Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Aunt Eden, is he your boyfriend?” one of them asks. She appears to be the oldest of the two, so it must be Summer.
I bend down and offer her my hand. “You must be Summer. I’m Foster. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You’re pretty.” She giggles, and I can’t hide my own laughter.
“Thank you.” I smile at her as she takes my hand, and her mom gasps.
“Summer,” Carrie scolds.
She turns to look up at her mom. “What? We’re not supposed to lie, right?”
“I’m sorry. She’s seven going on seventeen,” Carrie says nervously.
“No apologies needed.” I turn to the other little girl. “Hi, Daisy, I’m Foster.”
“How do you know my name?” she asks.
“Your aunt Eden talks about you all the time.”
Daisy’s eyes grow wide. “She does?”
I nod. “She does. You and your sister.”
“We love our aunt Eden,” Daisy tells me.
Me too, kid, me too.
I stand and offer Carrie my hand, as well. “Foster Vaughn, nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” Carrie smiles. “Happy birthday. Thank you for doing this.”
“It’s no trouble,” I assure her, stepping back and sliding my arm around Eden’s waist. “We didn’t have any plans.” Well, no plans that involved clothes, so technically we were free.
“I shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours, tops.”
“No rush at all,” Eden tells her. “Anything we need to know?”
“They just had lunch but will probably beg for snacks. They can have whatever. Screen time is okay while I’m gone, too.” The girls cheer at that. “You two be good for Aunt Eden and Mr. Vaughn,” she tells them.
“Foster is fine,” I assure them.
“Nick might make it home before me, but I’m not sure. You never know what you’re getting into with repairs on HVAC units,” she says.
“Go.” Eden waves off her concern. “We’re good here. I promise we’ll keep them alive, although I can’t promise they won’t be hyped up on sugar,” she teases.
“I’ll take what I can get.” Carrie laughs. “Thank you,” she says, grabbing her purse, kissing her daughters, and rushing out the door.
Summer takes my hand, and Daisy grasps Eden’s as they pull us toward the living room. Eden and I take a seat on the couch, while the girls climb up beside us.
“Is it really your birthday?” Summer asks me.
“It is.” I nod.
She looks up at Eden. “Aunt Eden, can we make cupcakes for his birthday?”
Eden smiles, pushing Summer’s hair out of her eyes. “If you have what we need, of course, we can.”
An image of her being this soft and loving toward her own kids. Toward our kids, flashes through my mind. The visual surprises me. It’s been years since the dreams of having my own family were locked away, and now, here I am, watching her with her best friend’s daughters, and I can see it clearly. She’s round with our child, patiently teaching them. She’d be the mother neither of us had. The thought has my chest tightening.
Is it possible those dreams could still come true? Was Eden the one all this time, and we just hadn’t crossed paths yet? I’m pulled out of my thoughts by a celebration.
“Let’s go!” Summer says, jumping off the couch and running toward what I assume is the kitchen.
“Let’s go. Me, too!” Daisy says, climbing to her feet and rushing after her sister.
“You feel like making some cupcakes, birthday boy?” Eden asks.
“Can’t say I’ve ever done it, but I’m game to help where I can.”
“You’ve never made cupcakes?” she asks, her mouth falling open.
“Nope.”
“This must be rectified immediately.” This time, it’s Eden who’s eagerly standing on her feet, reaching for me, and pulling me toward the kitchen.
We get lost in the task, and if I’m being honest, my face hurts from smiling so much.
Who knew baking with kids could be this much fun? When the cupcakes are on the counter, cooling before we can ice them—something I’m just as bummed about as the girls—Eden’s phone rings.
“It’s your mom,” she tells the girls, placing her index finger to her lips, letting them know to quiet down. “Hello?” she answers on speakerphone so the girls can hear their mom.
“Don’t freak out,” Carrie says, and I see Eden stiffen.
“Hey, girls, why don’t you go to the living room, and we’ll be right there,” I tell them.
“Okay!” they both holler cheerfully and rush off to do as I asked.
“You can’t call me and tell me not to freak out and expect that to work,” Eden scolds. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m okay, but I was in a car accident. I hit my head, so they’re making me go to the hospital. My car is totaled. I tried to call Nick but didn’t get him. I’m sure he’s under a house or in an attic or something. Can you come and get me?” she asks.
“Are you sure that you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Are the girls around you?” Carrie asks.
“No. Foster asked them to wait for us in the living room.”