Family barbecues were rare amongst the Lucas clan, and it was even more rare for Caden and Roxy to be there. She was glad they were, it was good to see everyone together, even if it wasn’t actually everyone. Roxy had never been very close to Jasper, he’d been a prickly adolescent by the time she’d come into Caden’s life, but it was impossible not to feel him missing. Everyone was acting fairly cheerful in spite of that though, and Roxy was one of them, smiling and chatting and getting a plate of good food for herself.
Until Aaron’s announcement, at least. She was glad that Mila had told her privately about the pregnancy, but hearing it a second time didn’t hurt any less. Especially when the congratulations and eager questions started. They were all perfectly normal reactions to hearing there was a new baby coming, of course, but Roxy couldn’t muster up any enthusiasm. The conversation she’d had with Mila in the clothing store weighed heavy on her mind, and she had a sour unhappy void in her stomach. Even with an engagement ring on her finger, she felt sure it would never be her making this sort of announcement, never her getting those sweet ‘how far along are you’ questions, never her beaming and hugging people as they congratulated her. Caden would never look at her like Aaron looked at Mila, like she was his world. Roxy had been with Caden for years, and Mila was now more a part of the family than she was.
It wasn’t Mila’s fault, of course, or Aaron’s. Or any of theirs, really. It was hers. Caden was who he was, and she was the one who knew that and kept hoping something would change. Roxy couldn’t fake smile anymore all of the sudden. She was glad most everyone was distracted. She got up a bit stiffly, her throat aching and her eyes burning, and walked up onto the small porch and into the house. She just needed a minute or five.
Caden had already known about the pregnancy and he didn't feel guilty at all keeping the news from Gavin until Aaron was ready to tell. He couldn't say he was as excited as everyone else was, or pretending to be, but he felt like this would make Aaron happy and maybe... make up for everything that had happened. So yeah, he was happy for his brother. While people were asking questions and gathered around Mila and Aaron, Caden spotted Roxy slipping inside the house. He wasn't really surprised to see her remove herself from the situation. She knew about the pregnancy but he wasn't so oblivious to her feelings about it. Caden knew Roxy would probably want kids someday. Sighing softly, he waited a moment and then followed her, carrying his beer with him.
When he found her, she was with the dogs, who had cuddled up beside her. "You okay?" he asked, already knowing the answer, but it felt like he ought to ask.
Roxy had been on her way to the bathroom when Max and Rude had jogged up to meet her, and their sweet excitement to see someone lured her into the living room. She sat on the couch and was surrounded by dogs, which was nice but also made it harder to hold back the tears. So Roxy hugged Rude and pressed her forehead to his big shoulder as her eyes welled up. The dog’s motion as he suddenly looked around alerted her to someone coming, and Roxy’s stomach fell when she heard Caden’s voice. She lifted her head, wiping at her eyes. “No,” she said, sure that if she told him she was fine he would accuse her of trying to bullshit him or something. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him right then. “But I’ll be out in a minute.”