"Well, bring those right over here," Sully says, patting the coffee table in front of him. "But you'll have to get more for everyone else."
Dani's giggle shoots through me, and I revel in the sound. She carefully carries the plate with her tiny hands and sets it on the coffee table, sneaking the top cookie for herself with a mischievous glance in my direction. I don't point out the fact she seems to have forgotten all about the mission I sent her on, which was to get me one of her oddly shaped pillows.
"Lindsey, you need a hand?" Sully asks, standing and taking a step forward.
"No, no. I've got it. Sit down. Enjoy your visit."
Lindsey brings all three drinks at once, carrying the lot of them with her hands in a triangle of balance. She serves Gabe and Sully and then carries the last to me. "Thanks."
"No problem. Need anything else?" she asks.
Nothing I want to ask her to help me with, I think, aware of the growing need for the bathroom. "No, I'm good."
"Well, while you've got company here to keep an eye on you, I thought I'd take Dani to the bookstore and…you know."
Yeah, he did. She needs to tell Bronwyn she's moving out. And in with me.
"Can we get ice cream?" Dani asks around a mouthful of cookie. "Can I ride my bike?"
I falter at the question. Given my daughter's penchant for ignoring my commands to stop before going through stop signs, it's not a good idea. Lindsey is new to the whole kid thing. Will she be able to keep a close enough eye on her?
"How about we walk?" Lindsey counters. "So I can keep up?"
"Okay. But can we please go get ice cream?"
"Only one scoop if you listen to Lindsey and behave the entire time." To Lindsey, I say, "I'm not sure where my wallet is, but keep tabs of everything so I can pay you back."
"I've got this one," Gabe says, shifting on the couch to retrieve his wallet. "My treat."
I want to argue but know it won't do any good. Gabe spoils Dani every chance he gets as her pseudouncle and godfather. Kidless himself—at least for now—Gabe takes his spoiling duties seriously.
"You," Gabe says to Dani, "stay with Lindsey, and don't leave her side even for a moment. You hear me?"
"I won't. Thank you, Uncle Gabe," Dani says as she takes the money and gives Gabe a hug.
The girls head out, and I wait until I hear the door close behind them. I hate to ask, but—I'd rather ask the guys than Lindsey. That's a bridge I'll cross when I have to. "Sully, you're it. Help me up."
"Why? What's that mean?"
"It means I gotta hit the head, and since you're so ready to help out—this is all you, buddy."
Chapter
Nine
Lindsey
Am I the only one who didn't realize pregnancy is exhausting? It's only three blocks to the ice cream shop with its big colorful windows out front, but by the time I get there, I can feel my body shutting down. What scares me about it is that it doesn't feel like a normal kind of tired. It's more than that. A heavy, soul-sucking fatigue that turns every step I take into feeling as though I'm walking in quicksand.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good," Dani says with her childish candor, a cookie crumb at the corner of her mouth. She probably doesn't need any more sweets after gobbling down the cookie, but sometimes a girl needs a little comfort food.
Dani squints up at me, face scrunched in an adorable Popeye impression.
My stomach growls loudly at that point, drawing a giggle from the little girl. I smile at the sound. "I'm fine. I'm just tired and getting hangry. Are you happy to have your daddy home?"
"Yup! I don't like it when he's gone."
"Order for Lindsey!" a teenage voice calls from the stand.
