It was a crisp September morning. Marie was getting her things together to go to school (middle school!) when she heard her parents talking downstairs. Dad and Stepmum seemed to do that a lot recently; whisper, and not tell her what they were whispering about. She shook her head and went downstairs to collect her lunch. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Stepmum," she said as she walked out the door.

When she got to school, she opened up her phone and found a text message from Dad.

Blaine sent: We're having family over for dinner so please wash up when you get home (8:02 am)

Family over for dinner. Why, that sounded quite nice. She hoped Nanny would be there.


That evening, as promised, Nanny, Auntie Sarah, Step-Granny, Uncle Joe, and cousin Katrina arrived around dinnertime. Dad ushered them all inside. "Marian, tellement bien a te voir," said Step-Granny to Nanny. (Marian, how nice to see you.)

Everyone sat around the table. Dad set the chicken wings down in the middle of the table, while Stepmum set down the salad and mashed potatoes. Once everyone had made their plates, Stepmum got everyone's attention. "Tout le monde, nous avons des grandes nouvelles." (Everyone, we have big news.)

Everyone looked up at them. "I should have known you would say that," said Auntie Sarah. "Spontaneous dinner parties always come with big announcements."

Dad looked at Stepmum and put a hand over his heart. A huge smile spread across his face as he looked back at the table. "We're having a baby!"

The adults exploded with praise and cooing. Step-Granny and Uncle Joe hugged Stepmum, and Nanny and Auntie Sarah hugged Dad.

Marie simply didn't know what to think. A baby sibling! She loved babies…but they were quite loud and messy…but she'd have someone to play with and read stories to…

…But what if Stepmum loved them more than her?

As the grown-ups shuffled back into their seats, all they could talk about was baby things; what were they going to name them? What things did they need? Marie blocked out the chatter and ate her wings and potatoes.


That night, before Marie went to sleep, Dad came in to talk to her. "You were pretty quiet at dinner. How do you feel about the baby?"

Marie sat up. "I'd like to have a baby sibling," she said, "but what if Stepmum likes them more than me?"

"Why would she do that?" Dad asked.

"Because," said Marie, "I'm only her stepdaughter. This will be her for-real baby."

Dad shook his head. "You're both her for-real babies. Whether or not she gave birth to you doesn't determine how much your stepmother loves you." He put a hand on Marie's shoulder. "And when a Beaufort is faced with parenthood, they take it, circumstances be darned. Your mother knew she wanted to be your stepmother the moment she met you. She knew she wanted another when the time was just right. Heck, Uncle Joe knew he wanted Katrina in his life the second he met her."

He shifted a bit. "And sure, the baby might be the center of attention at first, but that's just because newborn babies are fragile and need lots of special care. And if you want to help us with that, that's great, but we won't make it a regular responsibility for you."

Marie brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Can I still read them stories?"

"You can read to them every night if you want to." Dad and Marie both smiled and hugged. Dad turned out the lights and left, while Marie snuggled into bed and fell asleep.