Page 152 of The Trouble with Flings

“She’ll find out,” Jayla says.

Daphne leans forward and says, “What I will tell you is to invest in a good coffee maker now, before you’re too tired to figure out how to use a new one.”

“I get my coffee from the coffee shop near my apartment,” I say.

“Ha!” Jayla says. “Good luck with that. It’ll take you forty minutes to get out of the house, and when you do, the baby will poop and you’ll have to find a place to change it.”

They all laugh.

“Get noise-canceling headphones, too,” Jules says. “For the times when Fitz is pacing with the baby, trying to get it to stop crying, and you need ten minutes of silence or you will lose your freaking mind.”

“And accept offers of help,” Jayla says. “Every single one. I didn’t, with Thane, and I nearly broke myself in the first two months, trying to prove I could handle it alone.”

“And don’t compete with other mothers,” Daphne says. “That was the biggest one for me. Social media makes motherhood look easy, but there were days when I didn’t shower. Like, at all. Several of them in a row.”

“Sleep when the baby sleeps,” my mother says.

“Nobody actually does that,” Jayla says.

“I did,” my mother says.

“You did not. You had five children,” Jayla says. “You were running on adrenaline and denial, and you know it.”

“Weren’t we all?” Margot says, and they all agree.

“Jen,” Jayla says, “When you’re deep in the trenches of no sleep and diaper blowouts, just remember, wine exists for a reason.”

“And so do grandmothers,” my mother says.

“And aunties!” Jules chimes in. “We’re all here to help. You’re not doing this alone, and when you’re here, we’ll all remind you of that.”

My mother raises her glass and says, “To the mess, the madness, and the magic of motherhood.”

“And to the moms who have been there,” Margot adds. “And the beauties who are joining our ranks.”

The girls cheer, and we all clink glasses.

As we drink, Fitz catches my eye across the yard and winks. Emotions billow up beneath my ribs. I have a new list of worries, but I smile, because I’m sitting on a deck in the June sunshine, surrounded by women who showed up for me before I even knew I needed them, my baby is healthy, and that beautiful, thoughtful man is all mine.

Chapter Forty-One

Fitz

Keira herded everyone over for the big reveal, and now they’re all waiting for me to say something. Jennifer is standing beside me in the sundress that’s been destroying my concentration all day. I slide an arm around her waist, pulling her against my side. Standing up here on the bluff with the ocean stretching out behind us and our families and friends spread across the lawn in front of us, the magnitude of the day hits me all at once.

We’re about to learn something that will forever alter the course of our lives.

I have to take a breath just to stay steady.

“All right, everyone, settle down!” Keira calls out, her voice carrying over the chatter. As the din quiets, she turns to me with excitement written all over her face. “The floor is all yours, big brother.”

I clear my throat and draw my shoulders back, holding Jennifer a little tighter, and say, “I think I speak for both of us when I say thank you for celebrating with us today. A few months ago, I was trying to win this incredible woman’s heart. Now we’re finding out if we’re having an Optimus Prime or a Dragonfly Princess.”

Everyone laughs.

“Dad, Grant, I take back every word I said when I gave you a hard time for assembling this massive arch of pink and blue balloons behind us. I thought it was going to be too much, but it’s perfect. Everything is. The cookies I’ve eaten too many of, the silly games that made me laugh so hard I nearly peed my pants, the dragonfly theme that will forever remind me of the two times Jennifer couldn’t keep our secret. You can guarantee I’ll be holding that over her head for years to come. Remember that time…?”

More laughter rings out.