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I sip a canned margarita and close my eyes as I put it back down.
“We haven’t told anyone yet but our parents,” Dani tells me. “And I don’t know what it is.”
“I love it,” I say, eyes still closed. Now that the little wave of envy is gone, I’m excited to think of all the things my best friend is going to experience. Excited that I’ll get to share in most of those things, because odds are, Ryle will be my only child.
“Eric’s hoping for twins.”
“You should definitely punish him for that.” I turn my head on my lounge chair and peek at Dani. She grins. One baby is so much more work than I ever imagined. Then again, Dani has Eric, so things will be somewhat easier for her.
“Hey!” Dani lifts her foot and swings it my way to nudge my leg. She misses, but she has my attention, because I’m laughing at her now. “What did you think of Eric’s cousin?”
“He was nice.” I shrug and rest my eyes again.
“I think we’re going to ask him to be the baby’s godfather.”
“Oh!” I blink and nod, excited all over again. “Yeah, Jerad seemed like a nice guy.”
“And we would like you to be the baby’s godmother.”
I roll my eyes up to see Eric as he rounds our chairs on the way to the grill, a plate loaded with burgers in hand. He’s watching me for my reaction to his announcement.
“Really?” I’m too keyed up now to sit still, so I lean forward and when that’s not close enough to Dani, I scooch some on my chair.
“Mm-hmm.” Dani nods.
“I’m honored, Dani,” I say sincerely. She has two sisters and five brothers; I assumed she would choose someone in her family to be the godmother to her baby. “I would love to stand for the baby.”
“Good.” She nods, and then Eric repeats her, his voice loud and firm.
Now that it’s decided, I flop backwards again in the chair and take another drink.
“So.” She clears her throat, which is my first indication that she’s up to something. Dani sucks at Poker. She could never win Old Maid when we were kids. And she was terrible when we played Clue. She can’t bluster or fib; she gets all nervous. Same as now, when she’s about to suggest something she knows I won’t like.
“No.”
“Hear me out.”
“Nope.”
“He’s going to be in town this weekend.” She ignores me. “And we thought we could all go out. Maybe get pizza or something.”
Is she seriously trying to set me up with Eric’s cousin Jerad? Because as nice as the guy is, there’s no way I’d want to go out with him. He’s cute—got a little cowlick on the back of his head, usually covers it with a ball cap. And he’s got a sweet smile. Plays the trumpet in some band where he lives. Sings at his church. And he loves my friend like she’s his sister.
But he’s not Truman.
I know it’s not fair, but since getting pregnant with Ryle and losing Truman, I compare every guy I meet to Truman. No one measures up.
I’ve dated. I’ve tried to move on. I spent seven months with a guy when Ryle was three. The guy adored Ryle, and after everything, that was the top priority on my list. I could have settled for him. He would have been good to me and Ryle. But he didn’t deserve that. So, I broke it off with him before it got too complicated.
I still go out sometimes, most often with groups of friends from the bank where I work. And I do date occasionally, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it’s not meant to be. I loved Truman Woolff so deeply, for so long, I don’t have it in my heart to love another man.
At least Ryle has a relationship with Truman and his family.
“Jules, I just want you to be happy,” Dani whines.
“I know.” I turn my head to look at her again. “And I appreciate that. But remember. There’re different roads to happiness, Dani. I’ve got Ryle. No one’s ever going to take away my happy when I have Ryle.”
“But you could—”
