I smirk at my cousin. “Technically it’s Annie, but she’s pretending to be Hallie.”
“Who’s Annie? Who’s Hallie?” Ezra whispers.
“The girls fromThe Parent Trap.” I elbow him. “Only my favorite childhood movie.”
“Hi, Ezra.”
“Hey, Jo.” He salutes the screen.
“How are you, boo?” she asks me.
“I’m fine.”
My head and Ezra’s are pushed close together so we’re both in the frame, and we’re sporting matching top knots.
“Feeling much better after the transfusion.”
“Are you taking good care of our girl?” She wags a finger.
“He is,” I answer.
At the same time, he kisses the side of my head and says, “Of course.”
Fuck, he’s really gotta stop with all the damn sweetness.
Or else.
No more than two seconds after hanging up with Joey, a text from Asher comes through.
“What’s he doing up in the middle of the night?”
“Bea’s molars are coming in, and he can’t go back to sleep,” Ezra informs me, like he and my brother are lifelong buddies.
What the hell is happening?
Another picture of Bea comes through. This time, she’s fast asleep, snuggled in footed pajamas and cuddling my old stuffed bunny—also called Bunny.Feel better, Lee Lee, the text reads.
As I soak in the image of my niece, my nose burns and tears well in my eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Ezra pulls me tight against his side.
“What if I can’t have kids?” I wipe my eyes. “I don’t even know if I want them. I mean, I’m pretty sure I do, but ugh…”
“Where’s this coming from?” With his lips pressed to my head, he rubs my arm, soothing me.
I let myself melt into him. He smells like hand sanitizer, but I don’t care because he’s so damn warm.
“The doctor said she suspects endometriosis. My aunt has it, and she was never able to get pregnant again after Joey. What if?—”
“Shh. Let’s not jump to conclusions. We can ask the doctor more questions in the morning.”
There’s that “we” again. It’ll go to my head if he doesn’t stop.
20
Millie
“I’M NOT ATAMAGOTCHI,”I snap. “You don’t have to feed me every five minutes to keep me alive.”
