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She bursts into laughter. “Jesus, Kit. Have you seen yourself? I’m tempted to cut you and run down the aisle to your man myself.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re beautiful. You’re funny. You’re a smartass. I bet I could learn to love the guy that fell in love with you.”
I scrunch my nose, but I can’t wipe the smile away. “He’s kinda awesome.”
“Evie stole that flower from your garden. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh, God no, it’s fine. Do you know why I grow daisies?” I raise an eyebrow. “Because they were already there when I bought the house, and no matter how neglectful I am, they just won’t die. She can pick an armful before you go, and they’ll grow back by tomorrow.”
Tina’s hand comes up to readjust the strap on her shoulder, drawing my attention to the reason why she came by. Swarms of butterflies batter my stomach and send me nauseous. “Come inside. I’m not looking at those outside.”
She follows me with a snicker and looks into each corner we pass as though the boogeyman might jump out. We enter the kitchen to find Evie rubbing Izzy’s belly. I smile at her sweet innocence. She definitely knows.
“What are you doing, sweet pea?”
“Evie say hi to the baby.”
“What…” Tina’s face pales. “Evie honey, no, we don’t… know…”
“Evie loves the baby.” She smacks a noisy kiss against Iz’s stomach. “Little baby.”
Tina looks between each face with dread. “Are you pregnant, Izzy?”
“Uh-huh. I’m late in the first trimester.”
“Oh, thank God.” She breathes a dramatic sigh of relief. “That could’ve been so awkward. Also, yay! That’s so exciting.”
Iz smiles and accepts a congratulatory hug. “Thanks, the circumstances kinda suck, but I’m excited anyway.”
Stepping back, Tina’s head tilts to the side. “What circumstances?”
“The father and I aren’t together. We were never reallytogether, but oopsie.”
“Oh, that’s too bad, but no worries. You’ll be fine. Better than fine. Single momming is the single most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s hard, it’s scary, it’s lonely, but I wouldn’t trade it for a thing. If I can do it, then you definitely can.”
“Thanks. It’s cool we met, because I’ll probably have a million questions this year, and no one I know has little kids.”
“You’ve got my number. Call me anytime. What does the father say about it? Is he being a dic– ” her sentence cuts off on a choke. Watching her daughter, she clears her throat and tries again. “A disco stick, that is. Or is he being supportive?”
I snort at her quick thinking. “Disco stick.”
“I haven’t told him yet,” Iz adds on a laugh. “I haven’t known for long. I’m still dealing with my own freak out. I’ll talk to him in the next couple weeks.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do it while we’re away,” I scold her. “I don’t like the idea of you going alone. It doesn’t feel right.”
She rolls her eyes. We’ve been over this a million times. “I’ll be fine. I can’t leave it too long, and I didn’t want to deal with it before the wedding. So… You worry about you and I’ll do me. The yucky work will be done by the time you get home, then we can relax and start planning baby showers and sh… stuff.”
“Wass baby name?” Evie whispers.
Smiling, Iz looks down and cups Evie’s cheeks. “I’m not sure yet… What do you think I should name it?”
“Puppy?”
“Oooh, that’s such a good idea, Miss Evelyn. I’ll put it on the list.”
“Speaking of the wedding,” Tina cuts in. “I’ll show you the finished prints, then deliver them to Bobby as planned. Right?”
“Right.” I agree nervously. I want to cover my eyes. I want to run away and hide. But I don’t. Like a brave girl, I sit at the table and let Tina show me the magic she wove.
