Page 45 of Together

“Oh.”

Hazel stops over with our muffins — which, I’ll be honest, is more of a cupcake than a muffin — and coffee, setting a small pitcher of creamer on the table in front of us.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“I’m good. Thank you. This looks amazing,” Ashley says.

“Awesome! If you need anything, just signal. It’s quiet in here this afternoon so I’ll notice. Enjoy!” She bounces away and we doctor up our coffee, taking a sip then diving into our chocolatey muffins. I honestly don’t think I could eat one of these without cutting the sweetness with some coffee, but the combination is amazing.

“Holy crap, that’s good,” she mumbles around a mouthful of muffin.

“Right?”

“You were not wrong, I’ll be craving these.”

I store that little bit of information for later.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day? Tomorrow? Do you have plans?”

She gives me a funny look that makes me laugh. “What’s tomorrow?”

“New Year’s Eve?”

Ashley hits her palm to her forehead. “I swear, I have no concept of time whatsoever.”

“Something tells me that will change,” I suggest, looking at her stomach.

She places a hand where my eyes are focused. “Probably. I already think of the pregnancy as spaces of time.”

“That’s what Josie said, too.”

“When is she due, again? I know you told me when we were on the phone Christmas Eve.”

“Like… three days ago?”

She pulls an eek face. “Oh boy.”

“Oh boy, is right. She’s driving Dean crazy.”

“I bet.”

“Her doctor is taking pity — likely on Dean — because she whined enough so they’ll induce her tomorrow if the baby doesn’t come on its own. My guess, though, is that they won’t need to do that. She’s determined to will that little guy or gal out of her stomach and there’s never been anything Josie hasn’t set out to do that she’s failed at.”

“She sounds intimidating.”

Josie? Far from it. Though, from that explanation, I can understand why she would think that. “Nah, she’s not intimidating.”

“Well, probably not to you. You’ve known her since she was born,” she adds.

“That’s not the reason she doesn’t intimidate me.” I put my empty muffin plate on the table and lean back, resting my ankle over my knee and stretching an arm over the back of the couch. “She’s just a stubborn ass who doesn’t take no for an answer. But, honestly, she’s been having those fake contractions since Christmas Day and when the doctor checked her the day after he said she was moving in the right direction.”

“You guys are… super close, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I have two sisters and we talk like that with each other. Like we know about our menstrual cycles and stuff but we’re women. We share random and weird stuff. I can’t imagine sharing the same with a brother.”

“We’re it for each other, though. She doesn’t have a sister. She has Dean and me. Dean has a lot of sisters but they’re not close with her because they have each other. We tell each other things.” I shrug.

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