Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
The clink of Luna’s glass against Samantha’s brings me out of my thoughts and back to the here and now. “On that note, I have news to share too,” Luna says.
Samantha looks ready to jump up and down, so she obviously already knows, which isn’t surprising. Long before they married my brothers—Luna to Carter and Samantha to Chance—they were best friends. They’re the quintessential example of opposites attract. Where Samantha exudes professional, luxe femininity, Luna looks like a college art student at best, in too-big overalls, brown hair tied up in messy space buns, and owl-like oversized glasses.
The rest of us wait with bated breath for her to spill. It could be anything from her scheduling a new Comic-Con appearance for the graphic novel series she writes to acquiring a piece for the extensive artwork collection she manages.
“Carter and I are gonna start trying.” Behind her glasses, Luna’s eyes sparkle with the announcement, and it takes me a split second to realize she means trying for a baby.
Janey is the first to react, clapping her hands excitedly. “Oh my God! We can be mom friends!”
“I’m sitting right here,” Riley, my brother Cameron’s fiancé, teases in a stage-whisper, mock glaring at Janey because she’s currently Janey’s only mom friend. To Luna, she adds, “Yeah to more mom friends!”
Luna laughs, holding a staying hand up. “Slow down. We just decided, so it’ll be a bit before I’m a mom.” Like the idea of that is only now hitting her, her face goes comically blank. “I’m gonna be a mom,” she whispers breathily. “I don’t know how to do that. What if I suck at it?” Fear and doubt slash across her face, her eyes wide as she searches for reassurance.
“You won’t,” Janey promises her. “We won’t let you.” She pulls Riley in to include her in the ‘we’. They’re a team of two inside our group too. Beyond their friendship, Riley is the nanny for Janey and Cole’s son, Emmett, two days a week while Janey works as a nurse.
“The fact that you’re already worried tells me that you’ll do great,” Riley agrees, her armful of bracelets jingling as her hands never stop moving. Despite being the youngest and newest addition to our group, her word holds weight on the topic of parenthood. Because even if she weren’t an experienced nanny, she stepped into the role of stepmother to my thirteen-year-old niece, Grace, with unexpected ease. And that’s saying something because we affectionately call Grace an adorable terror, and that’s before she’s caffeinated. Which she frequently is, despite supposedly only being allowed Starbucks once a week.
Conversation drifts to Luna and Carter being excited about the possibilities the future holds, and though I listen, I can’t relate. I’m the only single Harrington sibling and the only single woman in the room. That fact certainly hasn’t escaped my notice, but historically, I’ve taken on more of a maternal role with my brothers, standing in Mom’s stead when she’s not here, so I’ve never concerned myself with something as selfish as dating.
I never cared, but suddenly, I feel very stagnant.
Carter and Luna have been married for a few years now and are starting a family. Chance and Samantha are married and their ‘baby’ is Chance’s fraternity-style club, where they’re shaping the future for dozens of young men. Riley and Cameron have only been together a short while, but they did things a bit backward and were living together as employer-employee before falling in love, and now, they’re engaged and happily living the family life. Janey and Cole are a family of three, with Emmett recently celebrating his first birthday. And Dani, who’s been quietly listening, lives with Kyle and his baby-ified doofus of a dog, Peanut Butter. I don’t know if they have plans for marriage and children, but they’re rock-solid.
And then there’s me, with nothing more than Ghosts of Hook-Ups Past showing up at my office.
“Emmett is this close to taking his first steps!” Janey shares, popping two peanut butter M&M’s into her mouth but rambling right on as she chews. “He uses the coffee table to stand up, and then transitions to the couch, and he lets go for so long now. Like an entire minute at a time!” She does a wiggle dance of celebration in her spot in the corner of the couch. “And he does this cute little high-knees move, and I swear, he’s gonna put his foot down and take actual steps any day now. Like maybe tonight… probably.” Mom guilt flashes through her eyes. “Oh my God, what if I miss it?”
She gives Riley a look of desperation, silently begging for support, and Riley gives her a soothing smile. “You won’t. Even if you’re not home when it happens, you’ll have the whole thing recorded to play over and over.” She turns laughter-filled eyes to the rest of us and deadpans, “And over… and over.”