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I moved two feet to my right and saw them.
“I told you I was coming.” The woman I’d helped stood with her hands on her hips and small belly out front.
“How, Tiff? All the flights were canceled. The roads are blocked.”
“When there’s a will, there’s a way. How could I not come see you when our baby is kicking?”
EPILOGUE
LAURA: NINE MONTHS LATER
Sweat dripped down my forehead as I rushed through the store, searching for something, anything, I’d forgotten to buy for the baby. The world was a blur and my mind raced with an urgency to get everything done at once. With my due date approaching, time was running out before my son arrived.
I registered with a clinic where my parents had no privileges, and since I hadn’t seen them in a few months, they still didn’t know I was pregnant. As far as they thought, I was busy policing. Truth is, I was afraid to tell them I was pregnant again. But today was the day I would tell the baby daddy that he was going to be a father. Again.
In my hurry through the store, I nearly knocked over a display of onesies, which I caught before they could hit the ground. And that’s when I spotted it. A tiny fox onesie, perched atop a shelf, its gray and orange markings bright and cheerful. It was perfect, and I immediately reached out and grabbed it without thinking.
Piercing pain surged through my stomach and I took a moment to rest before throwing it onto the counter. I told the cashier to ring it up. My heart raced and I was breathless, feeling like a mess. I wobbled outside, my arms laden with parcels, and hailed a cab. The driver waited as I dropped off the bags at our shared apartment.
“Where to next, Miss?”
“Manhattan. Silver Brothers Securities.”
I took a deep breath and reached for my phone, my fingers quickly dialing Allie’s number. She picked up on the second ring.
“Is it time?”
“No, it’s not time.”
“Oh, okay. You gave me a heart attack.”
“You say that every time I call. Listen, I finally decided to tell him.”
She screamed something inaudible into the receiver and I waited for her to calm down
“Who is it?” she asked.
“I’m not telling you before I tell him.”
“I swear to God, you’re not my best friend.”
She emphasized the ‘not’ the same way she had each time I denied telling her about the father of my baby. She had her suspicions, but I never confirmed. It took me eight months to work up the nerve to tell him myself.
“I love you too. Listen, it’s probably nothing to worry about, but I’ve been having some Braxton Hicks and we should probably be ready for this baby.”
“Understood. The bag is by the front door, the car seat’s installed. I’m ready, Laura. We’re ready.”
I may not have had a partner for this, but what better partner could I have than my best friend? She was taking her role of a godmother and godfather seriously, sometimes over-the-top.
“I’m on my way to Silver Brothers Securities to see him.”
“I knew it!”
“Allie, you promised not to bring it up.”
“Got it. This godmother doesn’t get to ask questions and—“
“Thank you for not asking questions. We’ll go over the birth plan this evening, if that’s okay.”
