Page 73 of The Homecoming

“Well, right now, he needs to learn how to sit up on his own and how to crawl.”

“Hold up,” he said. “You know I’m carrying?”

She rolled her eyes and plucked Danny from off his lap, placing the child on the blanket on the floor for tummy time. “Yeah,” she snorted. “Only ‘cause I know you. Not that I know what weapon or where it is on you. But I assume you always do.”

He smiled and stood.

“I’m right?”

His grin got brighter.

A knock came at the front door and in barged Hannah and Rebecca with shopping bags. “We’re here,” Hannah announced. Autumn had forgotten it was movie night with the girls.

“We have wine, Chinese takeout, andThe Switch,starring Jen Anniston.” Rebecca waved a DVD case in the air.

“Because she’s fabulous,” Hannah replied. She unloaded Chinese food containers onto the counter. “We got an assortment to share.” Both women froze when they noticed Weasel.

“Thought it was girls’ night?” Hannah spoke after a few beats. “Are you one of the girls now?”

He looked down at himself and felt his chest, then his crotch comedically. “No, ma’am.”

Autumn and Hannah laughed, shaking their heads. Rebecca rolled her eyes, sighed, and returned her attention to opening the bottle of wine.

“I’m just on my way out, you ladies have a good night.”

With Danny settled into his crib for the night, the girls piled onto the sofa with plates of Chinese food and glasses of wine before the question Autumn had expected was asked.

“So, why was he here?” Rebecca asked, trying to make it sound nonchalant. If she were jealous, she had no cause to be.

“He came out to target shoot. I think something’s bothering him, but he didn’t want to tell me what.” She looked Rebecca in the eye, who turned her attention to her plate. “Then he watched Danny so I could shower.”

Hannah looked back and forth between Autumn and Rebecca. “What am I missing?”

“They kissed,” Autumn admitted. Rebecca fell back on the sofa and covered her eyes with her hands.

“You kissed Weasel? When?”

“New Year’s Eve,” Autumn replied.

“What?” Hannah stared at Autumn, her eyes wide. “How am I just now hearing about this?”

“I didn’t want the world to know,” Rebecca cried from behind her hands.

“I’m not the world.”

“Maybe at your wedding, too.” Autumn stirred up her fried rice. “But I haven’t been able to get out of either of them exactly what happened.”

“They didn’t sleep together,” Hannah said.

Autumn raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

“Neither of them has been relaxed in months.”.

“Nothing happened,” Rebecca huffed.

“Told you,” Hannah mocked, earning a nod from Autumn.

“How did he kiss?” Hannah asked.

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