He nods, before looking at me. “That would be perfect. Auds missed half of the World Series last season because she was too busy giggling with Poppy.”
I always knew my Auddie Girl would be good with kids.
“Shit, I’m all about spending time with Poppy, she’s such a cutie!” Audrey exclaims, spotting Daisy from across the room. “I’ll go bug Daisy right now, see if she’d consider it!”
Audrey walks away quickly with a pep in her step.
I eye Connor. “Thanks for staying with Adam last night.”
He grunts, shaking his head. “You’re welcome, but I don’t wanna hear a damn thing about your night.”
I chuckle. “There’s nothing to tell. But at least tell me how good of a big spoon Adam is.”
Connor laughs along with me. “Dude, what makes you think I’d want to be a little spoon?”
“Because you’re a little softie lap dog. I’m sure you love being a little spoon.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He snorts, taking a sip of his coffee.
Audrey returns a few minutes later with a wide smile on her face. “I’m going to have coffee with Daisy on Friday to chat more about options, but she seems really interested in the idea.”
“That’s so exciting!” Connor replies, high-fiving his sister.
“It would be part-time so I’d maybe want to find something else to fill my time, but it’s a start!”
As the two of them talk, I realize this could become my new normal—me and my two best friends back together.
It’s everything I could ever ask for.
We win our game, but this time there’s no chance to officially celebrate. We head right to the bus after the game.
As soon as we get to Connor’s, Audrey disappears onto the back porch with a notebook, asking us both for some space so she can make a list of activity ideas to do with Poppy and to brainstorm what she wants to do with her life. I smile at her retreating figure as she carries a mason jar with twinkle lights outside with her.
Connor and I sit awkwardly at the dining room table trying not to bug her. We talk about the move and who’s coming to help while she’s outside.
“So, when do you think she'll move in with you?” Connor jokes.
“Whenever she’s ready, which could very well be tomorrow,” I tease before chuckling and shaking my head. “As much as I’d love to have her move in tomorrow, I think having space for her to grow without me is important. I want her to rebuild herself, not just around us as a couple, you know? I don’t want to rush into the whole ‘move-in, marriage, babies’ thing yet. I want to take our time.”
“Ah, but you want that, huh?” Connor says matter-of-factly with a wide smile.
“Obviously.”
I fidget with my fingers. “I think to the outside world it might feel like we’re moving too fast. It might look like we are to you too, for all I know. But we’ve held each other’s hearts for a long time and even when we were apart, she was always in my heart and mind. I get the feeling it was the same way for her too. I’m sure parts of us are feeling like giddy children let loose in a candy store, but it’s also like we both know we want the one type of candy and don’t pay attention to anything else.”
Connor snorts. “Weird analogy, dude. But I get what you’re saying. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re rushing. I think she deserves happiness and since I knowyou’d give that to her and that you love her, I have no need to be overbearing. But I swear, Noah … you make her cry and I’ll call my dad to come lecture the fuck out of you.”
We both let outloud laughs at the same time the back door opens.
Audrey gives a small smile as we both sit taller, anxious to hear what she has to say.
“I had a crazy idea …” She sits down at the head of the table, putting the notebook down in our direction on the table.
“I thought I was the one with crazy ideas,” Connor challenges.
Audrey rolls her eyes before looking over at me.
“Remember my fourteenth birthday, when I wished to have a romance movie and apparel store some day? As I was plotting activities I could do with Poppy, I thought about stickers and it made me think about how Selena always says, ‘I wish that was on a T-shirt’ and I was like, ‘I could do that!’ So, if I made movie themed stickers and shirts that said ‘I’d rather be watching a rom-com right now’ or one of the million other ideas I have listed.” She’s fidgeting with her fingers as she talks.
