Page 49 of Alexander's Heart

Lottie laughs, “Okay, is she identical in size and weight?”

Sadness washes through me, “Not anymore, Caroline is two inches shorter than me, so 5’6 and she’s probably up to my pre pregnancy weight now that she’s healthier.”

We’ll never know if Caroline was going to end up shorter than me but generally identical twins are the same height with only a slight difference if any.

“Favorite color?” Lottie asks.

“It used to be all colors, but her coat was always navy blue and mine always red.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for V, but talking about coats; this heat is stifling, how the hell are you coping?”

I laugh, “I’m not, it’s much better here in Connecticut especially up here on top of the hill where we get a sea breeze come through, but in Manhattan it’s awful. I avoid the elements like the plague which is hard because Alexa and I are missing our time in Central Park.”

“Yeah, I get it, I don’t think I’d be able to be heavily pregnant through summer. Fall is next week and will be perfect for your wedding and easier for the birth, how many weeks are you now?”

I sigh, “Twenty-eight weeks tomorrow, I don’t think I’ll make it to full term, most multiplies don’t, but I’m so tight you could seriously bounce a quarter of my belly, and when they roll it feels like the drop on a roller coaster.”

“Yeah, that’s a ‘No’ from me. You, however, are beautiful Lils. If anyone was made for motherhood it, is you. I’m gonna be the best Auntie ever! I think that’ll be it for me.”

‘No way, you’d look hot with a swollen belly, Charlotte.’ Reid says cheekily coming up behind us.

‘Hi, Auntie,’ Alexa says, letting go of Reid’s hand and tackling Lottie in a hug.

‘Yeah, I think not, Reid. How’s my doll?’

‘Weady to shop until we dwop, Auntie,’ Alexa says and everyone laughs.

Reid winks, “Oh, I don’t know, I think it could be fun.”

I see a flash of… interest on Lottie’s face, or was that surprise, hmmm interesting.

‘Yankee, Oscar, Uniform.

Charlie, Alpha, November.

Foxtrot, Uniform, Charlie, Kilo.

Romeo, India, Golf, Hotel, Tango.

Oscar, Foxtrot, Foxtrot.’

Reid laughs heartedly, while Lottie pins him with a wicked death stare.

Alexa and I giggle, at the exchange, both for different reasons. Reid and Lottie, that could work, all we need now is some popcorn to watch this show unfold.

Lottie stands abruptly, ‘Let’s go shopping, Doll.’

The she turns to me, “I’ll feed Alexa dinner before bringing her home, give you and the big guy some time together.”

I smile, ready to say something when Alexa pipes in, ‘Auntie, I knows it’s not yaw thing but tonight, can I please have a New Yowk ‘Special’ I miss them and Mommy can’t have them at the moment.’

‘Sure, Doll. I might even ride the carousel, how does that sound?’

Alexa looks to me before she directs her answer to Lottie, ‘No, thank you, I’s keeping that special faw Mommy and me. We do movies, Auntie, that’s ouw thing.’

Alexa comes over and kisses me, “I loves you, Mommy.”

A sob escapes from out of nowhere, taking us all by surprise and everyone starts laughing. Lottie grabs Alexa and hightails it to the Beast, Reid follows hot on their heels and when Lottie notices he’s the one chaperoning them she looks to me and flips me the bird. I can’t help but laugh, just imagining Reid questioning everything Lottie does would be comedy gold.

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