Frannie went above and beyond with the shower decor. When I stepped into her spacious condo, I checked the address on the door, making sure I had the right place. Her home looked more like an English garden than a modern city dwelling.

“Like it?” she asked.

“Girl, what? You might send Rachel into early labor with all this!”

James looked worried as he took the box of favors from me. “I told her it was too much,” he said.

“No such thing!” Frannie replied.

There were flowers everywhere. Just to walk into the condo, guests had to go under a floral archway. Every surface had jars and vases and pitchers overflowing with flowers. And she’d gone all in with the tea party theme, her huge dining room table lined with tea cups at each setting and hand painted teapots dotting the center.

“It’s too much, but at the same time, it’s just enough,” I said.

She nodded. “Exactly. You get me. Also, have I told you how adorable you look?”

“Why thank you, my Frananas. I love this dress. It’s perfect for spinning!” I twirled in a circle, my crinoline swishing around my legs. “And you look amazing as always.”

Frannie had eschewed the big floppy hat for a pink feathered fascinator pinned to the side of her head. And her version of a tea dress was floral and poofy, but tea length it was not. Her dress stopped mid-thigh, showing off at least two miles of legs. There weren’t any sequins, but it was so Frannie anyway.

As James left to hide from the extreme dose of estrogen about to overtake his condo, Eliza and Rachel arrived. My hands went right to Rachel’s belly, rubbing her like a buddha. She stood there patiently with her arms out, letting me have my fill.

“I might as well accept now that my body is no longer my own,” she said.

I gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. “You’ll have it back eventually. And I promise not to rub your belly after you eject that sweet baby.”

She laughed, and finally looked around the condo. “Holy shit!”

Frannie stood next to her. “You don’t like it?” she asked, worried.

“Are you kidding? It’s gorgeous! But you didn’t have to do this for me,” Rachel said.

“It’s not about have to. I wanted to. And I’d do this for any of you,” she replied.

“I feel kind of inadequate that all I’m doing is playing a song,” Eliza said.

Rachel gasped. “You’re playing piano for me?” Eliza nodded. Rachel turned to Frannie. “You have a piano?”

“For today. Well, it’s an electric piano Charlie hooked us up with,” Frannie said.

Rachel patted her chest. “I think I need to sit down.”

We crowded around her on the couch, fanning her hot face. “You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, just got overwhelmed for a second. This is just…” she shook her head, “it’s incredible. I love all of you so much, and I’m so happy you’re going to be part of this little boy’s life.”

“Coolest aunts ever,” Frannie said.

“I’ll take him running and teach him swear words in Japanese and Hebrew,” Eliza said.

“We’ll have to have baking dates. Just drop him off with Aunt Laurel and I’ll sugar him up for you,” I said.

Rachel’s hands rested on her belly and she let out a happy sigh.

“And obviously I’ll be passing on my pinball skills,” Frannie said.

“Sounds like a well-rounded kid,” Rachel said.

“I love him already,” I said, and Frannie and Eliza agreed.

Rachel smoothed her hand back and forth. “Kiddo, you have no idea what you’re in for, do you? Well, that makes two of us!”

“Do any of us actually know what we’re in for? Or are we all just floating along, hoping things will turn out right?” I asked.

Eliza nudged my foot with hers. “Are things turning out right with you?”

Since I wasn’t holding back from my friends anymore, I spilled the details of what had been going on with Avi and me over the last couple weeks, including telling him about Tom this morning.

“Obviously I’m happy things are going well, but, girl, what happened with ripping off the Band-Aid?” Frannie asked.

“I’m more of a slowly peel the Band-Aid off kind of girl,” I said.

She held her hands up. “Not gonna say anything else. You know how I feel.”

“I do know. Thank you for looking out for me.”

The relief I felt in having everything out in the open with my girls was palpable. To be able to talk about my worries or even receive tough love was exactly what I’d been needing for a long time.

But today wasn’t about me. We were here to celebrate our friend bringing new life into this world. Yes, the dynamic of our friendship was bound to change with the addition of a new little person in our midst, but I was starting to see change as a good thing. Maybe because I no longer felt left behind.

“Will you play for me, before everyone gets here?” Rachel asked Eliza.

“Any requests?”

“Surprise me. I just want to put my feet up and listen to pretty music.”

Of course Frannie shoved the ottoman under Rachel’s feet at that remark. It made me smile, because although Frannie said she wasn’t really on board with the whole pregnancy and baby thing, she tripped over herself to make sure Rachel was comfortable and was pretty googly-eyed whenever she talked about little Rachel Jr.

I sighed, letting myself get internally googly-eyed about the three or four kids Avi and I hypothetically agreed on. Maybe one day Frannie would be throwing an elaborate baby shower for me. Although, now that I knew what she was capable of, I’d have to set some hard limits on budget. As pretty as Rachel’s baby shower was, I didn’t need her to buy every tulip in Holland for mine.

Am I really sitting here planning my baby shower? Why yes, I think I am.

Luckily, Eliza started playing the electric piano Frannie draped with flowers and garland, interrupting my crazy train.

“What’s this song?” I whispered.

Rachel sniffled. “It’s ‘Closing Time’ by Semisonic. People think it’s about a bar closing, but it’s really about childbirth. And...and...I can’t believe she’s playing this.”

Her tears had me choking up, and by the time Eliza swiveled around on her piano bench to face us, Rachel, Frannie, and I were all crying.

Eliza laughed. “Way to kill the mood, me.”

“I love that song, E,” Rachel said.

“I know,” Eliza said softly.

Soon, other guests would arrive, and we’d have to share each other, but for these few minutes, it was old times. Four sublime women against the world. Only…the world had gotten a lot softer for all of us lately. It felt a lot less like a fight and more like a journey. And I knew, as I kissed Rachel’s belly and she laughed, letting me indulge, nothing was going to be the same. It was only going to get better.