Family Matters

Spending summer at the family cabin had never been one of Rebecca's favorite things to do, especially with her mom there and yet every year she went. Sitting at the end of the dock with her feet in the water, she watched as the gentle breeze created ripples on the surface of the lake and jumped slightly as a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" her brother asked as he took a seat next to her, handing her a drink and nudging her shoulder playfully.

"I'm fine," Rebecca replied with a small smile, "I just needed some air is all."

"Hey, you know that I'm always here if you need someone to talk too, right?"

"I know," Rebecca mumbled, putting her drink to one side and glancing over at her brother, "If I tell you something, do you swear that you'll keep it to yourself?"

"Of course."

"I'm pregnant."

"Wait, seriously... I'm going to be an uncle?" Braydon stated, earning a nod from Rebecca and grinning, "How far along are you?"

"Six months."

"How come you haven't told anyone?"

"Too scared I guess," Rebecca admitted with a shrug, "Mom already has enough to say about my relationship with Seb, add a baby and... I just don't want the hassle."

"Are you happy?"

"I am," Rebecca answered without hesitation, placing her hand on her stomach and smiling, "Seb will be a great dad and having a family of our own is something that we've discussed, but mom..."

"This isn't about her, this is about what you and Seb want for your future," Braydon told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her head, "Seb is an awesome guy and he treats you well, which is all I care about. Does he know?"

"Not yet, I found out a week after he returned to Afghanistan and I don't think it's something that should be announced over Skype."

Resting her head on Braydon's shoulder, Rebecca felt a slight weight lift from her chest and found that she was content knowing that she had at least one person in her corner. The next few days were tough and she tried to keep her cool for the sake of her family, but eventually, her mum's little comments got too much for her to ignore.

"At least your boyfriend is here to spend the summer with us, even if he does have to work as well..." her mum commented as her sister apologized for her boyfriend's absence at the dinner table.

"For god sake mum, if you have something to say then just say it already," Rebecca demanded, looking up from her plate and glaring at the woman sitting opposite her as everyone fell silent, "Enough with the snide comments."

"I just don't understand why you would lumber yourself with someone like him is all."

"Seb is a good guy with a huge heart and he loves me, why is that not enough for you?"

"I don't like watching you wait on someone who most probably won't even come home, at least not in the way you want..."

"Mom..." Braydon warned.

"No, she needs to hear this," her mom stated, ignoring the glares from everyone around the table and continuing, "What happens when you get the news that your beloved Sebastian has been killed... have you even though about that?"

"I think about that every day and it terrifies me, but I stand by Seb's decision to fight for his country," Rebecca replied, "I know that you've taken a disliking to him, but I love him and I don't plan on walking away from what we have based on your opinion."

"What exactly do you have with him?" Her mom inquired.

"A chance at something good... a family," Rebecca mumbled, looking over at Braydon and swallowing nervously as he gave her an encouraging nod, "You may not like Seb for whatever reason, but he's the father of your unborn grandchild and you're going to have to get used to us being together."

"You're pregnant?" Her dad asked, drawing Rebecca's attention away from her mom and earning a nod.

"Six months, I'm due in November..."

Watching as a grin spread across her dad's face, Rebecca stood up and chuckled lightly as he pulled her into a hug. Turning back to face her mum, she wasn't surprised to see the anger in her eyes and tried to focus on her dad's warmth at her side as anxiety curled in her stomach.

It was no secret that her mum had taken an instant disliking to Sebastian, but Rebecca loved him more than anything and they were about to have a child. Family had never really been a priority in her mum's eyes, but it was the most important thing in the world to Rebecca and she wanted hers to be a part of the baby's life.