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“So, spill,” I tell prompt her and settle in to hear all the details. “Are you excited?”
Wrenley fucking beams at me, and I have my answer without her saying a word. “Ecstatic,” she confesses. “We’ve been trying since the honeymoon in Seattle. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast, but this is exactly what we both want.”
I reach over and give her hand a squeeze while assuring her, “You’re going to be the best mom.”
Vulnerability fills her brown eyes as she looks at me. Her voice is so small when she asks, “You think so?” She gnaws on her bottom lip for a moment before adding, “You know I haven’t had the greatest example of motherhood overall.”
Her eyes go unfocused for a moment, and I know she’s thinking about when she did have a mother in her life who cared about her. That was before grief took her away. Even though I was there and watched it all unfold, I can’t begin to imagine how it would feel to not only lose your sister, but your parents as well.
It had to hurt even more because her parents were still alive. They simply couldn’t get past their grief. And in losing themselves to something that wasn’t under their control and couldn’t be changed, they also lost their other child. They also lost themselves.
They had so much life left to live and so much more to celebrate with their youngest daughter. Even as a teenager, that was what I never understood about how everything went down. They still had a reason to keep going, they still had a child to focus on.
But, then again, I’ve never lost someone like they did. Just because I can’t wrap my mind around the whole thing doesn’t mean they don’t deserve some compassion and empathy from me.
It’s the fact that they hurt my best friend and made her feel worthless that I won’t be able to let go of anytime soon.
My eyes are fiercely blazing when I meet Wrenley’s gaze. “Have we ever let each other fail at anything?” She shakes her head. “Do you love this little life you’re growing?”
“With everything in me,” she whispers, “but I’m also terrified.”
“And that is why you’re going to be the best mom. Because you love them already and you care about whether you’re going to be good at it or not. If you didn’t care and weren’t worried, then I would be a little bit concerned.” I shrug one shoulder and smile cheekily. “You’re going to fuck up. All parents do, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to rock motherhood as well.”
She groans and tilts her head back. “Stop being so smart and let me wallow in my fear and concerns, please?”
I laugh and it doesn’t take more than a few seconds before she joins me. I hug her again to show her that I’m right here, next to her, and that I support her. I have no intention of going anywhere. Especially not when I have a little niece or nephew on the way.
When we sit back, we share a smile. For a moment, we let the happiness that comes with knowing she’s pregnant wrap around us. It’s awesome news and I am so excited for her.
The silence stretches between us, but it’s not awkward. It never is with us.
“I think I might have been too hasty in pushing him away,” I admit quietly.
“You were,” she admits, not trying to soften the blow of her words even a little bit. “I even told you that you were, and yet here we are.”
“I thought best friends weren’t supposed to play the ‘I told you so’ card?”
She smirks at me and shakes her head. “Pretty sure the opposite is true. Who else is going to check you when you’re being stupid? Pointing it out later when you come to the same realization is like best friend catnip.”
I roll my eyes and groan, “I’m working on it.” The understanding on her face along with the soft smile soothes a sliver of the worry inside of me about opening up to a man who could easily ruin me. “I rode on the back of his bike tonight. He even has a special glittery helmet just for me.”
Wrenley’s mouth drops open, and her eyes widen. “That means something to these men, Sioux,” her voice is imploring.
“I know,” I admit. “It means something to me too.” I wave my hand dismissively, unable to talk about it anymore when I’m still wrapping my head around it all. “Now, I want to talk about,” my voiced drops to a whisper, “baby stuff.”
Wrenley’s eyes light up and we spend the next however long making plans. She tells me all about her vision for a nursery, whether she has a girl or a boy. We light up as we think about baby clothes and shoes.
The entire time I can feel Crosby’s eyes on me and it’s a feeling I welcome.
Knowing he’s looking at me also has me more turned on than I want to admit to myself. Flashes of the night we spent together, the way he touched me and made me fall apart in his arms, make it difficult to concentrate on the conversation with Wrenley.
But I manage. Barely.
When Cherise comes over and sits on the couch with us, all the talk about babies stops. And it’s awkward as hell. From the way Cherise looks between us, she knows something is up.
I expect her to push, but she just gives us a serene smile. The pride and acceptance shining in her eyes as she looks at Wrenley has my heart becoming even fuller.
Wrenley has a family. No matter what happens, they’ll take care of her.
