Redemption(54)

“Seriously?” My voice was an octave higher than normal.

She shrugged as if it wasn’t odd she hadn’t told the world she and her husband were expecting a baby. Hell, maybe she was embarrassed by the fact it took a surrogate to get the child here.

“Like no one knows?” I remained baffled, not quite sure I had understood her correctly.

“Our parents do, and you guys. But other than that, no, I haven’t told anyone.”

“Annie, your friends will flip. You’re going to have a baby in a few months. They’re going to be so happy for you. We need to do this. Please?” I hated to whine, but Annie needed something to excite her…and if I benefitted from the distraction that wouldn’t be so bad either.

“Penny…” Dan’s tone issued a warning without calling me out.

“I think it would be fun. But I want to wait until we’re through the second trimester.”

She thought the rest of us were oblivious to her reasons for wanting to wait, but I wasn’t. Dan and Brett might be, but she wasn’t fooling me. Once I was past twenty-seven weeks, the baby would be viable outside the womb. I counted those days as closely as she did.

“Oh, oh. Can we have it at Hooters? Maybe we can rent the whole place out and eat wings until we puke.” Annie’s face was animated as she bounced from foot to foot in excitement. I’d never seen her giddy, but this was borderline.

“First of all, you don’t like wings, and second, why in the hell would you want to go to Hooters for a baby party?” Brett was clearly amused by her suggestion.

“So your dumb friends might actually show up. And I do like wings.” She corrected her husband, but I didn’t think she liked them either. We’d never gone to a wing place that I could recall. An odd expression crossed her face before she said anything else. “Men don’t like anything with the word baby attached to it. But they do love boobs—funny since those frequently have babies attached to them—and sports and beer. I don’t want to do a baby shower, but this way we could get all of our friends together and celebrate. They can even drink.”

“In all the time we’ve been together, there’s only been one time you ever ate wings.” Brett wasn’t letting this go, but her death glare stopped the conversation that took place in front of Dan and me.

I interrupted to save Brett from whatever harm Annie might invoke on him when they left here. “People can still bring gifts if they want to, though, right? You have to get presents.”

“I don’t know, Lissa. That just seems weird to me. If I were carrying the baby, it would be awkward at best, but this way just seems…I don’t know—gauche.”

“Whatever.” I flipped my long hair over my shoulder effectively dismissing her argument. “I’m telling people to bring you stuff. And since you’re the mother, I get to play hostess.” A devious smile crept across my face.

I wasn’t sure Brett would go for me hosting the shower since I was carrying the baby, but the truth was, if Annie had been carrying the child, I would host it, so I didn’t see the difference. Thankfully, Dan came to my rescue. “I think it should be our gift to the new parents.”

“The only way I will agree to this is if we all do it together.” Annie held firm, and I gave in.

It was decided. And Hooters would be the location.



*

I shouldn’t have been surprised by how well attended the party was at Hooters. After weeks of planning, Annie and I had pulled off what I hoped would be a fun evening. We both needed it. The stress of displaying one emotion to people I was closest to while harboring another internally was far more difficult than I had anticipated. Somehow, in my mind, I’d believed the process of this pregnancy would be like it had been with Joshua. And it was for Annie and Brett, but for me, each milestone brought memories of a life that was now gone. And with each one, I forced myself to work through the emotions as they came, but it was increasingly more difficult with Dan or Annie always hovering. Dan was so overprotective the only time I managed to get five feet from him was when I went to work.

I hoped tonight would bring more joy to the situation as we celebrated the baby growing inside me. While I wanted to remember the life that brought me here, I needed to find a way to rejoice in my ability to do this for my friend. It was difficult to find happiness in their family growing while knowing I’d never have the same for myself. But this was for the best. I didn’t have to worry about being irresponsible, or making poor decisions. I would get to see this child thrive with my friends, who would be perfect parents. Dan and I could be phenomenal godparents without the restrictions of children—it was the best of both worlds. I knew he would adore this child as much as I would, and together, we would shower this child with love that would forever connect us to our friends.

When Dan and I walked in, I took note of all the people in the room I didn’t know. I hadn’t met any of Brett and Dan’s coworkers and had only hung out with Annie’s friends sporadically. Luckily, they all embraced me like they’d known me for years. Annie wasn’t here yet, but they had no problem circling me, dizzy with excitement. They hadn’t had long to get used to the idea I was carrying their friend’s child, but they all welcomed the situation and brought me into their fold.

Dan kissed my temple and left me with Lynn, Jenny, and Scarlett to say hello to the people he worked with. Jenny pointed out Annie’s parents, then Brett’s, and Scarlett and Lynn told me who the players were among the coworkers and how they fell into the game. My mouth hung open when I was introduced to the elusive Gray Dearsley.