I hesitated.
Jo gave Nessa a look likenot now, but she held up her hands in surrender. “Just asking.”
“Not yet,” I admitted.
The words hung in the air for a beat too long, until Nessa reached over and popped another apple slice drenched in brie into her mouth.
“Well,” she said, “Coach Daddy or no Coach Daddy—”
“Please don’t call him that.”
“—just know that this kid is going to have a full library by the time they’re born. I’m talking classics, queer fairy tales, picture books about feminist icons. And yes, I will be curating it personally.”
“Of course you will,” I replied, my heart squeezing in the best way.
She winked at me. “No child of yours is going to grow up without knowing the importance of consent, dragons, and a well-written epilogue.”
Jo grinned. “And thisgunclecomes with a killerpastelónrecipe that he would love to pass on to the next generation.”
I smiled and blinked away an unshed tear.For fuck’s sake.I had cried more in the past few weeks than in the last five years—pregnancy wasn’t for the weak.
June, who had been nibbling the edge of a cracker like it was a delicate art form, piped up to say, “And when this tiny goblin starts walking, Auntie June will make sure they’re doing toddler yoga and have a strong plank game by age three.”
Everyone laughed, but she added, a little softer, “Also, if you ever need a break or, like, two hours to nap, I would be happy to babysit.”
“Seriously?”
She smirked. “Dani, you’re giving up sushi and booze for nine months. It’s the least I can do.”
Damn. Sushi, too?Apparently, I hadn’t reached that chapter of the book yet.
All eyes turned to Clarke, expectant.
“Well,” she started, crossing one leg over the other. She smoothed out her floral skirt and gave me a look that was equal parts sass and sincerity. “I wish you would’ve told me sooner, but now that I know, I will march into every baby store in Oregon and veto any beige onesie they try to sell you.”
Jo snorted. “You hate beige that much?”
“It’s not a color. It’s a cop-out,” she said with dramatic flair.
Clarke finally smiled, small but genuine. I nodded, and something unspoken passed between us, solid and forgiving.
“If it helps,” June said. “Babies are basically just loud potatoes for the first few months anyway.”
A sharp laugh busted out of me. They didn’t know what they were doing either, none of us did, but they were mine. Messy, ridiculous, and ride or die to the end.
“You’re all disasters,” I said.
June grinned. “Disasters who will help you keep the tiny potato alive.”
Nessa clapped her hands once. “Okay, feelings acknowledged, love affirmed.Nowcan we kill the orc queen?”
I nodded. “First, we kill the orc queen,” I told her. “Then, we figure out how I tell Brooks he’s going to be a daddy . . . again.”
Brooks
Iheard the crunch of gravel before I saw the car. I should have known better than to start making dinner before my ex-wife dropped off our daughter. Unlike most people, Allie had a knack for being early to everything.
It was one of the few things that we had always had in common. That and a love for Thai food, hence the vegan coconut curry soup currently simmering on the stove.
