“That can wait. Tell us,” Ava encouraged.
“There’s not a lot to tell, but there’s definitely an attraction every time we see each other. And today I gave him a lift home after music lessons and things got a little heated, a cat attacked his arse, and then you called.”
For a beat the girls stared wide-eyed with their mouths open. “A cat attack? Is this some new kinky move I haven’t heard of? Because I’ve got every trick up my sleeve,” Ava commented.
“No. We found a stray outside his house and… Never mind. It attacked and you messaged.”
Ava shook her head. “Damn, my timing sucks.”
Jade agreed. “Enough about me. Stop stalling, and tell us why we’re here. And where is your husband?”
“I kicked Nick out.” Ava sighed.
“What!” Jade and Lauren jerked straight-back in their seats.
Ava waved an arm. “Relax. I didn’t kick him out permanently. I just needed space to figure things out.”
Lauren held on to Ava’s hand. “I thought your marriage was going strong. What’s happened?”
“Calm down. We haven’t broken up.”
“Well, when you tell us you’ve kicked out your husband to figure things out what are we expected to think?” Lauren frowned.
“Maybe if you give me a chance to explain without interruptions, I’d tell you.” Ava rolled her eyes.
Jade and Lauren both raised an eyebrow at their friend’s sharp tone but kept quiet and waited for her to continue.
Ava took a deep breath. Her lip quivered, then she sobbed into her hands, “I’m having a baby!”
This was not new information. They’d known since the stick she’d peed on turned pink. And Ava’s bulging belly was another clue. Seeing their strong friend break down over something she’d been excited about since she learned of the pregnancy was disconcerting.
“Yes, we know, but why is that bothering you now?” Jade rubbed soothing circles on Ava’s back.
Ava pulled her shirt up to wipe the tears from under her eyes. God, even after a crying jag she still looked stunning. No blotchy or puffy eyes. If that was Jade, her face would have looked like she’d had an extreme allergic reaction to bees.
“I’m going to be a mother,” she wailed.
Again, not new information. “We thought you were happy about this,” Jade said.
“I am. But I don’t know how to be one. I lost mine when I was young, and she wasn’t exactly Mother of the Year. And what did she teach me when she was alive? When things got tough, drown everything out with vodka.”
“Hey.” Lauren got off the couch and kneeled in front of Ava to look directly at her face. “She may not have been a great mother, but she loved you. I had the worst mother in the world, and I’m doing a pretty good job raising Ryan. If I can do it, you can. You know what not to do. You’ll be brilliant. And you have Nick, who will be an awesome dad.”
Ava sniffed. “He will, won’t he?”
“Absolutely. And you have us.” Lauren pointed a finger between her and Jade. “And we will be phenomenal aunties.”
This made Ava laugh, and she relaxed back in the seat. Jade knew she was only having pre-baby jitters and all would be fine.
It got her thinking how great her friends’ lives had become. Both had successful careers. Ava was a partner in a law firm, and Lauren owned a gift shop and was doing interior design. Both were married to incredible men and were starting families. It was something Jade could never see in her future. Husbands and babies in her life would never go together. But she would love to one day have a child of her own. She didn’t need a husband for that. Single women got pregnant all the time and could raise kids without a man.
With her mind made up she announced, “I’ve decided to freeze my eggs, and when the time’s right, get a sperm donor.”
Chapter 12
The next afternoon, grades five and six kids raced out of the hall after class. Today’s music lesson was a success. Not only did four children know some of the music greats, which put a huge smile on Nate’s face, they could follow instructions and play basic notes to a song.
While Jade waited for Nate so she could lock up the hall, she pulled out her phone to check her messages. Lauren and Ava had texted her about the egg donor bombshell.
