She pulls back just enough to look at me again, hands still on my arms.
“You’re… very pregnant.”
“I am moderately pregnant,” I correct.
Lucy hears us and adds, “It’s twins.”
Erin’s mouth falls open, “Twins.”
“Yes,” I say calmly.
She exhales in disbelief. “I leave you alone for five minutes.”
Scotti clears her throat gently. “Ladies. Traffic.”
We laugh and pile into the SUV.
Erin keeps looking at me like I might disappear if she blinks.
“Okay,” she says finally, once we’re moving. “I need a full explanation. Chronological. With footnotes.”
“You’re not getting footnotes,” I say. “But you’ll get context.”
Lucy leans forward between the seats.
“Daddy plays hockey, and Mommy and I are going to school to get super smarter.”
Erin turns slowly toward me again. “She’s so happy.” Then looks back at Lucy. “I’m so happy you all have each other.”
“We have a big house, with lights that always turn on, and more than just one kind of cheese in our big fridge.” Lucy kicks her feet happily. “Daddy is number nine.”
Erin smiles at her. “He is?”
“Yes,” Lucy nods solemnly. “And we went to a game. He made a goal, and we screamed.”
I wait for her to talk about what happened after, but she doesn’t.
“Are you coming to our house?” Lucy asks.
“I think?” she asks me.
“We’d love for you to stay with us.”
“A girl’s night?” Lucy asks.
Scotti merges smoothly onto the highway. “Home?”
“Yes.”
Lucy claps, “I love home!”
Scotti pulls up and hops out before I can unbuckle.
“I’ll grab the suitcase,” she says.
I make a mental note to send her something ridiculous for Christmas as I all but run to catch up to Lucy, who is already halfway to the door.
“Wait,” I call, laughing. “Keys. Access. Adult responsibilities.”
