Page 48 of Unexpectingly Happily Ever After

″Maybe you should apologize to me,” Brit huffs. “I’m the one who had her shoes ruined.”

″I’m apologizing to you both.”

″There’s no reason to,” I laugh, squeezing Morgan’s shoulders. “It’s not your fault women get very aggressive when they watch guys dance.” I glance up at Bron as I pull away. “Maybe it’s yours?”

I’m glad he responds with a grin that tells me he knows I’m joking. There’s no way I’m letting Morgan go home with a man without a sense of humour.

″I called J.B.,” Morgan says nervously.

″Youwhat? Oh god, Morgan.” I rest my hand against my forehead. “What did he say?”

″He laughed.”

″Really?”

″Said it was his own fault for making you come with us.”

Brit smiles at me. “At least we know who is to blame.”

Chapter Seventeen

More children should be considered carefully. It’s a momentous decision and should not be undertaken lightly.

A Young Woman’s Guide to Raising Obedient Children

Dr. Francine Pascal Reid, (1943)

The next afternoon, I sit with Brit on the plane and we talk. About everything. My fears, her fears, what our friendship means to us. I tell her that J.B. wants another baby and she surprises me with her wholehearted support.

″Why wouldn’t you want another one? Your kids are amazing and you’re a wonderful mother.”

“It’s a lot to think about.”

″You thought too much about it the first time and look what happened. Just see what happens this time,” Brit says.

″You sound like a different person,” I marvel.

″Things are clearer now,” she admits. The flight attendant stops her cart by Brit’s seat and asks what we’d like. “I want an iced tea, but a cold one, not some lukewarm can with ice watering it down,” Brit orders.

Maybe things are clearer for her, but my Brit can still be a real bitch.

But I still love her.

J.B. picks me up at the airport. The kids run into my arms, and I sink to the floor, tears in my eyes and heart in my throat as I hold their wriggling bodies.

My babies.

They go to Morgan for hugs, and I’m surprised when Brit opens her arms to them.

I’m even more surprised when Brit accepts J.B.’s offer of a ride home. She crawls into the third row of seats with Morgan, and the kids stare wide-eyed at them.

After I’m home, after the hours spent cuddling the kids and giving them the PG version of the trip, getting them to sleep, and telling J.B. the rest of what happened, I flop on the bed.

″Are you glad you went?” he asks.

I sigh tiredly. “I am. Despite everything. Did I tell you that Bron is coming to visit next week?”

″You told me three times.”

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