Page 91 of Books and Hookups

“Make it a veggie pizza,” Savannah said. “Cured meats aren’t great for the baby. And garlic knots.”

My mouth watered. Garlic knots would almost make up for the lack of pepperoni. “Fine. Can Andrew pick up my laptop from my place? I need it, but I don’t want to go back there right now.”

“Sure. Keys?” Tessa asked.

“Carly has one,” I said.

“Great.” She turned and handed the list to Andrew. “Thanks for doing this.”

He smiled. “It’s my pleasure. I feel like Nick Fury taking care of the Avengers.” Turning with a squeak of his sneaker, he planted another kiss on Carly’s lips, then strode out the door.

“Here. Switch with me.” Savannah held out a hand and pulled me up. She guided me to sit facing the back of the chair with my arms folded on top to cradle my head. She sat on the couch and started the massage with long, gentle strokes down my back. The tension drained out of me, and I understood why Chanel liked being petted so much.

Tessa’s voice came from the other side of the coffee table. “Tell us what happened.”

“We were taking a walk in the botanical garden, and when we sat down to rest, Danny proposed. He had a ring and everything.”

Savannah’s hands froze on my back, and she squealed. “Did he get down on one knee?”

I snorted. “Yeah. Why the hell would he think I wanted that?”

“You mean the knee or the proposal?” Tessa asked.

“Either. We’ve got a perfectly good thing going. There’s no reason to change it. And no one wants a house in the suburbs. No offense,” I added, looking back at Savannah.

“Suburban life isn’t for everyone,” she said.

“Wait, he wants you to move to the suburbs?” Tessa asked.

“He wants to use the money he was saving up to buy Barb’s to buy a house for the baby. I don’t want that. The baby doesn’t want that. A few years from now, he’ll wake up and discover he doesn’t want it either. He’ll regret giving up his dreams for it.”

“Will he?” Carly spoke up for the first time. “He’s in love with you.”

“In love with me? What the fuck does he know at thirty? Of course he’ll regret it. I’ve seen it firsthand. My mother gave up everything for my father—and me—and what does she have to show for it? Not even a fucking thank you when he wins yet another award.”

“She has you to show for it.” Savannah rubbed the spot where my shoulder met my neck. “She’s so proud of you.”

I sat up and shook off her hand. “But she could’ve had a career. She could’ve been winning awards. That’s why I decided not to have a baby when I was twenty.”

“And that was the right choice for you. But it might not have been the right choice for her. People are different. Is your mother more like you or like Danny?”

Danny had skipped college and given the money to his sister. He’d wanted to buy Barb’s so he could employ Nico and any of his other family members who needed a job. And he’d offered to give up his dream so I could have a fucking home office to write in. He didn’t want to live in the spotlight. Instead, he wanted to be the one who helped everyone else achieve what they wanted. “Damn it. He’s exactly like my mom.”

“You’re writing about legacies,” Tessa said. “You’re your mom’s legacy. And so is at least part of your dad’s work.”

“But she should want something with her name on it,” I said. “And so should Danny.”

“Should they?” Carly asked. “Just because you want that doesn’t mean they do.”

“But…but he’s so young.” I straightened and rolled my shoulders. “I don’t want him to give up his future for me. He could meet someone else and have more kids. He comes from a big family. He probably wants that.”

“Not necessarily,” Carly said. “He might’ve had enough child-rearing already.”

“Exactly!” I raised a finger. “He’s only thirty. Why would he want to be saddled with an oops-wife-and-kid for the rest of his life?”

Savannah stroked my back. “Because he’s a good guy. Because he loves you and that kid, regardless of whether or not he planned it.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” I said, “but I won’t let him ruin his life like that. And I’m not moving to any fucking suburb.”

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