LOGINI open the front door and smile widely. “Let me take that!” I insist. Lily and Pedro come into the house carrying drinks and snacks. “No need to upset the baby!” “I’m barely pregnant, Esme,” my best friend taunts. “Two months is nothing.” “As someone who’s had two babies, I can promise you that yo
“Save the kissing for your personal time!” I hear Annie prodding at me. We look over at her and Guillermo. Annie, to her credit, wasn’t lying about trying to get pregnant. Four months ago, she called us to say she was six weeks pregnant. Now, her bridesmaid dress shows off her baby bump. "How are
It’s a little more than a year later that Derek and I walk down the aisle. With Bea as our flower girl, Tris as our ring-bearer, and all the people we love watching, Derek and I say our vows. “What can I say that I haven’t before? You’re stronger than any woman who’s gone through the trauma you hav
“Thank you.” I take my time to get out of the car, but Derek is fast. He unbuckles Orchid in one swift movement. He hands over the baby and grabs my bag from where he left it next to her. Then, after locking his car, he holds out one hand to me. I’m touched by his sweet gestures today. He must kn
Esme Derek picks us up from the hospital a couple of days after giving birth. Walking again has been very challenging, but nothing beats holding my daughter in my arms after all this waiting. Bea and Tris both got to hold Orchid. Annie and Lily came to visit their little “niece.” My mom cried her
I’m overthinking this. I don’t even have a ring yet. Hell, I don’t know what kind of ring Esme would even want. Guess Annie and Lily are going to be helping me more than I thought. Hmm. She’s going to be here for at least a day or two. Maybe I’ll wait until she gets home. I pull out my phone to t
Well, it’s happened. “Esme, please come into my office for a quick conversation.” I can’t avoid him any longer. Part of me is relieved that I don’t have to keep running around acting like I’m not ignoring him. The other part of me is painfully nervous for what he might say. I
“Well, sure, you should be mad.” “Ever since I left, I just feel like I’m being stared at with an intensity that never hit me before. It’s like they know I’m pregnant!” Annie snorts. “I don’t think men are that smart, honestly.” “Do you think if you sat in a room with Ryan, h
He lets me take over. “Now that the dishes are clean, can you think of a place where no is truly mean?” The two girls talk to each other, trying to put the rhymes together. If Derek hadn’t told me the answer, I don’t know if I would have guessed it correctly. “Hint!” Bea asks.
“Come play treasure hunt!” Is the first thing I hear when I open my front door the next morning. I’ve barely slept at all, so the sight of Bea and Tris waiting on the other side of the door with bright smiles shocks me. I look my tiny neighbors in the eyes, trying to remember what th







