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“Okay, get the kids together. They can play in the yard while we figure this out.”
“Is Dave home?” Annie asked, not wanting him in on the intrigue.
“No, he’s at his father’s house,” Katrina answered. “Dave is better at keeping secrets than we are, anyway.”
They packed up the food and toys and got the kids in their strollers for the babysitters to push.
“This is a nightmare.”
“If you’re pregnant, the kid will be older than ours again,” Maggie said.
“We’ll go into the delivery room with her like we did when Stevie was born,” Katrina said, flinching. “Not that I want to relive that experience.”
“You guys were wonderful,” Annie said, finally calming down. “I know it was gross, but at least you knew what to expect when your time came.”
“I had a C-section, remember,” Maggie said.
“Your puss wasn’t sacrificed like ours was,” Katrina said, flaring her nostrils. “All for the continuation of the species.”
At Katrina’s Creole Cottage, they went around to the backyard, a large fenced-in area with chain link on the top as well, just in case curious alligators decided to climb up the banks of the creek.
“Come on. They’ll be fine out here,” Katrina said, motioning for the women to follow her. “It’s now or never. Better than being a nervous wreck, waiting.”
They followed her down the hallway to an expansive white marble bathroom.
“I keep forgetting how wonderful this place is,” Maggie said, looking around. “Maybe I should let Justin tear Bayou Cottage apart.”
“We love your place,” Katrina said. “This had been redone in the eighties and it was horrible. You saw it.”
“Yeah, it was pretty disgusting,” Maggie said. “Maybe neglect is better than trendy redos. But this place is fabulous now.”
“Here you go, Annie,” Katrina said, handing her the pink and white box. “You know the drill.”
“Can’t we watch? We saw her in wet underpants last week,” Maggie scoffed.
“Out,” Annie replied, smirking while she pointed to the door. “I don’t even let my kid see me use the bathroom.”
“Prude,” Maggie said, laughing.
The women waited outside the door, looking at each other, shrugging their shoulders, shaking their heads.
“What’s taking so long?” Maggie said.
“It hasn’t even been a minute,” Katrina said. “Chill. You’re making me nervous now.”
Two minutes later, the door opened to a red-faced teary-eyed Annie. “Well, you were right. Positive. What am I going to do now? Repeat the same mistake I did last time and get married because I didn’t want to shame my parents?”
“No one’s asking you to do that, sweetheart,” Katrina said, leading her friends back out to the terrace. “Sit. I’ll get us iced tea. I’m ready to stop drinking anyway and get this show on the road. Maggie, think about it.”
Chapter 9
She went back into the house and in the kitchen, while getting the pitcher of iced tea out that Dave always had made, and three tall glasses, she thought about what the future had in store for her friends. A change of plans was possible. Dave was ready to have another baby and would gladly give up drinking to support her. Lent was weeks away. Her mind was made up. Being pregnant at the same time her friends were was a joyful experience she was eager to go through again.
Taking the tray out to the terrace, she glanced at her friends sitting together, Maggie embracing a sobbing Annie, trying to console her.
“I have an announcement to make that could help you, Annie. I changed my mind about waiting for Lent. I want to get pregnant right away. What’s a few more weeks?”
She peeked her head over Maggie’s shoulder. “What will Dave say?”
