Callum is laughing, his hand on Sloane’s shoulder, who genuinely looks like she might cry, “I told you not to jump to conclusions…”
“I thought our babies would be best friends,” Sloane sniffles, “just like us.”
“You’repregnant?” Astrid asks, stepping forward and wrapping her friend in a hug. “Holy shit, Sloane—congratulations!”
“We haven’t even told her family yet,” Callum says, his hand settling on Sloane’s back when they break apart. “I should have known she would struggle with keeping quiet.”
“Oh, come on,” Sloane gestures to Astrid, “Throwing up? Crying at the graduation? Not eating seafood? What was I supposed to think?”
Sloane’s whine morphs into a laugh, and soon we’re all joining in. I loop my arm over Astrid’s shoulder, pulling her in close to me and kissing the top of her head. We’ve never talked about wanting kids, or what our future family might look like.
I’m not against the idea. I just want Astrid any way I can have her.
“Well,” Kayla says, letting out a breath and glancing between all of us. “It sounds like we have one more thing to celebrate.”
“I found a place with sushiandnoodles,” Callie declares, holding up her phone at us. “And I’m starving, so we should go now.”
Astrid breaks out of my grasp to walk ahead and talk to Sloane, who’s laughing with tears running down her face.
“Well,” Callum says, crossing his arms. “I’m going to have two babies pretty soon.”
“Lucky bastard,” I joke, jabbing him with my elbow, and Callie and Athena laugh, Athena repeating“Lucky bastard”under her breath, then bursting into a peal of laughter.
We walk together through the parking lot, surrounded by the other families and graduates, young kids still awkward and trying to figure out what to do with themselves.
I glance over at Callie and Athena, glad I’ll get to be involved in their lives, while still building my own.
Astrid might not be pregnant right now, and maybe we’ll never decide to have kids. Either way, I have all the family I need, right here with me.
