Page 26 of Be Your Forever
You’d know if you didn’t—Nope…Not going there. Now isnotthe time to be self-deprecating.
“We’ve talked about starting a family before. We just didn’t expect it to happen this quickly, but we’re happy. I’m only a few weeks along, but Cas is overly cautious. He tried to persuade me to have him drop me off, but after a long talk, he mellowed out.”
I let out a watery chuckle, because that sounds like Cas. The man is a puddle when it comes to Avery.
“I’m just so happy for you guys. But wait, what about Cas’ graduate program? He’s so close to graduating. And your songwriting? What happens with that?” I’ve been a prisoner of my own pain, but that doesn’t mean I’m not following my friends' lives.
“Cas will step back from his master's program to focus on work and our growing family. As for songwriting, I’ve been writing a lot more children’s songs and lullabies. So being pregnant has inspired me,” Avery says while glancing down, placing a protective hand over her belly.
“Oh, wow, that’s amazing. You’ll both be amazing parents. I bet Cas’ grandparents are over the moon.” I don’t even have to fake the enthusiasm right now, everything is genuine.
“Thank you, Bri. That means a lot. His grandparents are ecstatic about the news. They’ve already started planning what to get the baby. I do want to ask you something, though.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“Will you be the godmother?” Avery asks, her eyes shimmering with pure joy.
Godmother. I let that word sit on the tip of my tongue, and I can’t help but wonder if I'm the right person for the job. My life is still a mess. My mental health has been absolute trash. I glance down at my best friend's belly and frown.
“I am honored you’d ask me, Aves. But I’m the right person to ask? My life is still in shambles, and I’m still crawling my way out of a dark hole. You don’t want your baby looking up to someone like me.”
“See, that’s where you're wrong. Everything you just said makes you theperfectgodmother. This baby is gonna see a strong, beautiful woman who’s learning to overcome something painful. You’re inspiring, Bri. I hope that one day you see just how incredible you are. So yeah, you are the perfect role model for the little babe.”
Fuck. My throat feels like I swallowed my food without chewing it fully. When she puts it that way, it makes me feel less like a failure and more like a warrior.
“Well damn, Aves. Are youtryingto make me cry? But you make a solid argument. My answer is yes. I’d love to be the godmother, and I’m gonna spoil the shit out of them. But wait, who’s gonna be the godfather?” I watch Avery’s face turn bright red and her lips are pursed—like she’s trying to hold her laughter in.
“Avery?” I ask again.
“Take a guess.” I study my best friend's face for a few seconds before things click into place.
“It’s Asher, isn’t it?” Avery’s nod confirms my suspicions. Just saying his name out loud has my cheeks flushing and my body temperature spiking.
“Bri? What’s going on? I thought you’d give me a snarl or sarcastic remark.” Avery’s hand waves in the direction of my face.
“Um…”
“No. Really?”
“It’s not like that, Aves. We’ve been hanging out from time to time. He’s helping me with some things.”
“Helping you with what, exactly?” Avery’s head rests on her hands as she looks at me with interest.
“I have this list and he’s helping me work through it.” I know Avery’s going to ask about the list, so I share it with her before she has the chance to ask.
“Fall in love with sex, huh?” She waggles her eyebrows at me.
“You sound like Asher. He said the same thing. And, well…We might have kissed the other day.”
“You WHAT?!? Wait, before you tell me everything, I’m hungry and I need my snacks. Let's get everything ready and go sit in the living room.”
“Okay, but Aves, your snacks are disgusting. I’ll stick with some chips with salsa, and popcorn.” I gather everything needed on a serving tray and head to the living room. The second I sit down, Avery is on me.
“How did it happen? How was it? How do you feel about it?”
“It just sorta happened. One minute we were discussing how he didn’t have to help me with the sex item on my list, and then before I knew it, he was kissing me. After that, everything became kinda hazy. And my God, can that man kiss. It was a toe-curling, hair pulling, frantic kiss, and it was amazing.”
“Oh my God. Okay, but, like, how do youfeelabout it?”
