“We’re stayin’,” Mark said when I couldn’t reply. “Cec has been eyeballin’ that property down the road from Casper and Farrah’s.”
“I love that place,” Lily said excitedly. “We used to sneak over to their pond to swim in the summer.”
“Don’t tell Mom I used to take you with me,” I replied, finally able to speak past the tightness in my throat.
“I can hear you, dumbass,” my mom said from the hallway.
“You have any idea what you wanna do with that massive shop?” Leo asked Mark.
“I’ve only seen pictures,” Mark said, stepping over to a chair and pulling me onto his lap as he sat down. “Is it as big as it looks?”
“The thing is massive,” Leo replied. “Used to keep horses, I think.”
“Ooh, horses,” I said dreamily.
“You gonna shovel shit?” Mark asked me. I wrinkled my nose. “That’s what I thought.”
“You could get goats,” Lily said leaning forward a little. “Goats are so cute, and it’s good for kids to have an animal.” She looked sideways at Leo.
“I said we could discuss a dog once we move into a bigger place,” he replied dryly.
“You can get a dog,” Mark said to me.
“Thanks for the permission,” I replied sarcastically.
Lily laughed at us.
The conversation went on like that for a while. Easy and simple as we talked about the house we were interested in. Leo and Lily were also looking for a place, but not seriously, not yet. Their ideas were mostly daydreams, but I liked listening to them explain what they wanted. The things that were important to them when it came to their home said a lot about them as a couple, and it was a little like a peek into their lives. It was comfortable in a way that I hadn’t felt around my sister in a very long time.
By the time we left, I felt centered in a way that I also hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“Glad you came?” my mom asked as we walked toward the exit of the hospital.
Mark coughed like he was choking and I stared at him in bewilderment.
“Jesus Christ,” my mom complained, handing Mark the car seat. “Boys never grow up. They just get bigger.”
Mark snickered.
“Are you serious right now?” I asked him, stopping in the middle of the walkway.
“I’m just happy,” he said defensively, grinning at me. “Are you glad you came?”
“To the hospital?” I shot back in exasperation. “Yes. Last night? Not as much if you’re going to act like a teenage boy the next day.”
My mom cackled as I hurried toward her.
“You fell in love with me when I was a teenage boy,” Mark reminded me as he slung his free arm over my shoulder. “Can’t complain now.”
“I thought you’d grow up,” I joked back, smiling. His good mood was infectious and I couldn’t keep up the attitude I’d been throwing his way.
“I did,” he said, kissing the side of my head, “but some things never change.”
I leaned into him and watched as my mom flipped off a car as it drove through the crosswalk.
“Thank God,” I said, wrapping my arm around his waist. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, baby.”
Epilogue
Cecilia
“Do you remember when she threw up in that potted plant?” Trix asked, lounging back in a small, plastic pool that had seen better days. “She tried to say it was food poisoning.”
“How many times did she try to blame it on a hangover?” Rose asked.
“More times than she should’ve,” Molly said in exasperation. “Who tries to convince people they are drinking to excess when they’re pregnant?”
“You realize this is my baby shower, right?” Heather said, throwing her arms up in the air. I grinned at her as she waddled toward us, her round belly highlighted by the bikini she was wearing. “I’m the guest of honor. Stop giving me shit. You know I was trying to figure out a way to tell Tommy before I told any of you.”
“Normal people don’t wait to tell their partner until they’re too big to hide it,” Trix said with a laugh.
“Only Tommy would be dense enough not to figure it out when his wife is puking five times a day and doesn’t have a period,” Rose joked.
“Only you would wear a thong bikini when you’re pregnant,” Lily said, shaking her head as Heather walked over to the table covered with party favor-sized sunblock and personal fans. Lily misted herself with a spray bottle of water and rubbed her own bare, rounded belly.
“You can borrow it if you want,” Heather said easily.
“My boobs would never fit,” Lily replied. “By the time I give birth, they’re going to be the size of watermelons.”
“Enjoy them while they last,” I said, glancing down at my own string bikini. My boobs were still larger than normal, especially around the time Olive needed to eat, but they were nowhere near as big as when I’d been pregnant, or right after Olive was born.
“It takes all shapes and sizes,” my mom called out from the towel where she was sunbathing. “This was really the best idea for a baby shower, you know? Just booze and sunshine and cake and presents. Every party should be like this.”
