we all did, though she never quite kicked the habit of picking at the stitches and tearing the wound open again. There would always be a part of her that refused to accept it.

She and Valerie had been complicated from the start. An ongoing rivalry with a complex dynamic that put even Gus and me to shame. That didn't mean their friendship was indestructible, it just meant that after the Duncan bombshell had been dropped, they had to pick through the rubble to save any redeeming part of their bizarre bond. They had to learn how to be friends again.

Sutton knew Valerie was in it for the long haul, and Valerie knew that if she was going to have Sutton as a potential sister-in-law one day, it was best to be on her good side.

Rightfully so. We were all too familiar with the trauma of surviving Cyclone Sutton's wrath. That shit stuck with you for life.

My dad was sitting in the breakfast nook, a very focused Madelyn drawing at his side while a very patient Asher watched. As I came around the table to greet my dad, he whispered to me that my niece was working on a birthday card for me and that I shouldn't disturb her just yet, so I respected her artistic wishes.

The back door burst open and in walked Koa, donned in a tie-dye t-shirt, shorts, and one of my mom's floral-printed aprons. He was holding a gigantic aluminum pan with a hunk of meat inside of it, his forehead shiny from the scalding temperature outside and the weight he was bearing in his arms.

"Bayla! Gus! You're here just in time. The pig is officially done," he announced with that beaming face of his.

Gus gasped at the sight while mid-fist bump with Asher. "You made Kalua Pig?" He exclaimed.

"Tried to. It's my own version of it," Koa said with a shrug of his shoulders. He slid the door shut with his elbow and trekked across the kitchen, plopping the tray down on the stovetop. Moving aside to let my mom switch the pig from a pan to a serving platter, he looked at me and grinned. "It's not perfect, but I know it's one of Bayla's favorites."

I placed a hand over my heart and cooed, "Sutton, your husband is so thoughtful."

She picked up the tray holding her dip she concocted and turned to Koa standing beside her. They shared a quick, adoring glance that practically lit up the whole room, despite the August sunshine spilling in through every window in the house.

Then she whipped her head around to meet my gaze and said, "So is yours."

Now it was my turn to share that same look with Gus. The kind of look that only meant something to us, that only we understood. A passing moment in time, so precious and untouchable. A look for just the two of us that no one else had to know about.

That is until my mother's booming summons to lunch shattered all of our eardrums.

"Alright, people! Come on and grab a seat," she barked before trotting into the dining room with the pig platter in her hands as if she didn't just break the sound barrier.

That was our cue. One after another, we trailed behind her like a lazy game of follow-the-leader, assigning ourselves in our designated spots. My dad at the head of the table and my mom in his corner, having a chair but never really sitting in it. My sister next to her, then Koa, then Duncan at the other head with Madelyn at his side. It followed Asher, myself, then Gus, and back to my dad.

As much as I complained about the clan of lunatics I had for a family, I wouldn't have them any other way. We could go months without seeing one another, but the moment we all gathered around my parent's dining room table, it was like no time passed at all. Like we were still here for Asher's first birthday and just overstayed our welcome up until now.

No other group of people could humiliate me out of love with spot-on insults. I couldn't get my fix of small-town drama from anyone else. There was no way to relive a lifetime of memories, both good and bad, like the way I could with them.

During a rare moment where the conversation came to a lull once we'd all finished eating, Sutton stood from her chair. The way she silently commanded all eyes on her without saying a single word was a talent I couldn't ever come close to. Still, she raised her glass of bubbling champagne and gently tapped her fork against it for the full effect.

"I have an announcement to make." Her voice was strong and steady, like the smile on her face. "It's been a long time since we all got together and since everyone is here, I think this is a perfect time."

"Oh boy," I muttered, reaching for my own champagne flute and taking a swig. Sutton's scowl towards me was quick enough for our parents to miss, but I still caught it. I sent her a bogus grin in return.

While everyone else sat on the edge of their seats for my sister's so-called announcement, Duncan shifted uncomfortably in his. He teetered the bottle of beer between his fingers like an uncoordinated tightrope walker. It was all too noticeable to me, and Sutton no longer had my attention.

"Uh, actually..." He trailed off in thought and cleared his throat. Straightening up now in his seat, he ran a hand over his fresh blonde buzzcut. "I have something important to say, too."

If Sutton's eyes were daggers, they were aimed straight at Duncan's head. A venomous look that I had been on the receiving end of too many times to count. A sign that a storm was coming.

I held my breath for him, though I knew he could hold his own when the time was right. He wasn't the oldest Barclay sibling for nothing, and as bumbling of an idiot as he could be, he sure as hell took shit from no one – especially not from Sutton.

As for Madelyn, she was completely oblivious. Gazing up at my brother as innocent as could be with those silver eyes of hers, combined with the unmatched charm of being a nine-year-old, she asked, "Dad, are you gonna tell them the big secret?"

"That's cute. A big secret," Sutton sneered the words, scrunching her nose in distaste. "It's definitely nothing compared to my news."

"I don't know, this big secret is pretty huge." Duncan's sing-song tone was all too teasing and irritating to my erratic sister.

"No, it's not," she blandly replied. She put her champagne down and dismissively waved her hand aside, flaunting it in Duncan's face that he didn't even have a chance. Koa remained seated next to her, the bored expression on his usual chipper face seeming out of place. Then again, I couldn't blame him because this was a day-to-day occurrence for him; dealing with Sutton's dramatics.

My mom, the most impatient of us all, flew out of her chair with an exasperated sigh. "While you two figure it out, I'm going to go get the cake. Maddy, wanna help me?" She called on my niece.

