Page 90 of Line Change

“Hi.”

She leads me into the living room where Hadley is playing on the floor with Hazel.

“Sutton.” Hadley greets me with a hug. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, but exhausted. I almost didn’t come.” I take the bottle of water that Becca hands me, open it, and take a sip.

“We’re glad you made it. Mads and Aub are on their way,” Becca says as the doorbell rings, and she excuses herself to answer it.

“I’m excited to watch the game and hang out together. Feel like we haven’t done this in a while,” Hadley says.

“Me too.”

Becca comes back into the room, followed by Madison carrying Tate in his car seat. She quickly unstraps him and settles down on one of the oversized chairs with him.

Hazel makes her way over, reaching for the baby. “Baby.”

“Yes, that’s your cousin, Tate. Can you say Tate?” Becca asks her.

“Tae,” Hazel says. Adorable. She’s so stinking cute.

“Close,” Becca says.

The doorbell sounds again, and this time Hadley scrambles to her feet. “I’ve got it.”

She comes back two minutes later with Aubrey who is carrying her daughter Abby. We spend the next few minutes passing the babies around, and I hold Abby for a few extra minutes. She’s such a happy baby. All of them are. I’m sure they have their moments, though, as all kids do.

“Do you know what you’re having?” Madison asks me once the littles are situated, Abby and Tate in the play pen set up in the corner, cooing over the mobiles, and Hazel content to play at her toy kitchen.

I glance around at my friends. “A girl.”

Madison squeals. “How exciting.”

Aubrey turns to me. “Congrats.”

“Thank you.”

“We have a bin of clothes she doesn’t fit into anymore in the garage. You should come over and go through them. Most of them, she only wore once or twice, so they’re in great shape,” Aubrey says.

“I’d love to, if you don’t think you’ll need them.”

“Brod and I are one and done,” Aubrey says matter of factly.

I love that for them. I’m happy for my friends, all of them, no matter whether they choose to have no kids or as many kids as possible.

“I appreciate it,” I tell her.

“Of course.”

The conversation shifts, and we spend the next while discussing random things and diving into the pizza, garlic bread, and antipasto salad Becca ordered from the local pizza joint. Before long, it’s time for the game to start.

“The Pirates are doing well this season,” Becca says as the puck is dropped. “I’m kind of shocked. Especially after they spent the last few seasons at the bottom of the league.”

“Some of the guys they acquired in the off-season are really helping,” Aubrey says. “Plus, they’ve had some great draft picks.”

“What the heck was that?” Hadley yells as one of the Pirates players clearly trips Elias with no call from the refs. Even the Storm announcers notice, commenting about it.

Play continues, and the Pirates get away with a few more penalties.