Page 128 of Crazy Love

“I love it,” she says.

There’s a bendable flamingo I’ve had my eye on for a while now. Maybe for his Christmas stocking. He’s given me a cute pajama set with flamingos. I’ve given him flamingo boxers.

It takes a while to find parking at Cherry Creek North, no small miracle the week before Christmas, and we pile out onto the street. The holiday market is still going on too, and everything is dressed up for the season. Christmas music plays around us and I breathe in the crisp air.

“All right, team,” Sadie says, adjusting her purse over her shoulder. “Shall we knock out the Christmas shopping first and then tackle the gowns? Or the other way around?”

“Let’s get the shopping done. I don’t have much left,” Poppy says.

“Me either.”

I don’t admit that I’m done with the shopping. For the past few months, I've shopped online at night while the kids are watching a movie or after they go to bed. I’m just happy to have a day out with these girls. I love spending time with them. It makes me miss Goldie. I wish she lived closer. She’d be in the big, fat middle of everything and loving every minute.

Two hours later, we’re standing in the back of a fancy boutique, the dressing rooms piled with glittering gowns. Poppy’s the only one waiting to try anything on because she’s about to pop. The rest of us are staring at Elle in a sleek black gown that hugs her figure perfectly.

She tried to resist trying anything on, but since the event is all about her in our eyes, we talked her into it.

“You’ll need multiple dresses, probably,” Tru says. “So you can still be styled by someone crazy talented, but this one…”

“Exactly. Wow,” Poppy breathes.

Elle shakes her head. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” Sadie looks offended. “You’re perfection. You look like you’re about to accept an Oscar.”

Elle snorts. “It’s not too much?”

“It’s just enough,” Tru says, standing next to me.

“Agreed,” I say.

It’s evening by the time we pull back into Silver Hills, and Tru’s mom, Stephanie, Margo, and my mom meet us at The Fairy Hut. We tried to include all the moms, but the timing didn’t work out. My mom and Margo have been welcomed into the fold over the past few months, and it’s been fun seeing their friendships grow too.

I sip my Who Let the Frogs Out? cocktail slowly, savoring the perfect blend of flavors. I missed The Fairy Hut’s delicious and hilariously-named food and drinks when I lived in California.

“Did you have a successful shopping day?” Stephanie asks.

“Three of us found what we’re wearing to Elle’s premiere,” Sadie says. “I couldn’t settle on one.”

“And I need this baby out before I can think about a pretty dress,” Poppy says.

Margo’s sitting next to her and she pats her arm. “You look spectacular. I wish I’d carried a baby the way you do. I puffed out everywhere.”

“Oh, same,” my mom agrees.

The ones of us who haven’t had babies yet take it all in. The unknown. It feels big.

“You okay, sweetheart?” my mom asks quietly.

I turn and smile at her. “I’m good. Really good.”

She squeezes my hand. “You look good. Like you’re glowing from the inside out.”

I lean into her and she puts her arm around me.

“I think I’m going to take a step back. With my job, I mean.”

Her eyes widen. “Really?”

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