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“Thank you,” I whisper, tears welling in my eyes. I wonder if I’ll stop crying constantly when Emmie is finally outside of me. Probably not. Then I’ll have crazy postpartum hormones to deal with.
“No thanks. Find out about a space for all seven of us, including your mom. Does she have any special dietary restrictions?”
“No. She has to have her food cut up, but that’s all.”
“Perfect. And what time?”
“I believe it’s any time between twelve and three for families bringing in food.”
“Perfect. Let’s meet there at one. That will give me plenty of time to prep everything. Miles, you’re on pie duty.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I—”
“Don’t you thank me again,” Katie commands. “We’re family and we’re celebrating together. That’s what matters.”
“Okay. Do I have any kind of job?”
“Get everything set up and take care of my grandbaby.”
“I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll make a group chat with Andy and the girls, too. See how much I can annoy them.” I can tell she’s smirking as she says it. “Love you both. Have a good night.”
“Love you, Ma.”
“Good night,” I say, then Miles hangs up. “Wow. I did not see that coming.”
Miles chuckles. “You should have. We both should have.”
“Probably.”
I lay my head on his shoulder again, and he rests his hand on my thigh. “Is it okay that she’s doing this?”
“Of course. I just keep wanting to say thank you. To you and her and everyone for making me your family. I know that’s silly, but I’m still getting used to having this much love. Some days it still catches me off guard.”
“You are so loved, and I hope one day, the wounds in your heart will heal and being surrounded by love will feel natural.”
“They’re already healing. Thanks to you. I will forever be grateful I didn’t blow off Sarah and Joel’s engagement party.”
He laughs at that. “Doesn’t matter. Eventually, I would’ve met Dani’s imaginary friend. Hell, we work together. We were meant to be in each other’s lives. Might not have gone how we planned, but I’m not complaining.”
He slips his hand under my shirt, his warm palm on my stomach as he leans down and kisses me. I turn slightly, putting my hand over his and deepening our kiss.
I was terrified at the doctor’s office when I found out I was pregnant. Scared I would lose Miles because of it. That shows how little I knew him at the time and how afraid I was to trust. It ended up twining us together more tightly than I could’ve imagined.
I move my hand off his, running it up his arm and into his hair. I love the feeling of my fingers twisted in his soft locks. It’s not long before I’m lost in our kiss. In his lips and his tongue and the comfort I feel. He makes me feel like a teenager again. I could lie here for hours making out with him. It makes me giddy, and when there’s still so much weight in the background of my life, that light, floating happiness is something I cherish.
Unfortunately, both our phones buzz at the same time, several times in a row, pulling us out of the moment.
Miles shakes his head as he pulls away. “Ma and her group texts.”
But when we grab our phones, it’s not Katie blowing them up.
“Oh my god,” I say, snuggling against him as we read through the texts.
Amanda and Jamie are having a great time on vacation. At least if this picture is any evidence. They’re standing on the beach. Amanda’s hair is blowing in the wind. Jamie has his arms wrapped around her, and he’s kissing her. But that’s just the background. The focus of the picture is Amanda’s hand and the massive solitaire square diamond ring on her ring finger.
