Page 45 of Fool Me Once

“Are you all right?” Paige says, shooting up from her seat. “Poppy, talk to me. Are you good?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Poppy grimaces, rubbing the same spot on her stomach. “Sometimes, the baby decides to rub his head against certain parts in there that really fucking hurt.” She looks at Paige, and shelooks like she said something she shouldn’t have. “I’m sorry, P. I hope that didn’t sound like I was complaining. I’m not—”

“Stop it right now,” Paige commands before sitting on the edge of Poppy’s chair. “I’ve told you, just because things haven’t gone my way yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your pregnancy. I want to hear all the things, and I know you always feel like you can’t talk about the baby in front of me.”

This is one of those moments I feel I shouldn’t be around for. I don’t know what they are talking about, and I feel like an outsider.

But after a few seconds, Paige looks at me, smiling, though it’s pained.

“Kolt and I tried for years to have a baby. Ultimately, our infertility struggles tore us apart.” She nudges her friend lightly. “Now, when she’s around me, she feels guilty for even being excited about the precious baby in her belly, and it drives me crazy!” She looks down at Poppy. “Is he moving right now?”

Hesitantly, Poppy nods.

Paige lifts her hands, but before placing them on her friend’s belly, she smiles. “May I? I want to feel my nephew kicking!”

Poppy nods, and even through her sunglasses, I can tell she’s crying.

Paige’s hands rest on her stomach, and she giggles. “Oh my Lord, we might have a future soccer player on our hands. Or maybe a boxer—who knows?”

Poppy grins, pulling her sunglasses off and wiping under her eyes. “Just don’t tell his daddy. He’s probably hoping for another hockey player.”

It’s a special moment, and I can see the love between the two of them. It’s obvious that Paige is in pain, and yet she’s masking it because she loves Poppy so much that she’d never want to take any joy away from her when it comes to her pregnancy. Paige is one of those rare humans who almost has a sparkle effect when she walks into the room. She’s just that pure and good.

“Hellooo, bitches!” I hear a familiar voice shout from inside the suite.

My eyes fly to Paige and Poppy, who look confused. Within seconds, I’m barreling through the door because I’d know Saylor’s voice anywhere.

The bags in her hands fly to the floor when she spots me, and we rush toward each other, hugging and crying.

“You’re here,” I sob, rocking back and forth with her. “You’re really here.”

“Damn right I am! Thanks to my brother, who paid for my flight and Uber,” she cries. “South Carolina is a helluva lot closer to Florida than it is Maine. There was no way I wasn’t showing up here and spending the night with my best friend.”

When I was in California, we’d go months or even a year without seeing each other. And yet here we are; it’s been a week and some change, and we’re acting like it’s been decades.

I inhale her scent, which might be weird, but I don’t care. Saylor is the sister I never had and as close to family as anyone else is to me.

Once we finally release each other, she moves on to Paige and Poppy, hugging both of them and rubbing Poppy’s belly. Without permission, of course. Luckily, Poppy doesn’t seem to mind.

“Yay! Now, we can have the ultimate girl party tonight,” Paige cheers. “Kolt sent us a ton of cake pops. I hope you all have a sweet tooth!”

“Maci and Amelia are next door; we should have them stop over too!” Poppy says before looking around. “Where’re those cake pops anyway?”

Normally, I wouldn’t want to hang out with a huge group of women. But every single one of these women is really fun to be around. Maci is Logan Sterns’s girlfriend, and Amelia is his daughter. I met them both briefly at Friendsgiving. Maci seemed very down-to-earth, and Amelia—who can’t be more than three or four years old—is adorable.

“Oh, yes! I’ll text Maci.” Paige grabs her phone and types furiously. “Done.”

My own phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out, trying to fight a smile from tugging at my lips when I see Smith’s name. It’s totally fine to be excited when a friend texts you though. I mean, I’m excited every single time Saylor texts me. Completely normal.

Smith: How’s the suite?

Me: It’s amazing! Thank you.

Smith: Thank you for traveling to Florida for the game. How was your flight with the girls?

Me: It was good, though you didn’t have to upgrade my ticket to first class. Thank you though.

Flying in with Paige, Poppy, Maci, Amelia, and a few other Sharks’ girlfriends and wives was actually kind of fun. Amelia is the cutest little kid I’ve ever met, and she was an absolute rock star on the flight.

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