“How did you know?” Lennon asks, her voice wobbly.
“Just a hunch,” I say, winking at them. I don’t want to throw Jane under the bus.
“Congratulations,” Addison adds. “How far along?”
“Fifteen weeks,” Lennon responds, happiness finally dawning on her face. “It’s a boy.”
Finn beams and pumps his fist into the air in front of them. “I made a boy.”
Lennon gives him a look. “Wemade a boy,” she corrects him. To us, she says, “He keeps saying that.”
Addison laughs again. Lennon asks her how she and I met.
“Well…” She gazes up at me, and I brush a kiss onto her forehead. “Technically, we met on the flight from Chicago to Oregon. But I thought he was married. Then—”
“Wait,” Lennon interrupts. “Why did you think he was married?”
“He was wearing his grandpa’s wedding ring.”
Lennon’s gaze turns quizzical. She doesn’t say anything, but I know she smells bullshit.
I try not to act like it’s a big deal, but inside I’m sweating bullets. “Just keeping it safe during travel. I didn’t want to put it in storage and I didn’t have a good place for it.” I shrug, acting like it’s not a thing.
Which it totally is. I wore that ring because my heart had been obliterated and the person I thought was my soulmate had chosen someone else. I was playing a stupid game of pretend. Just for a blip in time, I wanted to walk around like I was a person lucky enough to have found my other half.
“What are you guys up to this evening?” I ask brightly, steering the conversation away from Oregon and into Arizona.
“Usually someone would be going to sleep in a few hours,” Finn looks over at Lennon and she grins sheepishly. “She says the baby makes her tired.”
“Hedoesmake me tired,” she confirms. “But tonight we’re going on a double date. Finn hit it off with the handyman who has been coming out here to help with random things. Finn’s into learning everything about… well, everything, and this guy, Connor, has been showing Finn what he does when he’s out here so Finn can do it himself.”
Finn rarely makes new friends so easily. Maybe having Lennon has made him an all-around calmer, more easy-going person. “Is my best friend status in jeopardy?”
“Yep,” they both answer, looking at each other and laughing. Their heads are so close that they can’t help but nuzzle for a second.
“Ugh.” I pretend to be sick. “You two are nauseating.”
For the briefest second Lennon looks stricken, but then she realizes I’m kidding and sticks her tongue out at me.
“What are you two up to?” Finn asks.
Addison shrugs, but I say, “We need to get a good night’s rest. Addison doesn’t know it but I’m taking her somewhere in the morning.”
She peers up at me, surprised. “Where?”
“The rodeo.”
She sits up. “Are you serious?” She’s shocked, but her cheeks are pulling up, telling me she’s also happy.
“I thought it seemed like something you’d like.”
“Um, yes!” Her fisted hands open exuberantly, like fireworks exploding.
Lennon and Finn are laughing. “You two turn in early. We’ll go be party animals,” Lennon jokes.
We say goodbye and hang up, and I’m struck by hownormalthat phone call was.
“They seem great.” Addison trails a finger over my chest as she talks. “Lennon is beautiful.”
