We're not half-way in

 "When were you going to tell me?" Mario kept his eye on Bren when he noticed the prenatal vitamins on the kitchen counter.

"Well, I'm telling you now." She went on with what she was doing. It felt like she was constantly cleaning the kitchen. He always hated to bother her routine, but this time he gave her a hug from behind. 

"But I wanted to hear it from you," he sighed. "This is totally unexpected."

She nodded. Finally, she admitted she wanted to have a baby before it was too late. 

"But, you're not even thirty." He winced wondering why she was this way. Why couldn't they have talked bout this? He didn't let it matter. He was happy, even if it was a shock to his system. "We have to get married now."

Her little shrug stung his neck as he held on to her. He let go when she said, "Not necessarily."

"What?" He squinted.

"I don't want this to be the reason you have to marry me," Bren turned back to him and leaned there at the kitchen counter by the dish rack full of rinsed dishes. She was dead serious. "My mother never married."

"I didn't mean-" he pressed his lips tight wondering how he'd get out of this one. "I'm just saying, I know I keep putting things off-" His face tensed, but he drew her in for a kiss. "I really love you and I want us to be a family." Even when he said it, for the first time he saw his own mother in Bren. Why hadn't he noticed? She had her own way of doing things and he was never certain what to expect.

He took her hand. She at least had on her engagement ring. "I have to stop putting things off." He nodded. "Let's do this. Let's make it real."

Finally, she nodded as if she'd let him have his way. "I just want us to have a beautiful wedding." Mario went on to say.

"We will," she winced back with tears. "But..but this isn't the only thing that's happened."

"What do you mean?" He didn't know if he should crack a smile or not. It didn't look like she'd won the lottery.

"My dad."

"Your Dad?" She never mentioned her father. Honestly, she never said much of anything about her family. He knew it had always been her and her mother. He guessed this was what he'd been waiting to hear after all this time.

She sighed heavily as if she couldn't talk about it. "He's here."

"Is he moving in with us?" Mario wanted to know.

"No. Of course not." She winced as if she was bitter about the idea of his arrival. "I never met him until the Fourth of July."

Mario took both of her hands. "Well, he's not me. I want to be here for everything." He nodded. "And..and I don't want you seeing him alone, either."

"Oh, it's just... he's full of riddles. He hasn't exactly told me anything. I don't know what he wants." She shrugged. "He mentioned a brother, my half-brother."

"Bren," he grinned. "You shouldn't worry too much about them. We'll be fine. It's gonna be fine." He was certain now his dad would make sure the bride had the finest dress. Really, he knew Bren deserved a beautiful wedding and they better make it soon.