“But does the idea of you havin’ our baby get me goin’? Yeah, darlin’, it does.”
Whew.
“That’s…a lot.” My hand shakes as I continue to curl the hair around his ear.
Laughter rumbles inside his chest. “You asked.”
“You answered. Thank you.”
“Thankyou.For last night. For everything else too.”
My lips twitch. “You’re welcome.”
“Such a brat,” he says with a shake of his head.
“Have a good day?”
His eyes search mine. “I’ll try. You’d best answer when I call you, you hear me?”
I smile as I press one last kiss to his lips. “I promise.”
I’ve been to exactly one baby shower in my life: It was the shower my mom threw for Abby when she was having Dean. I remember it being…tame at best.
If I’m being completely honest, it was boring as hell. Mom didn’t let me partake in the mimosa bar Abby’s friends set up at my parents’ house, where the shower was hosted. So basically I just sat there stone-cold sober and watched Abby open a bunch of presents I didn’t find particularly exciting. I remember having to tryveryhard not to roll my eyes when she opened a car seat and everyoneoohedandaaahedover the fact that it matched the stroller she’d opened a few gifts prior.
Needless to say, while I’m always excited to hang out with the Lucky River Ranch girls, I’m not sure what to expect when it comes to the baby shower part.
Turns out I shouldn’t have worried. The second I step into the New House’s beautifully decorated living room, I already know the vibe istotallydifferent from the saccharine sweetness of my sister-in-law’s gathering.
Couldthesegirls be my new sisters-in-law one day?Abby and I were never close, so it’s a refreshing change of pace to be welcomed with genuine enthusiasm by Sally, who pulls me in for a tight hug while her mom, Patsy, offers me a frosty margarita, complete with Tajin rim.
“Y’all are my people,” I say with a laugh.
Patsy smiles. “Cheers, honey.”
Mollie hollers when she sees me. “Billie! We’re so glad you could make it!”
“Soglad.” Wheeler grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “How are things?”
“Things are good! But really, I wanna hear about you.” I nod at her belly, which has gotten noticeably bigger since I saw her last even though it’s only been a couple of weeks. “Those babies making any moves?”
“Not yet. How great is this, though? Duke and I were at my doctor’s appointment yesterday, and Dr. Hernandez looked him right in the eye and asked, ‘Twice in one night, huh’?”
Mollie chuckles. “Joke’s on her, because it definitely happened more than twice that night.”
Wheeler gets a dreamy look on her face. “It did, and I have no regrets.”
My heart squeezes when I think about the conversation I had with Ryder the other morning—the one where we talked openly about making babies together. I understand Wheeler’s joy. I can only imagine how overwhelming the happiness of growing a family with the man you love would be.
I hope to experience it one day myself.
Ava comes over to give me a hug, Junie and Ella hot on her heels. They look adorable in their matching dresses and cowboy boots.
“We’re going to get two baby cousins,” Junie tells me proudly. “Isn’t that the coolest news you ever heard?”
Ella smiles up at me shyly. “We’re going to babysit them.”
“Y’all are going to be the best babysitters ever.” I lean down to meet Ella’s eyes. “Can I come over to help?”
