Page 89 of The Summer of ’98

“You’re going to be the sweetest mom,” he said and pulled us even closer together. “Can’t wait to hear you give our kids cute little motivational speeches.”

My excitement grew. I’d never thought about it like that before. “I can literally not wait for that! But what if I screw it up? What if I give terrible advice?”

“Stop,” he groaned with amusement; meanwhile, my excitement had turned into panic. “You’re not going to give terrible advice. You’re already too good at it. And besides, moms have instincts. You’ll know what to tell them when the time comes.”

“Ooh. You’re pretty good at it too,” I said.

He kissed my forehead. “We make a good team, don’t we?”

“The best.”

We pulled ourselves out of bed not long after that. We’d showered, changed, and had just vacuumed when the doorbell rang. It hadn’t been long since we’d seen everyone, but the greetings commenced as if it had been a decade.

“The apartment looks beautiful,” Eleanor said, sweeping inside after she’d crushed me in a vice-like hug. The front door opened into the kitchen/dining area. We had enough room for a small round table and a shelf where I kept a few houseplants for decoration. A wide arched entryway gave a generous view of the living area. It was almost an open plan design aside from the half wall cutting between the rooms.

“Cozy, isn’t it?” Jacob closed the door behind him while Cass and I hugged.

Leroy laughed. “Cozy is code word for small.”

“You’re eighteen, darling,” Eleanor said. “Anything of your own is wonderful.”

“Hey,” Leroy raised his hands. “I’m not complaining. We love it here.”

“We do,” I said.

“It’s not bad,” Noah mumbled, looking around. The kitchen seemed to have shrunk with all the extra people standing in it. “Sort of plain. Hang some art up or something, maybe.”

“I’m getting there,” I defended as Cass slipped her arm through mine.

“Ignore him and give us a tour. This place is adorable. I’m totally jealous.”

There wasn’t a whole lot to show them, but I led the way, taking a few short steps into the living area where our lovely blue sofa that Leroy and I had chosen together was against the wall, and beside it was a single armchair. We had a small television on a wooden cabinet, a matching coffee table, and some framed photos of Leroy and me above the gas heater.

We moved into the corridor and paused briefly at our bedroom. There was something strange about showing a group of people where I slept every night. Or . . . did other things.

“And this is the twins’ room,” I said as I swung the door open on the last stop of our small tour. Eleanor, Jacob, Cass, and Noah shuffled over the threshold and glanced around at the new furniture that I had put together.

Okay, that’s a lie.

Leroy had put it together, but I put it where I wanted it and added all the little bits of décor. The fluffy rug on the floor. The adorable colorful canvases. The trinkets on the shelves and the wall stickers of enchanting animals and Winnie-the-Pooh. Of course. I loved Winnie-the-Pooh in kids’ bedrooms. This is the room that I’d given the most attention to, which is probably why Noah had commented on the lack of décor elsewhere.

Our landlord told us that we weren’t allowed to paint the walls, which was a bummer, but it wasn’t the worst thing. The neutral cream color with indented pattern was suitable just the way it was. I was certain that our time would come to purchase our own home and then we could decorate as we pleased.

“You’ve done so well,” Eleanor said as she ran a hand along the top of the new pine cribs.

We were well prepared, considering I was only fifteen weeks along. We still had a while until the twins arrived, but that couldn’t stop me from setting up now. I loved having things organized.

Jacob pointed at the recliner Leroy and I had chosen. He smiled and wandered toward it before he sat down and sighed. “This is a good chair.” He gave us a thumbs-up.

“You’d know what a good recliner is, wouldn’t you?” Eleanor teased her husband.

Noah and Cass were in the corner having an argument about something that had been ongoing for the duration of the tour. I smiled at Leroy and he nodded with understanding before I strolled toward Cass, who had her back to me and startled with a jump when I touched her shoulder. She turned around and smiled, ignoring Noah, who was pouting.

“Look at this bump,” she sang and bent over, almost hugging my stomach. “I can’t wait to cuddle them!”

I put a hand over hers and laughed. “Come and help me with lunch?”

“Sure.”

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