“Are you spying on me?” I type back.
“No. Nic is. Tell us what the card says.”
I laugh out loud and open the envelope. Inside, in nice cursive handwriting, it says, “IOU one prenatal nutrition treatment. Redeemable any time. Love, Ian.”
I am not dwelling on the end of the message. Definitely not thinking about the L-word and all its meanings. It’s just a normal closer, like “sincerely.” He’s not confessing anything. In fact, the florist probably wrote the message. Maybe they added it. I leave it out when I relay the note in text message to Heidi (and Nicole who is surely reading over her shoulder).
But instead of replying like a normal person, ninety seconds later there’s a knock at my door. Andbefore I can haul myself to open it, they’re both inside, shucking their shoes.
“What’s a prenatal nutrition treatment? Does that mean a BJ?” Nicole asks as they enter the living room, where I’ve found a home for the flowers on the coffee table.
I snort in surprise at the question. “What?! No! Why would I—what are you talking about?”
“I thought it might be some straight-people euphemism for like, a dose of extra protein from his ding-a-ling.” She shrugs.
Heidi is laughing so hard that she’s bent in half over the back of the couch. She raises her head from the cushions. “Why wouldheowehera BJ? That makes no sense. He means eating her out. That’s the nutrition treatment.”
I cough. I gasp and wheeze. I laugh until tears are streaming down my face and my friends are both staring at me, looking concerned. When I can finally tamp down the giggles, I say, “Youguys. It is not a sex thing. He just means lunch.”
“Ohhhhh,” Nicole says, nodding sagely. “A date.”
“Not a date. It’s for the babies. Speaking of which, I need to put away the groceries.”
Heidi tails me into the kitchen like a bloodhound on a scent. “Babies? Like more than one?”
“I didn’t tell you?” I shove the meat into the fridge so I don’t have to look at her. I know I didn’t tell her. I am not ready to process it myself.
“No, you didn’t tell me, and frankly, I’m a little peeved. This seems like big news. The kind you text your best friendright away.”
I shut the fridge and turn around, back against the cold stainless steel. “Three,” I croak.
“Holyshit. NICOLE!” she bellows. “Get in here! Julia’s having triplets!”
Nicole skids into the kitchen, her socks sliding on the tile. She stares at my stomach. “No way.”
I nod miserably and burst into tears. They instantly move to either side of me, wrapping me in a group hug.
“What am I doing todo?” I wail. “I’m not going to be able to see my feet!”
“It’ll be okay,” Nic says, stroking my hair. “If you get too fat, we’ll cut your toenails.”
“And whatever else you need,” Heidi assures me. “We got this. And I bet Ian will help you out, too, if you call on him. He seems like a good guy.”
“He’stoogood,” I sniffle into her shoulder. “I can’t be around him because it makes me realize how shitty Richard treats me sometimes. It makes me wish I’d met him before I got m-m-married, but then I feel awful because then I wouldn’t have had thegirls. It makes me feel like a bad mom, wishing for things to be different.”
I can feel Nicole and Heidi freeze, some unspoken exchange going on above my head.
“Just say whatever you’re thinking,” I say miserably, drawing back to dry my eyes with a paper towel. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s true.”
“Well,” Heidi begins hesitantly. “You know how we feel about Richard. About how he treats you. We’re not saying you should trade in one husband for another. But if this pregnancy makes you realize that your marriage isn’t working for you, you can do something about that.”
“You mean leave him?” My blood pressure goes up just saying the words. Because of that stupid prenup, I’d lose everything. House, car, bank account, custody. Although the girls are adults now, so I could see them…if they were still speaking with me after I broke up their family.
“He gave you an STI!” Nicole explodes.
“Nic!” Heidi says warningly.
“That was years ago,” I murmur, trying to calm my racing heart. “We worked through it.”
