Walking up to the table late, I relish the heat from the diner’s heater compared to the cold outside. Winter’s really set her damn teeth in, and I’m bundled up pretty tightly.

I pull down my hood to see that Brad and Trey are already seated along one side of the booth, and Trey’s little sister, Ana, is sitting on the other side. I smile. It’s good to see the girl again. I’ve hung out with Ana a few times as we’re both third wheels for Brad and Trey’s dates.

Yeah, I know if there’s two of us, we’re not technically third wheels, but I definitely get that awkward ‘I shouldn’t be here while these two are thirty seconds from going at it’ feeling at times. Still, we put up with it because Brad and Trey are always adorable. Somehow, Trey is just this calm, stabilizing normalcy for Brad’s crazy, drama-filled life.

I sit down beside Ana, giving her a side hug as I apologize. “Sorry for being late, as usual. These silver-hair special early dinners are just a little early for me with closing time at the boutique.”

Ana waves it off. “No worries. We ordered you a drink and a salad. I knew that much and figured you could order the rest when you got here.”

“Thanks!” I reply happily, pulling off my scarf. Ana is always sweet like that, thinking of other people first and herself last, but she’s got a touch of spitfire in her too. She’s just sweet and sassy, virtually unflappable like Trey, whose blood pressure never ticks up a single point in response to Brad’s melodrama. “It has to be sub-zero out there. I swear I’m about to feel my fingernails freeze and drop off.”

“Not with that mani I gave you last week,” Brad says tartly. “You drop your fingernails, I’m going to have to put on some gel extensions, and if I do that, I’m going full fab.”

“Oh, hell no, not with Valentine’s shopping coming up,” I protest. “You know how much lingerie I’d get snagged on one of your full fab sets? I saw the last one you did . . . didn’t know you could put actual sequins on someone’s nails.”

I sip my water with lemon, realizing as it washes down that I was parched. I need to keep better habits or Trey will have me on the same macro diet deal he’s got Brad on. No, thank you. I like having comfort food once in awhile, and frankly, for the past two months, Ben and Jerry have been my best boyfriends.

I drain my water and raise the glass for the waitress to come around and refill, turning to Ana. “How’s the job? New place?”

Ana moved to town a month ago, following her big brother after wrapping up her nursing degree at the nearby university. She recently started a new job in the local hospital’s ER as a trauma nurse and got a new apartment close to the hospital so that she can easily commute for her odd hours, which I’m sure helps. After four years of dorm life, I’m thinking solo apartment life is heaven for her.

Ana grins and adjusts the sleeve of her scrubs. She’s the sort of girl who looks great in the casual hygienic outfits, and I’m sure more than one doctor has wondered if she’s a ‘naughty nurse’. “Everything's going great! You know me, saving lives everyday.”

She says it jokingly, but it's pretty close to the truth. She’s already helped on two life-saving resuscitations, and from some of the tales she tells, I’m glad I live closer to the resort side of town. Down around the university has some shady areas.

The waitress comes, and in deference to Trey, I order a grilled chicken and veggie plate, knowing full well that I’m gonna scarf down the pint of Truffle Kerfluffle I’ve got sitting in my freezer back home.

Everything in moderation, I guess. Besides, recently, my appetite’s been through the roof, and while I’ve been working hard and still hitting the gym, I’m just rolling with it. Hell, body positivity and all. Not everyone needs to have a six-pack.

We’re chatting, unwinding after a long day of work, and Brad has us all roaring with laughter about a bridezilla he did makeup for last weekend. “So I get one eye done when suddenly, she decides that cerulean blue isn’t the color she wants. Instead, she starts throwing a damn tantrum that she wants ice blue.”

“There’s a difference?” Ana asks.

“Hardly, and considering it was the third damn change, I just told her I could take care of it,” Brad says. “Turned around, did a little bit of hocus-pocus with my hands, pretending I was making an adjustment, and went right back to work with the same stuff I had before. She lies back, I do a light dusting of glitter on top of what I’d already done, and she’s happy.”

“Happy?” I ask, and Brad snickers.

“Well, she didn’t try to claw anyone’s eyes out and she said I did an ‘okay’ job,” Brad admits. “Her poor overstressed daddy slipped me an extra fifty on the credit card tip for the trouble.”

“I’ll drink to that—” I start to reply before a buzzing in my purse alerts me that I’ve got a phone call. I pull it out to silence it but freeze at the number on the display. “Sorry, guys, it’s my doctor. I need to take this real quick.”

They all quiet down, using the opportunity to stuff their faces with dinner while I answer. For someone who talks about macros and ‘staying shredded’, Trey sure can get down and devour food like a starving Rottweiler sometimes. “Hello?”

“Rose, this is Dr. Eldrich,” the warm but concerned voice on the other end of the line says. I’ve been going to him since I got to town, and he’s the definition of country doc in terms of his patient interaction, but with a twenty-first-century level of care. “I wanted to check in with you about your bloodwork. I just got the results back.”

“Okaaaay . . .” the word is drawn out because while what he’s saying sounds reasonable, I can hear an inflection in his voice that’s setting me on edge. Besides, who the hell calls at early-bird special time?

