“I need to talk to Foster. We need a bigger place so I can host, and you all have to come to me.” She laughs, hauling the car seat and what I assume is her diaper bag between the two parked cars in front of my house.
Leighton walks down the steps and takes Ellis and the car seat from her.
“But this is nice.” Callie smiles at Leighton’s back walking up the stairs. “Total honesty, ladies? I need a break, and the guys still have another series before they come home.”
We all step into the house, and I shut the door.
Leighton busies herself putting the car seat in the family room and unstrapping Ellis. Lake coos over her, and the two of them talk to her in baby talk about how she’s the cutest baby ever to exist.
Lincoln groans.
“Hula hooping?” Callie asks, dropping the diaper bag in the corner of the room. “I used to be so good at this.”
“You can have mine.” Hazel hands it to her.
Even Monroe struggles to get it going consistently.
Callie puts the hoop around her waist, and it spins three times then it falls to the floor. “So, motherhood took my abs, my sleep, and now apparently my hip mobility too?”
Lincoln laughs. “You’re as good as Hazel is.”
“Linc!” Leighton glares at the boy, then instructs Lake to sit so she can lay Ellis in her arms. “Do you mind if we borrow your kitchen for a second?”
“Of course not.” I nod in its direction and take the pizza boxes from her so she can lead Lincoln away.
“This is a cute place,” Callie says. “Are you rehabbing it?”
It’s probably a gut job, but I haven’t even thought about where to start. “Eventually. I bought it for the location, but I don’t want to deal with any renovations right now.”
Ellis fusses on Lake’s lap, and Callie grabs a pacifier and hands it to her.
It’s kind of them to bring Hazel and me into the fold. But then Lake smiles at Callie across the room like she already knows exactly what kind of mother she is, and I feel like an outsider again. Not unwelcome. Just not quite speaking the same language yet.
Lincoln sulks out of the kitchen, and Leighton watches from the doorway to make sure he says sorry to Hazel. He does, then he plops on the couch.
Callie grabs the pizza from my hands. “Girl time.” She nods for me to follow her into the kitchen. “Let me know if you need me to take her, Lake.”
“I didn’t get enough Ellis time,” Leighton whines.
We get some drinks, chatting about what’s going on with everyone’s life.
“Foster FaceTimed me last night. I swear if he makes it through this season without walking off the field, it’ll be a miracle.”
“He’s struggling with being away?” Leighton’s nose crinkles.
“Yeah.”
“He pitched great the other night.” I open the pizza boxes and get out the paper plates.
“It’s him not being home with Ellis.”
“And you,” Leighton says.
Callie nods. “Both of us, but mostly Ellis. Every time he comes home from the road, he props her up on his legs. Then he proceeds to tell her he’s sorry he had to leave for work, but he thought of her the entire time. And he tells her about anything funny her uncles did. Then he always professes his love for her.” Callie laughs and shakes her head. “Who would have ever thought that once you peel back all the layers, he’s this sweet little vulnerable peach?”
We all laugh.
“Next year will be better. Hayes had a hard time last year, but now that we have a year in the books, it’s been a little easier. But he still insists on doing everything for all the kids the first day back.”
