“Yes,” Ella replies.
Ava pats her on the back. “So many exciting things to look forward to, right, honey?”
“Like the cake we brought,” Junie replies. “When can we eat it, Mom?”
Ava laughs. “We have to wait until after Wheeler opens all her presents.” She nods at the enormous pile of gifts by thefireplace. “I bet she’ll let y’all help her open them if you ask nicely.”
Junie lets out a literal scream of delight as she makes a beeline for Wheeler, who’s chatting with a younger guy whose hair is the same shade of copper as hers. Her brother, if I had to guess.
Patsy ushers us into the dining room, where we sit down for a delicious lunch of enchiladas verdes. She serves them with a corn and black bean salad and a spicy rice pilaf that’s out-of-this-world delicious.
“Can we have a baby shower every weekend?” Ella asks. “This rice is so good, Miss Patsy.”
Patsy grins. “I’ll make it for you anytime, honey. Glad you like it.”
When it’s time to open gifts, Sally loops her arm through mine and pulls me down onto a sofa beside her. Mollie jots down who each gift is from as Junie and Ella help Wheeler unwrap the presents.
It’s actually fun seeing her reactions to each gift, probably because her joy is palpable and her gratitude is genuine. She gasps, holding up matching onesies dotted with cowboy boots and horseshoes. Her eyes mist over when she opens the gift from her mom: a yellow gingham blanket Wheeler’s grandmother made for her when she was born.
We all cry when she opens two pairs of teeny-tiny, custom-made Bellamy Brooks baby cowboy boots, one blue pair, one pink.
“Mollie! How the heck did you get these made without me knowing?” Wheeler covers her mouth. “They are perfect.”
Mollie sniffles. “Love you, friend.”
“Love you too.”
I watch, throat tight, as they embrace.
“I know I keep saying this,” Mollie murmurs into Wheeler’s shoulder, “but I’m so happy we get to have our babies together.”
What if I get to have my babies with them too?
“Your girlfriends are more important than ever when you’re a mom,” Ava replies. “Y’all will be each other’s lifeline. I hope I can be that for you too.”
Wheeler crosses the room to wrap Ava in a hug. “You already are. Thank you, Ava. Sincerely.”
Wheeler claps her hands when Junie hands her my present. Mom and I had a blast putting together a “bath time goodies” gift, grabbing some items off Wheeler’s registry—a baby bathtub shaped like a whale, washcloths, bath books—plus some things we picked out just because they were so cute we couldn’t resist: a pair of hooded towels embroidered with fish and a set of rubber duckies dressed up as cowboys.
“Bath time is going to be my favorite part of the day, I can already tell,” Wheeler says before pulling me in for the day’s five hundredth hug.
After Wheeler finishes opening all the presents, it’s time for the Texas sheet cake Junie and Ella helped Ava make. They decorated it with rainbow sprinkles and glittery candles shaped like unicorns, which of course we alloohandahhover.
“It’s not Miss Wheeler’s birthday, but it will be her babies’ birthday soon,” Ella proudly explains. “That’s why we put those candles on there.”
“What a smart idea,” I say with a smile.
Junie nods. “We are the smartest. At least that’s what Mommy says.”
I end up hanging with some of the girls in a corner of the room as we polish off our cake.
“So, Billie,” Mollie says, keeping her voice low. “How are things with you and Ryder? Any updates?”
My pulse leaps. Truth be told, I’ve been dying to talk to the girls about what’s been going down. I feel like they’ll have some good insight, maybe some advice too.
I’ve spent every night at Ryder’s place since that day in the rain. Exactly zero nightmares to speak of. Things aregood.
So good that sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s not a dream. Last night Ryder built a fire, and we sat in his tiny den for hours, sipping tequila while he played his guitar and I sang along, warmed by the liquor and the crackling logs. I can still smell the woodsmoke in my hair.