Without hesitating, Madelyn hopped right up. The idea of helping grandma with dessert was a lot more appealing than listening to all the adults bicker about whose news was superior. She frolicked behind my mom to the kitchen like a chalky hopscotch path was laid out on the floor for her. It sparked Ziggy's interest, who sprung awake from his nap by my dad's feet and pranced right alongside Madelyn.

The arguing resumed.

"Are you really trying to steal my spotlight right now?" Sutton growled.

Duncan barked out an incredulous laugh. "Sutton, you've gotta be kidding. The spotlight is always on you! It has been for the last twenty-nine years!"

"I'm. Twenty. Eight," she said each word through gritted teeth, her eyes flaring like gasoline on a fire. Though we all knew her birthday was looming and Duncan wasn't completely wrong.

"Well, you sure as hell don't act like it," Duncan retorted, crossing his arms and sinking back in his chair.

"Since we're on the subject of age, guess we forgot that this is my birthday celebration and you're both stealing the spotlight from me. But I guess that's nothing new," I grumbled as I stole another sip of champagne. Gus heard my grievance and placed his hand on my leg just above my knee, signaling that yes I was right but no it wasn't worth a fight.

"Why can't you just let me have my moment?" Sutton expectedly chose to ignore me.

"Every moment is your moment!"

"For the love of God, someone make an announcement," my dad's thunderous father voice forced everyone to shut up, the glassware clinking as he slammed his hands on the table.

A hush fell over the room, if just for a second. Sutton and Duncan inhaled in preparation. We all took a mental bet on who would speak up first. During that small window of time, a confession came spewing out from the lips of my baby brother that none of us could have predicted.

"I have a girlfriend," Asher blurted.

Right then, my mom came waltzing back into the room with my birthday cake on a stand balancing in her steady hands. She stumbled slightly in her footsteps but managed to catch herself as if no one saw, carefully continuing towards the table with Madelyn and Ziggy in tow.

"Lord, help me," my mom uttered under her breath, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry... what? Since when?" I decided to chime in since no one else was addressing Asher's news. I turned to him sitting quietly next to me, but his head was hanging low like he was too ashamed to look at any of us, his hands folded in his lap and all.

His muffled response came after a hefty sigh. "Since May."

"May?" I squawked in disbelief. "Who is she? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because you guys are so dramatic!" His head jerked up at his hysterical exclamation, a frenzied look in his widened blue eyes. I flinched because I wasn't sure if I'd ever heard Asher's voice get so loud, and when he noticed, he grunted in frustration. "I'm sorry, but it's true. You all exaggerate the shit out of any shred of news in this family. Sorry for the poor choice of words, Mom." She let out a passive-aggressive huff without taking her concentration away from transporting the cake successfully to the table in one piece. Asher went on, "I didn't want to say anything if it wasn't going anywhere. I met her at school, she's a dance major, that's that. You said to make an announcement"–he gestured to our father who was stunned silent–"so I thought I'd just blurt mine out and get it over with."

This was headed in the same direction as the night of my dad's ceremony where we all aired out our dirty laundry. When I accidentally told everyone that Gus and I eloped. When Duncan revealed his romantic entanglement with Valerie. And when Asher spilled that he drank all the booze in the hotel room. Talk about a hell of a scandalous night.

"Am I the only one shocked by this?" I glanced around the table at my family. "This is Asher we're talking about. This is the first time I've ever heard the word 'girlfriend' come out of his mouth, am I wrong?" I shot him a sideways glance just to confirm that statement, and he gave me a small nod in return. I looked across at Sutton who was still standing at her seat, then to Duncan slumped in his chair. "I mean yeah, you guys haven't made your announcements yet but this is huge! We should be excited for him and you're all just sitting there like–"

"We're having a baby!" Sutton spastically blabbed.

I thought I knew where I was going with that little heroic monologue. Obviously, I no longer did.

Her delivery, both abrupt and staggering, left us all to react in our own ways. My mom froze in place as she reached the table at her empty spot next to my sister, her face as white as the frosting on my birthday cake that she was still carrying. Gus happened to be taking a sip from his beer which he nearly spat out. Koa exhaled like this wasn't how he planned this would happen but he no longer had control. Asher gasped, my dad had a coughing fit, Duncan didn't even bat an eye.

I was the only one to speak, again.

"What the fuck?" Was the age-appropriate question to come flying out of my mouth.

Sutton wasn't fazed. Rather than acknowledge what the hell just happened, she sent Duncan a grin so smug it should've come with a warrant. She propped a hand on her hip and snarkily replied, "Can you top that?"

Like I said before, Duncan took shit from no one. I'd gone my whole life watching my two older siblings square up time and time again, and you couldn't underestimate either one of them. They each had their strengths – Sutton knew how to light a fire, but Duncan could put them right out.

He sat up in his chair, lips pursed and narrowed gaze aimed straight at our sister, like a hunter targeting his prey. A single, challenging eyebrow lifted. I swore we collectively stopped breathing as if we were going to miss his retaliation.

"I'm gonna ask Valerie to marry me."

The words rolled off his tongue, casual and calculating, squashing Sutton's gloating moment.

"Oh my–" my mom jolted forward so fast that the cake slipped right out of her hands.

Gus lept up to catch it within seconds of its demise, taking it away from my mom and placing it on the table before collapsing back into his seat. "Holy shit," he whispered to himself.

Impeccably timed, the front door opened then. Next came my grandmother's voice.

"What did I miss?" Her tone was unsuspecting as if she didn't just walk into the eye of a hurricane without a lifejacket.