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So far, he and Gretchen were going strong, but that baby was going to change everything. I hoped beyond hope that he would step up and not ruin this.
“Have they started talking about names?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, but she won’t share any with me. She’s afraid I’ll make fun of them, which makes me want to know even more what names she’s thinking about.”
Knowing Gretchen, the names were going to be trendy and terrible.
“You’ve got to find out. I am not having a nibling named like, MyCartlynne or something,” I said.
Natalie shuddered.
“I’ll see what I can do. I will also suggest some of our better family names.” That was good. I hoped they had some good family names.
“I did have a great uncle named Susan, but I won’t mention that,” Natalie said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
She went on to tell me all about Great-Great Uncle Susan, and he was a pretty badass dude.
“I wish I had a bunch of cool relatives,” I said. Apart from Granny Margaret, who’d kicked her awful husband out and had been a legal secretary to support her family. That was pretty hardcore. Other than her there were no pirates or bootleggers or anyone like that.
“You could be a cool relative that your descendants will talk about,” Natalie said. “Be the badass ancestor you wish to see in the world.”
I laughed. “I’ll get working on that.”
* * *
When we crossed the bridge into Maine, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I couldn’t explain it, but it was so good to be back in my home state. Natalie and I wanted to stop in Portland for dinner, but I didn’t feel good driving the truck in the city, so we found a fast-food place off the highway a few miles north.
“Do you mind if I stop somewhere and get some groceries?” I asked. “I have literally nothing in my house right now.”
I’d cleaned out the fridge before I’d left so I didn’t come back to rotting lettuce in the crisper.
“Sure, sounds good.” Natalie yawned and stretched her arms. “There is no way I’m unpacking anything tonight. I hope there are some sheets on my bed.”
“You can always crash with me,” I blurted out, before I remembered that I didn’t even have a couch.
“No, you’ve already done way too much for me. It’ll be fine.”
Natalie and I hit a grocery store about a half hour from Castleton, and she grabbed a few things for herself too. While we were going through the aisles, I got a message from Paige.
Hey, invite Natalie over this weekend. We’re having a welcome party for her.
I stared at the message.
You are so sweet. You didn’t have to do that.
Paige didn’t know the full extent of what was going on between me and Natalie, but she knew that we were on much better terms than we’d been when I’d arrived in Arizona. This trip had changed so much in just a few days.
We weren’t best-friends-forever yet, but we were on our way to a healthier relationship with each other.
It will be fun! Esme is making drinks, Linley is bringing treats, and we’re doing a seafood boil. Does she have any food allergies?
Paige and my other friends were so fucking thoughtful that it made my heart feel like it was going to explode sometimes.
“So, Paige, Esme, and Linley are throwing you a welcome party this weekend. Are you up for that?” I asked.
“Wait, really?” Natalie paused in the act of picking up a bag of chips to put in the cart.