“If I’m remembering correctly,” Dr. Eldrich continues, “we did a full physical and bloodwork in preparation for you to begin a donor insemination cycle.”

“That’s right, sir. I kind of have a donor in mind. I just wanted to make sure I’m healthy,” I reply. “I was thinking of coordinating with your office about that as soon as everything gets signed off. I figured on taking my time getting prepped for the cycle.”

At my quiet words, the table is totally silent, every eye on me. All three of them know about my plans and have been super supportive, but still . . . one simply doesn’t talk about sperm donations in the middle of a diner.

But my friends all know. Once I finally decided, Brad even joked that he might consider using a donor womb one day to have a mini-Brad, so it was kinda the same thing. It’s really not, but I appreciated his support.

I shake my head, my memories interrupted by Dr. Eldrich’s comment. “I figured you wanted to make sure, Rose. Well, your blood counts all came back good—cholesterol and blood pressure are healthy. There’s just one thing.”

In an instant of almost precognition, my life flashes before my eyes. Something’s wrong. I’ve got bad hormones, cysts inside me, or just flat out can’t have a baby. My dream crashes in the span of a heartbeat.

Holding my breath, I bury my chin in my chest, trying to hide from the world. “What’s wrong?”

I feel Ana place a friendly hand on my thigh, grounding me for whatever I’m about to hear. Dr. Eldrich replies quickly. I guess he heard the worry in my voice. “Rose, part of the standard workup is that we run a pregnancy test. And good news—you’re already pregnant. So it looks like you won’t need the insemination cycle after all.”

What? Did he just say what I think he did? I’m stunned, my jaw hanging slack and my eyes wide, as I stumble over his words, trying to make sense of what Doc just said. “Pregnant? Already . . . pregnant?”

Vaguely, I hear him telling me to schedule another appointment and congratulations. He hangs up, and I drop the phone to my lap in shock, my eyes scanning the expectant faces around me. “I’m uh . . . pregnant.”

With an overwhelming roar, time starts moving again and everyone’s faces light up, nobody’s brighter than Brad’s. Trey throws his hands in the air, fists pumping. “Congratulations!”

“Oh, my gosh!” Ana adds, throwing her arms around me and squeezing so tightly I think I feel my ribs start to rub together. I guess all that nursing work makes you stronger than you look.

“I think I’ll be Auntie Brad,” Brad says, signaling for the waitress. “And in the meantime, get this woman a chicken fried steak!”

As they all start to celebrate, talking fast and animated, it takes them a minute to recognize I haven’t said anything. I feel frozen, the world rushing past me without my even being able to interact with it as realization crashes over me. “It’s not . . . I didn’t . . .”

“Didn’t what, honey?” Brad asks.

Finally breaking through my paralysis, I grit out between clenched teeth, “I didn’t do the cycle yet. It’s not a donor. It’s . . . it’s . . . Nic’s.”

That gets through to Brad, who whistles slowly. I’d told him about my celebration night and how it was quite a bit hotter than my usual two-drink and home alone party. He teased me for days about getting my freak on and high-fived me when I told him about the little devil Brad telling me to go for it, claiming sagely that it totally sounded like him. “Rose, that’s so you that I can’t even begin to wrap my pretty little head around it. Only you could have a one-night stand to celebrate deciding to get inseminated and end up pregnant. I thought you were safe?”

“Well,” I say, “we were safe. But we were so into it, I don’t know, maybe it slipped off a little or tore.”

“Lucky bitch,” Ana mutters under her breath before jerking as Trey kicks her under the table. “What? An orgasm and a dream baby in one night? That’s gotta be fate—”

Trey interrupts. “Wait, so the one-night stand guy? You’re really sure the baby is his? I mean, I don’t want to say you might be mistaken but . . . are you sure?”

I glare at him. I know he’s not trying to say I’ve been slutting it up, but still, it’s hard not to read that between the lines. “Yes, I’m sure. He’s the only man I’ve been with in longer than I care to admit.”

Ana looks at me, takes my hand, and gives me a determined nod. “Okay, then. Well, you wanted a baby, you’ve got a baby. Maybe the old-fashioned way, but the result is the same. And you saved yourself baby batter fees? Congrats, girl!”

Brad looks serious and sips at his water. “So, you gonna tell your baby daddy about the little one?”

I groan, putting my head to my arms on the table. “Guys . . . I don’t even remember his last name. First name, the company he works for, and the fact that he’s in sales. That’s it.”

Brad hums, tapping his lips with his index finger. “Hmm, maybe we can do a little check-around, but you were prepared to be a single mom. So if you can’t find him, are you going to sweat it? You’ve got family right here, and we’re gonna support you and the little one. Safest, most spoiled rotten wee tyke in the whole country.”

His simple words reassure me, and I place my hands on my belly, a huge smile taking over my face. Brad’s right. I need to take joy in this. “I’m going to be a mom. I’m pregnant.”

Just like that, almost all of my dreams come true. I’ve got the business, I’ve got a great circle of friends, and now I’m having my baby.

So what if I’m missing the husband piece of the puzzle? I’m so damn grateful for what I do have.