She shook her head as she handed paper plates to the kids. “She said she’s been feeling some contractions today, so she’s laying low.”
“Contractions? Already?”
“Most likely Braxton Hicks as they do go away, but she’s not taking any chances.”
As they sat down, Amy found herself sitting next to Isabella with Will on the other side. It wasn’t hard for her to picture them as a family, but she knew she needed to keep her mind—and emotions—from going in that direction. Heartache was the only likely outcome of such thoughts.
Once the meal had ended, Lance left the group to once again go spend some time with Jessa. After they’d finished clearing up the food and dishes, Laurel said, ““Hey, Amy, do you still need some help with stuff for the party?”
“Well, since you’re offering...” Amy grinned. “I have a few things you could probably do. Do you want to do some now or wait until later in the week?”
“Now is fine. I’m in no rush to get home.”
“Great! I’ll go get my stuff, and we can work on a couple of things.”
“Should us guys leave?” Matt asked. “I’m not about to get roped into making tutus or crowns.”
Amy laughed, feeling better than she had in a few days. “I won’t make you do anything. Unless you want to wear tights at the party like Will is going to.” She tossed the comment over her shoulder as she headed for the back porch.
“Hey now!” She heard Will call out after her. “I thought we’d decided that wasn’t going to happen.”
Leaving him to explain her comment, Amy hurried up to her room and went through the bags there to pull out a few things she figured would be easy to do in an afternoon.
~*~*~
“Seriously, I was never going to wear tights,” Will insisted.
“Not even for Isabella and Amy?” Violet asked, a grin on her face.
“Not even,” Will confirmed. He glanced at Matt and Dean. “Are you telling me you guys would wear tights for your daughters?”
“Not a chance,” Matt said.
“Never in a million years,” Dean agreed.
“At any rate, it was just a joke. She did get me pretty good though, I have to say.”
Laurel laughed. “I wish she’d let the joke play out a little more. I would have liked to have been part of that.”
“I think she could hear the absolute panic in my voice as she was telling me all about the costume she had for me to wear. And then she asked if I’d be willing to shave my legs since hairy legs and tights apparently don’t go too well together.”
Laurel and Violet burst into laughter, joined by their husbands. Will couldn’t keep from laughing at the memory as well.
“Oh man,” Laurel said through giggles. “I would have paid good money to see the expression on your face.”
They were still laughing when Amy came back out. The guys vacated their spots around the picnic table as she began to empty the bag she carried. From his seat in a lawn chair, Will watched her lay out yards of ribbon and some fluffy pink material.
“I’m beginning to rethink my offer,” Violet said. “Already this looks complicated.”
“It’s not,” Amy said. “Trust me. We’ll start with something easy.”
As Will watched her showing his sisters and Rose how to cover shower curtain rings with ribbon, he once again foundhimself wondering if Amy might agree to go out with him. Now that he’d considered the possibility, he found he couldn’t dismiss it. But was he willing to upset the apple cart by talking to her about it?
Suddenly Amy turned around to look at him, and Will realized the other three women at the table were staring at him as well. “What?”
“You have been off in lala land more than once lately,” Violet informed him as she got back to work on her project.
“Sorry. Just thinking about something.”
