Page 106 of Single Chance

Sam was less sullen toward me now that she and Rowan could talk boys, hair, and clothing to their hearts’ content. I was fine being left out of those conversations and thankful as hell the sweet side of my daughter had resurfaced. She was set to finish her freshman year of high school with solid grades, a bestie in Kinsley, and a burgeoning business, as the two of them were starting a babysitting service this summer.

“Mama to be?” I said to Rowan. “Are you ready to find out what flavor kiddo we’ve got in there?”

Rowan shoved her chair back. “So ready. Let’s do this.”

“Yay!” Sam said, standing in a flash. “Come on, Dad.”

Olivia, who was sitting on the other side of Kinsley, tuned in to our conversation. “Reveal time?”

“Yep. As if you don’t know what it is,” Kinsley said to her.

“I’ll never tell though,” Olivia said, grinning.

Olivia, who worked at Sugar, was the only one besides the ultrasound tech who knew the gender of our baby. The tech had written it down and sealed it in an envelope. Rowan had handed that over to Olivia, who’d agreed to bake the special cake thatwas filled with either pink or blue. She’d also baked the larger cake our guests would eat.

Rowan and I stood.

“Bring your drink. We’re going to toast,” I told my girls.

Sam practically dragged Rowan and me to the cake table.

The three of us had everyone’s attention in no time, as “Is it time?” was repeated from one side of the patio to the other.

“Hey, everyone,” I said. “Itistime.”

A round of cheers rang out, and though I’d not immediately embraced the concept of this party, now I was glad we were sharing our moment of truth with our closest friends.

When they quieted, I repeated, “It’s time for the reveal. Well, almost time.”

“Cut the cake!” Max called out.

“I’ll get there, Coach Impatience.”

Rowan stood to my left, and Sam was on my right. I pulled them both closer.

“I want to thank every one of you for joining us tonight,” I said, as Rowan and I had agreed I’d do the talking. “I mean that. While the three of us can’t wait to find out whether we’ll have a boy or a girl join our family, we know that most of you just wish us a healthy baby, regardless of gender. But you came out because it’s important to my family.”

“Plus the open bar,” Ben hollered, eliciting laughter.

“And the cake,” Presley said.

We laughed with the smart-asses, then I sobered. “Some of you know I’m not close to my immediate family. That bugged me for years as I tried to figure out what was wrong with me and what I could do to be closer to them. I played with the decision to move away from St. Louis, where my parents still live, for a couple of years before doing it, worrying it would make us even more distant and maybe end our chances of ever feeling like part of a family.”

My daughter leaned her head on my upper arm on one side. On the other, Rowan squeezed my arm, nestling in closer.

“No way could I have predicted that moving away would be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” I continued, “but that’s exactly what it was. If Sammy and I hadn’t taken the risk of moving, I never would’ve met the woman of my dreams. Sam wouldn’t have met her bestie, Kinsley.” I nodded at the teenager sitting at the closest table. “We wouldn’t have learned that found family can mean a lot stronger binds than blood family.” I paused for a second to swallow down the emotion threatening to overcome me. “You all have become our family. The people who care. The people we love. So thank you.”

I raised my beer bottle in a toast. “To found family.”

“Here, here!”

“To found family!”

I clinked my bottle to Sam’s soda glass and Rowan’s water flute. We all drank a sip, then Sam stepped forward. We’d agreed she could do the honors of finding out what color was inside the cake.

She turned an empty glass upside down, hovered it over the small, all-white cake, then said, “Here goes nothing.”

Rowan and I held on to each other. My heart was pounding at the anticipation, even though I’d be happy with either gender as long as they were healthy.

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