“Dad brought you a gift,” Annie announced, red cheeked and running through the door with Fiona at her heels, also out of breath.
They both practically skidded to a halt.
“I did?” Ethan asked.
“Dad,” Annie chided and shoved the box in Ethan’s hands. The box was small, about the size of a deck of cards, and covered in yellow fabric that had been hot glued on.
Annie mouthed something to her dad and Ethan looked absolutely confused. She mouthed something else.
“Oh, right. Right.” Ethan took the box and handed it to Em, their fingers brushing only the slightest.
She lifted the lid. Inside were four friendship bracelets just like the one she’d rescued from the gutter for the girls. The beads spelled out each of their names.Ethan. Emmaline. Annie. Fiona.
“Dad helped make these,” Annie announced with pride that radiated all through her smile.
“Uh…” Ethan gave Annie a funny look. “Yes.”
“This is cute.” Em traced along the beads that spelled out her name. “Sweet.”
The bracelets all looked the same except for the names being different—a matched set.
This was…
Huh.
“They’re… bracelets.” Ethan ran his teeth along his bottom lip. “Huh.”
Well, with a glowing declaration like that, she would definitelynotread too far into things.
“Yoo hoo, hello,” Barbie called from downstairs. “The babysitter has arrived.”
Barbie agreed to hang out with Sketch and the girls until Em and Ethan got back late.
“Hey, Barbie,” Em called back, setting the box of bracelets on the dresser and trotting down the steps. “Ethan’s already here with Annie.”
They all followed behind her.
Barbie plastered on the smile whenever Em mentioned Ethan. Barbie wasn’t dense. She knew exactly what was going on with Ethan and Emmaline’s continued cookie-smashing game. Honestly, she probably figured it out a full week before it occurred.
Em just rolled her eyes.
“The girls know the rules.” Emmaline was already putting on her jacket.
Ethan pulled Annie aside, and Fiona ran upstairs to get board games for the sleepover.
“You’re terrified,” Barbie said, getting closer so that only Emmaline could hear. “I can smell it.”
“What does terrified smell like?” Em asked.
“You. Right now.” Barbie wiggled her eyebrows.
“Well, you know, this is it. The end. Close the book.” Em deflated at the thought. “I suppose a wedding is an excellent place for not-so-happy endings.”
“Do you remember what I told you at your wedding?” Barbie asked.
Emmaline had been trying extremely hard to forget about that day, but she remembered what Barbie said before heading down the aisle.
“Weddings are not only beginnings. Sometimes, they’re smack in the middle. Often, they’re more at the end. The thing is, no one knows,” Em repeated back to Barbie what she’d said all those years ago.