“Every party is like this,” my Aunt Callie countered. “Except for the cake and presents.”
“I agree,” Lily said to my mom. She pointed at me. “You and Rose need to take notes for mine.”
“I love that you guys are so impressed by my poor party planning skills,” Heather’s sister Mel replied. “Maybe I should start my own company.”
“Babies and Booze,” my mom said.
“Drink and Deliver,” Rose said.
“Ain’t no party like a drunk baby party,” I said with a chuckle.
“You guys are horrible,” Molly said, fighting a smile. “Seriously.”
“Don’t worry,” Rose replied. “The girls are in the house, so we’re not setting a bad example.”
“As if this conversation is what’s going to set them on a bad path,” Brenna joked dryly.
“Speaking of going down the wrong path,” Mel said, looking around the group. “Who wants a drink?”
“Margarita,” my mom called out waving her hand.
“Me, too, please,” Molly added.
“Me three,” Trix said.
Everyone called out their orders, but when Rose spoke, the entire group went silent.
“Do you have some bottled water?” Rose said nonchalantly.
Heather stopped rubbing sunblock on her leg. “You want water?”
“Why aren’t you getting a margarita?” Molly asked suspiciously.
Trix splashed water at Rose with her foot. “You too good for tequila now?”
I looked over at my sister, who was wearing a huge, cheesy grin, then at Aunt Callie, who was fighting a smile.
“I only joke about drinking while pregnant,” Rose said finally, her expression so happy that it took my breath away.
“Oh, my god!” Molly yelled, scrambling out of her lawn chair to rush toward Rose. “You’re pregnant!”
I watched as everyone surrounded Rose, chattering excitedly as they asked her how far along she was and how she’d been feeling. I was on good terms with my cousin again, and I normally would’ve been right there with them, squealing and hugging and joining the merriment, but nausea kept me in my seat.
“Anything to drink?” Mel asked as she made her way to the back door.
“Just water, please,” I said, giving her a smile.
Her expression grew knowing and she sent me a wink. “I’ll church it up a bit with some ice and a glass—make sure to wince when you take the first drink.” She jerked her head at the group of women. “They all know I buy shitty vodka.”
I met my mom’s eyes across the yard and she looked at me searchingly. She glanced down at my belly and back up to my face again.
I shrugged, unable to hide my grin.
Her mouth dropped open in shock.
&
nbsp; Yeah, I hadn’t been expecting it, either. I couldn’t wait to tell Mark.
That year was what the Aces would later call the baby boom.
Acknowledgements
To the bloggers and readers who have made it possible for me to make a living doing something I love so much. I see you. I’ll never stop being grateful and thanking you for your support.
To Mom and Dad – It’s been a year, hasn’t it? Geez Louise. Thank you for the endless cups of coffee, the long chats, the babysitting, and for just being you. You’re the foundation beneath my feet and I couldn’t do life without you.
To my kiddos – I know that parents aren’t supposed to be best friends with their kids, but you’re definitely my best friends. There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck in the house with for months. You three are the coolest, smartest, kindest and funniest kids I know and I’ll never forget how lucky I am to be your mom.
Sister – thanks for being a listening ear and the order to my chaos. We’re two sides of the same coin, better together than we’d ever be apart.
Nikki – We did it again! I can never fully explain how much your input and opinion means to me, but I hope you know. I don’t ever want to write without you at the other end of the phone, kicking my ass and telling me where I’ve veered off track.
1775 – Thank you for the laughs. The late night messages. The unwavering support through all life’s ups and downs. We got this.
Toni – Peas and Carrots, dude. Always.
Letitia – I hope you know how awesome you are. I can be stressed as hell, rushing, and ask you for help at the last minute and all I have to do is give you a broad outline, and you bring the cover of my books to life quickly and beautifully every time. It’s a joy to work with you.
Michelle, Pam and Beatrice – Thank you a million times for stepping into my online shoes and carrying the Aces reader group while I couldn’t, posting discussions and games, and generally being ridiculously awesome. Your help is so invaluable and I’m so thankful that this book world brought you into my life.
Amber and Melissa – thank you for being my first readers every time I finish a book—as soon as I’m done editing you guys dive right in and give me feedback before anyone else, which gives me the confidence to actually put these books out into the world.
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