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“All good things,” Archie agreed and then he looked at his sandwich again as if finally registering it was there. “She has her big visit to the OB next week.”
“Ultrasound.” Yep.
“Taking the day off.” Archie made a face. “I probably shouldn’t, she gets annoyed when we hover.”
“She also gets annoyed when we don’t let her help.” Something I was just as guilty of as the rest of them. “You’re scared and you’re going through all the possibilities. Talk to her. Let her help you.”
“But you’re right, she has done this before. Technically, we all have. This isn’t different and yet…”
“No, it’s different. I love Josh and Charlie. No one will ever tell me they aren’t mine. But Izzy was different after I found out. It was like—every choice I’ve ever made cycled through my head. What if the drinking we did in sophomore year has some kind of lasting effect? What if… What if… What if…”
“Frankie worried about her mother,” Archie said abruptly and I nodded. “With Izzy, she worried she’d turn into Maddy.”
“Yeah, but Coop was the one who figured out she was worried that Maddy’s narcissism and psychosis might be genetic. There’s nothing we can do about that if it is, except support the kid in all the ways we can.”
Something we’d all accepted. So far, all of our fears proved unfounded.
“I can’t believe I just—ditched out on Jake.” Archie shook his head.
“He gets it. You’re just getting all of this early cause we didn’t have to do paternity tests this time.”
“True,” Archie admitted, then picked up the sandwich. “This is all me, so I get to torture myself longer than you guys did.”
“Sounds about right,” I told him. “You are always overachieving.”
That earned me a dirty look and then a laugh. “Well, you aren’t lying.”
No, I wasn’t. “Now eat the sandwich and take a breather. I need to get back out to the studio, but we can also take the dogs for a run so you can burn off that manic energy before Frankie gets home.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Archie said. “But—can you promise me something?”
“Anything,” I told him.
“If you think Frankie needs me—for anything—when you’re on the road…”
“You’re my first call.”
Archie nodded. “Thanks.”
“Just remember,” I said. “Midnight cravings are your job this time around.”
He paused with the sandwich on its way to his mouth then eyed me. “It occurs to me, her sex drive surges in the second trimester. You’re gonna need one of us on the road.”
Not an unfair thought. “Pretty much another solid reason to come home as often as we can.”
A real laugh escaped him and some of the tension eased from his expression. “We’re having another baby. Think it’ll be a girl or a boy?”
“I think they’ll be perfect,” I said. “Perfect for us.”
He finally took a bite and then nodded. “I like that,” he said after swallowing. “I like that a lot.”
“Just remember the next time you start to freak out… talk to one of us. We’ve all been there.”
“Check. Next time I freak out, talk to someone and don’t drive home like a zombie speed demon and risk freaking her out.”
“And?” I prompted.
“And talk to Frankie. Let her help.”
