Chapter 1
DANI
“Holy crap, you’re the size of a house. Ow!”
I rubbed my arm where Vanessa swatted me.
“I’m not that big,” she huffed. “And you saw me last week.”
I gestured at her middle, which had expanded significantly since then.
“You popped.”
She slumped against the counter.
“That’s what Anthony said, but he was more diplomatic.”
“He’s the one who got you pregnant,” I teased.
“Auntie Dani! Auntie Dani!”
A whirlwind of dark hair and pink tulle rushed into the kitchen. I braced for impact in time for my favorite five-year-old to run full-tilt intome.
“You sound like Sofia,” I said, “but you can’t possibly be her. You’re too big!”
My best friend’s daughter giggled.
“It is me, Auntie Dani. It’s Sofia! You know me.”
I gasped in mock surprise.
“My goodness. It is you. How did you get so big?”
“I eat my vegetables.” Her serious tone melted my heart. “Sometimes they don’t taste so good, but I want to grow up big and strong and healthy.”
God, I loved this kid. Before Vanessa had Sofia, and I got to see the magic and mayhem up close, I scoffed at the idea of a biological clock. Now, a constant voice in my head reminded me I was running out of time.
I shushed my inner voice and focused on the positive. My life wasn’t what I imagined, but it wasn’t so bad.
“Are you excited to meet your baby brother or sister in a few months?” I asked.
She nodded vigorously.
“I’m going to be the best big sister in the whole world. We’ll have so much fun playing dress-up, and I can read to her. I’ll share my dollies, and I can teach her how to play all my favorite games and sing the best songs.”
“Sweetheart, the baby might be a boy,” Vanessa cautioned her.
At Sofia’s mulish expression, I rolled my lips inward to hide my laughter.
“I want a sister.”
“Brothers can be fun, too,” I assured her.
Sofia turned to me with wide eyes.
“Do you have a brother?”
“No,” I admitted. “But when I was a girl, I had a best friend who was like a brother to me. His family moved next door to us when I was eight, and he became my favorite person to play with even though he’s a boy.”
