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Meghan’s trying to be strong, but the tears just keep coming. That’s why we’re at her house instead of doing one of the other activities we had planned for tonight. Payton ordered pizza with all of our favorite toppings, Jaime brought six different quarts of ice cream, and AJ and Lexi brought booze. Lots of booze. And me? Well, before Levi went to work, he made me a batch of his famous spinach dip with fresh, warm bread.
“You guys should go out and have fun. This isn’t what these nights are for,” Meghan says between sniffles. She’s sandwiched on the couch between AJ and Payton, each of them taking turns filling up her plate or her glass when either starts to empty.
“No, these nights are for whatever we need, and tonight, we need this. I’d rather be here with you, holding you while you hurt, than getting drunk in a bar and failing at playing putt-putt golf,” Lexi adds from her seat beside me.
“Agreed,” we all say in unison.
“Someone tell me something good. I need to hear something that’ll make me smile,” she whispers, her desperate green eyes bouncing from one sister to the next.
“Okay, so Brielle might have started to call me…Mom last week,” Payton says, her eyes alive with happiness.
“What?” we all ask at the same time.
“That’s amazing,” I tell her.
“It is. She asked Dean if he thought I would be okay with it. Dean told her the only way to know for sure was to ask me. It took all of the strength I had not to cry when she asked. Her voice was so strong and steady, and I’m pretty sure she held her breath when she waited for my answer. Of course, there was only one answer to give her, and before we were done talking, she called me Mom; you know, just to try it out.” Payton, our oldest, fearless sister, has tears swimming in her eyes and leaking down her cheek. Funny that it took a five-year-old girl to bring her to her knees.
“That’s beautiful. You’re going to be an amazing mother to that little girl,” Lexi whispers, tears in her own eyes.
“Well, ummm…I might have found a receipt in Ryan’s work pants this morning. A receipt from Casberry’s,” Jaime tells us.
“Casberry’s Jewelry?” I holler way too loudly. (Bad, alcohol. Bad.)
“No, Casberry’s Egg Farm,” Jaime retorts with a look. “Yes, of course, Casberry’s Jewelry.”
“Well, maybe he bought you some great earrings to go with the necklace he got you for Christmas,” AJ says, levelheadedly.
“In August? My birthday was months ago. If he were going to get me them, wouldn’t he have done it already?”
“It’s totally an engagement ring,” Meghan whispers beside Payton. “He looks at you as if you hung the moon and the stars. That kinda love? Well, it’s once in a lifetime.” Her face falls slightly and tears fill her green eyes, but she offers her a small smile. “Believe me, I know. What you have with Ryan is what I had. He loves you so much that he’d crawl to the end of the earth just to make you smile.”
The lump in my throat feels suffocating.
“Payton,” Meg says, turning towards our oldest sister as the tears start to fall. “You’ll be next, I know it. Dean knows exactly what kinda amazing woman he has with you. Not only do you love him unconditionally, but his daughter too.” Tears brim Payton’s eyes before slowly sliding down her cheek.
“And you,” she says, turning her attention to me.
“Me?” I ask, my throat clogged with so much emotion. “Don’t give up on Levi. I know you keep saying you’re just friends, but I’m here to tell you you’re not. He loves you, even if he doesn’t know how to say it or show it.”
“Actually…” I start, not quite sure if this is the right time to tell them, but unable to keep it to myself any longer. “Levi and I, well, we’ve sort of been…seeing each other.”
“Of course you have,” Meg says, giving all of my sisters a real smile.
“And you two. Your happy ending is coming too.” Meg stares straight at Lexi and AJ.
Lexi diverts her eyes, trying to hide her pain. But I see it, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s any closer to reaching a decision about leaving Chris. Last time she was at my place, she was seriously considering it, and I know when she’s ready, she’ll make the right choice.
AJ snorts and rolls her eyes. “Not me. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be single forever. The last guy I slept with was so bad I fell asleep, Meggy.”
“You fell asleep?” I ask, recalling how boring sex had been with Colton years ago. But Levi? There’s no way I could even comprehend how someone could fall asleep when you have someone like Levi delivering the best orgasms of your life.
“Yeah, Dexter definitely isn’t all he’s cracked up to be,” she snorts, rolling her eyes.
“Dexter? Levi’s drummer Dexter?”
AJ looks a little sheepish and a whole lot mortified, but she confirms, “Yeah. He was awful.” Suddenly, we’re all laughing, and laughing hard.
When the laughter dies, we all look around at each other, drinks in hand and tears drying in our eyelashes.
