Page 41 of Honest Boys Don’t Play

He utters some sort of gibberish that I think is baby speak for, “Yep, I love it.”

A few minutes later she pulls into the gravel lot nearest the playground section of the park. I don’t see how Sammy can see anything from his position in his car seat facing the rear, but he squeals in delight like he knows exactly where we are.

“Do you mind holding my coffee? I need to get the stroller.”

“Not at all.” I grab both the drinks and meet her at the back of minivan. “This does have a lot of room.” I can’t help but taken in the spacious trunk.

She huffs a laugh. “Don’t let Daire hear you say that. He’ll have you walking off a dealer’s lot today with one. Honestly, they need to hire him to be their spokesperson. This man had a sports car before this, and I never heard him talk about it the way he does this thing.” She pats the bumper. “It’s pretty great, but don’t tell him I said that.”

Yanking the stroller from the back, she pushes some sort of buttons on the side, and it pops right up.

“That looks so easy!” I gasp. “I was watching reviews and most of them looked like a giant pain in the butt.”

“This one is great,” she agrees, planting her hands on her hips. “I’ll text you the link.”

I plop her coffee in the cupholder as she goes around to grab Sammy from the seat. He squeals in delight, yanking on her hair.

“Watch those fists, little man. You’re strong.” She carefully extracts her hair, wincing. She settles him in the seat and straps him in. “I don’t know why I did that,” she mutters. “I’m going to be taking him out in a minute.” She shakes her head. “Do you think mom brain is a thing even if you weren’t pregnant?”

“Probably.” I settle my free hand on my bump. “Makes sense to me.”

We follow the path into the park and hang a left toward the kids play area.

At the swings, Rosie unsnaps Sammy from the stroller, and he immediately reaches up for her to grab with a goofy smile on his face. Something in my heart squeezes at his obvious love and trust. I hope my baby looks at me the same way one day.

Sammy’s legs kick happily as she attempts to strap him into the swing. “Silly boy,” she laughs. “I can’t get you in here if you don’t stop wiggling.”

He giggles in response and she manages to get his flailing limbs through the slots. Glancing over her shoulder to me, she says, “Having a kid is a constant workout.”

“Ush, ush!” Sammy demands, chubby fists grabbing onto his seat.

Rosie picks up her coffee and moves behind him. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ve got you.”

She gives him a gentle push and he screams in laughter. A smile breaks out on Rosie’s face. Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “I love that sound.”

I rub my hand over my stomach, thinking of all the things I have to look forward to. First words and steps and giggles. I don’t think I’m completely crazy for being scared, but maybe I’ve been freaking out more than necessary.

“How’s the wedding planning going?”

Even though Rosie and Daire are already legally married, they didn’t have an actual wedding, so they’ve been planning one for September. I’m trying not to think about the fact that I’ll be at my most pregnant then.

“Pretty good. There are way more decisions to make than I thought, especially with an accelerated timeline, but it’s all coming together.”

Her life has changed drastically in less than a year, but she’s thriving in a way she didn’t before. There’s nothing quite like seeing your best friend happy and in love.

“Up! Up!” Sammy demands, stretching his arms to the sky.

“You want to get up?” she asks, slowing the swing to a stop. “That was quick.”

She lifts him out and sets him onto the ground. He toddles over to a large plastic tick-tack-toe board and begins playing with the letters.

“I hope this tires him out enough for a good long nap,” she sighs.

“Is he still teething?”

Her whole-body shudders with a sigh. “Yes, and because of it he’s decided to boycott all sleep it seems. I gave him some medicine before we left the house, so he seems to be feeling better.”

Sammy looks over his shoulder at us. “Mama.”