Page 96 of For Your Consideration

“You can drop me off at home if you would rather just hang with your friend one on one.” I looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction. I’d only said it because I didn’t want her to feel obligated to hang out with me.

Insecurities were a fucking bitch and some days they just got in your head.

My confidence was getting better every day but I was still working on it.

“No, I want you there. Plus, it’ll be good to have someone to distract us.”

I frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

“Aubrey and I were in a car accident a while back, her boyfriend was driving drunk. He ended up in jail. I’d thought we’d got through it okay. She stayed with her parents for a bit while she recuperated but we’ve been a little…off…since then. She’s back for a week or so but I think she might want to move back to Vancouver.”

“That all sounds hard,” I commented.

Quinn nodded as she shoulder checked and changed lanes. “It is. We’ve just been kind of growing apart, I guess.”

“So I’m your buffer?” I asked with a smile so she knew I wasn’t too serious.

“No, you’re my friend and conveniently she’s excited about hanging out with us tonight. I think she just gets jealous of my relationship with Theo.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Please, you don’t get to talk. Has Asher called since he left?” she asked as she pulled to a stop outside an apartment building.

I blushed a little and looked away. The day after he’d shown me the nursery at his place, he’d called all grumbly to let me know he had to fly out to Toronto for work, that he was not happy to be leaving, and that he’d be back as soon as he could. Oli was with him and had asked in the group chat for good vibes to be sent his way because Asher was worse than normal.

Since he’d left two days ago, Asher and I Facetimed at dinner so he could see Sophie and then we would Facetime again for a few more hours after she went to bed each night. And he kept up a stream of light conversation over text throughout the day.

“I’ll get in the back with Soph.” I pushed out of my seat just as a woman bounced up to the car, her brown bob pinned back with a clip.

After a quick stop at the store, we were back on the road. I spent a good amount of time watching Sophie babble in her seat as Aubrey and Quinn made slightly stinted small talk that relaxed the longer we drove, but when I looked up I got confused and glanced behind us.

“Where are we going?” If we were going to Quinn’s we would have taken the last right turn.

“Theo’s at my place.”

“Okay…well, that makes sense since you live with him.”

“We can’t have girls’ night with him there so I called Asher.” She glanced at me in the rearview as we pulled to a stop in front of my new favorite place.

I didn’t think I’d ever experienced that feeling of home that people talked about. My house was always just somewhere I was or now where Sophie was. But having been to Asher’s place for dinner all last week, I was starting to understand what people meant. It scared me, because I hadn’t exactly been shown that people stuck around, but Asher kept showing up.

“Sutton?”

I focused back on the car as Aubrey called my name. Both women turned in their seats, looking at me.

“Huh?” I asked, clearly having missed something.

“Ash said it was fine for us to be here. And I don’t want to hear any arguments.” Quinn got out of the car and started inside.

There was nothing I could do now we were here. Once we were settled in Asher’s living room, we talked about Quinn’s wedding plans, Aubrey’s work as a nurse and how she was looking to get a full-time job at the Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, and I shared the excitement over Sophie crawling, both of them happy to look at the pictures that Asher captured.

I was having fun. Quinn and Aubrey’s awkwardness disappeared more with each passing moment. I could tell these girls had been friends for a while and I loved the stories they shared of their childhood, mostly because it had them both smiling.

The wine kept flowing so it was a good thing I’d brought some freezer milk with me from home.

My phone ringing on the table had me smiling when the picture of Asher popped up.

“Damn, that man plus a baby is too much,” Aubrey said around the licorice in her mouth. I rolled my eyes and stood up, a little wobbly from all the wine as I answered the phone and grabbed the baby monitor.