Page 3 of Love By The Falls

“He’s in the car,” says Austin. He didn’t want to waste time buckling up his seat belt again.”

“But—”

“Don’t ask. We try not to reason with him when he makes no sense. He’s stubborn that way.”

“I wonder where he gets it from,” Jane says with a smirk.

“Definitely from me, darling,” says Austin. “My determination is one reason you love me so much.”

Jane laughs and I beam at the love on her face. A tiny twang of jealousy runs through me, but I shake it off. I’m happy for my best friend.

“Is Charlie ready?” asks Austin.

“I hope so. Let me get him.”

“I’m here!” Charlie shouts, while racing down the hallway. “I’m ready!” He runs straight to Austin andthrows his arms around his waist. After a quick hug, he turns to do the same with Jane and Sage. “I’m so excited!”

He turns to leave, but quickly pivots and races back to me. He wraps his tiny arms around my hips and squeezes. “Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.”

I smile and run my hand through his soft, light brown hair. “I love you, too.”

Then, without further delay, he runs toward the car, shouting, “Let’s go!” as Anthony opens the door for him from the inside. I chuckle, thinking that boy surely doesn’t want to waste any seconds getting to the movie theatre.

Austin rolls his eyes but can’t hide his amusement. “Happy birthday, Charlotte. I hope you ladies have a wonderful time.”

“Thank you, Austin. I appreciate your help.”

With a nod, he runs back to the car while the boys shout and wave him over. Their excitement is contagious and seeing Charlie so happy is one of the greatest gifts Austin and Jane could have given me today.

“It smells delicious in here,” says Sage as she hangs up her coat. She’s wearing a rose-colored floral dress with black tights. Her bracelets clink as she runs a hand through her hair. Sage is my roommate and works afternoons and evenings at a Yoga Studio.

“Thank you. I know you both adore seafood, so I’ve made a couple of different dishes. I hope you like it.”

“I can’t believe you cooked on your birthday,” Jane says, following me into the kitchen.

“Why not? I enjoy it. Please sit down.”

“How was your day after the coffee incident?”

“It got better. Savannah really made me cry with that stain remover offering. It was so sweet.”

“I think you’re just not used to anyone taking care of you,” says Sage.

“Maybe,” I say before setting a bowl of seafood linguine in front of them. “Bon appétit!”

Turning, I grab the salad bowl and place it on the table before taking a seat at the head. Jane serves us the linguine, but I wait until they each take a bite before digging in.

Sage closes her eyes and groans. “You really are a fantastic cook, Charlotte.”

Jane nods. “I swear if Austin tried this, he would leave me for you.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Austin is so in love with you, Jane. I could serve him a Michelin-star dish every night, and he’d still say your egg casserole is better.”

“She’s right,” says Sage, taking another bite of her pasta. “It’s sickening, really.”

I smirk at Sage and wonder if she’s a bit jealous, too. Well, who wouldn’t want to be loved the way Austinloves Jane? It was certainly how I pictured my life with my ex before he shattered those dreams. In fairness, we both agreed not to have children, so it was quite a shock when we discovered that condoms truly weren’t a hundred percent fool-proof, and I ended up pregnant.

“What are you thinking about?” asks Jane. “Your face changed suddenly.”

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