Page 84 of Sometimes You Fall

She becomes my friend, the first genuine one I’ve made in a long time.

“How do you feel?” she asks after our food is long gone, she’s told me more about her life, and I’ve finally run out of things to say.

“Lighter somehow.”

“Good.” She picks one last fry up from her plate, pops it in her mouth, and then pushes her plate away.

“Thank you for that—forlistening.”

She reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “You’re welcome. I hope it helped.”

“It did. But I still don’t know what to do about your brother, Astrid.”

She shrugs. “It’s okay because you’ll figure it out. Sometimes we just need to take that first step, you know? That’s what I had to do with Penn. Lots of baby steps to get where we are now.”

My hands instinctively move to my stomach where my baby is growing. “Baby steps.”

“Yup. They may be small, but you’ll still get where you need to be eventually.” She clears her throat. “Before I forget, I wanted to talk to you about your baby shower.”

My eyes bug out. “Oh, Jesus. I haven’t even thought about that.”

“It’s okay, but if you’re willing, I’d love to throw it for you.”

“Oh my God, Astrid. You don’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense. You know how damn excited I am about this baby, Scottie. Please, let me do this for you. Willow wants to help too.”

Biting my bottom lip, I ask, “Are you sure?”

Astrid rolls her eyes. “Yes, that’s why I’m offering.”

“Okay,” I relent. “Thank you. I appreciate it so much. I had a small one for Chase, but obviously I didn’t keep anything and there are so many new things out there now that it feels like an entirely different world.”

“I’m so excited!” She bounces in her chair, making me laugh. “You two are finding out the sex, right?”

“Yeah, in a few weeks.”

“Good, makes it easier to plan and pick a theme. And don’t forget to register. There’s an adorable boutique on the boardwalk that has pretty much everything you could need, but you should also do some online registries so people can send giftsdirectly to you.”

“God, things have changed since I had Chase.”

She nods. “Yeah, but the way a baby changes your life will always be the same—for the better.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” I reply.

She winks at me and says, “So can the right man in your life.” She takes a sip of her water. “Just wanted to remind you of that too.”

***

“Come on, Chase! You’ve got this!” I stand on the bleachers, cupping hands around my mouth, shouting loud enough so my son can hear me out on the pitching mound.

It’s the top of the ninth inning and the score is tied. All Chase has to do is strike out this kid, and then our team will be up at bat, getting a chance to score at least one more run before the game is over to secure the win. Thank God for the home team advantage.

“Relax!” Grady yells, pulling Chase’s eyes across the field to the dugout. Chase nods and shakes out his jitters again, knowing he only has one more pitch to deliver and then his job is done for the night.

My focus has been split all evening between watching my son and the man whose baby I’m carrying. After my dinner with Astrid lastnight, I slept better than I have in months. I can attest that it was just exhaustion after a busy weekend and crazy work week, especially since it’s spring and the end of the school year is winding down. But honestly, I think it was just getting a lot of tension I’d been carrying out in the open.

I’m so grateful to Astrid for offering up her friendship and support. Before we left, she assured me she would keep our conversation to herself, which I appreciate. I want to tell Grady in my own time. With each passing day and each tender kiss, I feel myself more willing to let my guard down.

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