Page 65 of My Scorned Best Friend

As if she remembers too, Rebecca rounds the desk. “You two have come so far. Your mom would be so proud.”

She pats my back, and although I love talking about my mom now, it still hurts that she never saw Xavier and me get together.

“See you soon.”

I leave Trent Lawson’s office, a little weirded out that both people I went to thank didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. But it was all processed online, so they would have had to put their information in the form with their payment.

Walking across the cobblestones, I see Presley at the table nearest the wall. Cade is sitting with her as she nurses Leighton with a blanket over her shoulder. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a twinge of envy. I do want to be a mother, but definitely not until… oh my god, I need to stop thinking too far into the future. It’s just hard when I’ve known him my entire life. I already know all his annoying traits.

Cade stands to greet me, leaving his chair out for me to slide into.

“Thanks, Cade,” I say.

“I need to go back to work anyway. I could spend all day with these two.” He kisses Presley’s cheek. “Don’t talk too bad about the Greene men.” He winks at Presley, and she shakes her head, smiling.

“So, how are things?” I ask first.

“They’re good. She’s eating well, finally sleeping for five hours at night, which has been a dream. The doctor says maybe by six months, we’ll have an entire night.” The fact she looks anxiously eager for that to happen says she must be tired.

“I know Marla is busy with Hank, so why don’t you let me take Leighton for a night? You and Cade can get away or just sleep. You can have a night or an entire weekend.”

“I couldn’t. It’s fine. Cade helps, but I’m breastfeeding, so there’s only so much he can do. One of us might as well get sleep.”

We talk about bottles and pacifiers and how Leighton really did smile for real the other day. Except for the bags under her eyes, Presley looks really happy.

“Did you get our donation?” she asks, and I can’t believe out of everyone, I forgot to thank her. “I’m just asking because it was weird on the form, and I wanted to make sure you got it.”

“I did, and thank you very much. Too generous, as usual.”

“My mom said she’s going to donate too, but she better be invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

“Of course she will.”

Since Presley was adopted at birth, her adoptive parents still live on the East Coast. They come often to visit, but usually only in the spring and summer.

“Okay, we’ve made enough small talk and you’ve yet to speak his name. What is going on?” Presley says and removes Leighton, moves things around under the blanket, and brings her up to burp her. She does it all with finesse as though Leighton is her twelfth kid and not her first.

“It’s hard. Long distance is shitty.”

“Then you need to spice it up.”

“By?”

“Phone sex, FaceTime sex, surely you two can figure something out.”

“Are you actually Team Xavier and Clara now?”

She hasn’t been shy about speaking her displeasure.

Her hand covers mine. “I just worry about you. That’s all.”

“Well, don’t. I know Xavier better than anyone, and I trust him.”

“What does he do down there when he’s not busy?” That’s her sly way of asking if he goes out to clubs, I bet.

“Pres, he’s not going to do that.”

“Hey, it’s Xavier!” Cade grabs the remote and turns up the volume.

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