“Are you gonna tell us or not?” Lauren asks, settling herself in on my couch, both legs tucked under her body.

“Tell you what?”

She throws her hands in the air, exasperated.

“You two are so annoying! We deserve to know what’s up, you know? Now that he got over whatever was up his butt for a little while there and you two are back together, you have some explaining to do. Besides, you’re the one who called this little informational meeting. So, fess up. Now, dammit!”

“Geesh, Carly. Marriage has made you rather demanding, you know?”

“I know!” she says proudly. “Seriously. Are you two okay now? Everything is settled?”

“Yeah. He… freaked out, I guess. Putting it mildly. But, when Aidan got in trouble at school, I think it opened his eyes. We’re moving on.”

“Christine, you know we’re here for you, right?” Tess says, reaching over to hold my hand, always the mother hen. Unless margaritas are involved — then it’s every woman for herself. “And I’m glad to hear that. I hear Mrs. Lyons pulled him by the ear. She’s hysterical.”

“She did. I bet she loved that.”

“So… I mean, tell us when you’re ready, but I really think you should be ready now,” Lauren laughs. “Want wine? Sometimes it helps, takes the edge off a bit, you know.” She gives me knowing grin.

“I’m good.”

“Oh? Why is that? I thought you normally enjoyed a glass or two of wine.” Lauren. What a stinkin’ brat.

“Okay, fine! I’m prego, okay?” I see Carly hand Tess some money and grumble that Barrett was right. No one is saying anything, so I continue on. “You know, I’m in a family way. Bun in the oven. With child. Knocked up. Bat in the cave.”

“You have a booger in your nose, too?”

I cover my nose and jerk my head back. “What? Do I have a booger?” Carly looks and shakes her head.

“I’m confused.”

“Bat in the cave. It means you have something in your nose.”

“No! Bat in the cave. It means I’m pregnant.”

“No, that’s not what it means at all.”

“I disagree.”

“Let’s look it up.”

“Lauren! Stop! Who gives a crap! Christine just told us she’s pregnant! With Andy’s baby! Wait.” She turns wide eyes toward me and gasps. “It is Andy’s, right?”

I look at Tess like she’s insane. “Of course, it’s Andy’s! Who else’s would it be?”

“I don’t know! I didn’t want to assume!”

“Tess.”

Who does she think I am?

“I realize that you and Andy are together but hey, I’m not here to judge you. It’s the twentieth century.”

“Actually, it’s the twenty-first.” Carly just can’t turn off teacher mode.

“No shit? How does that make sense?”

“Nuh uh. Tess is right.”

“No, she’s not. Sorry you two, but there are instances in the world where you’re wrong.”

“I disagree with that also. I don’t believe it. That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Believe it… because the first years, like zero to one hundred, were in the first century. So, one hundred one…”

“Carly! Stop teachering right now! We get it, okay? You’re smarter than we are!”

I’m watching the three of them with amusement. If they’re talking about this, maybe they’ll leave me alone for a bit.

“I didn’t say I was smarter. I would never say that out loud. But in this case, I am. Also, teachering isn’t a word. It doesn’t even sound good.”

“You know. You used to be nice. Before James. BJ — ha! See what I did there?” She laughs to herself. “BJ you were nice. AJ, which doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, you’re just all smart-assy and mean. My brother has really corrupted you.”

Carly grins, obviously proud of the impact James has made on her.

I stand slowly from my place on the couch, hoping to get by with just my announcement and not needing to reveal much else. I don’t make it two steps.

“Stop right there, chica.” I slowly spin around and look at the ladies who have become my best friends over the years. I sit down and sigh. It’s not that I’m not willing to give them more information. It’s just that everything feels so new, and I kind of liked having it in our protective bubble. Once it’s out there, it’s out there. I’m not exactly young to be having a child, so the risks we know are involved are more real. It’s terrifying. This little bundle growing inside me might not have been something we planned or expected, but we make up for it in how much we want him or her. Her, if you ask Andy.

“We need more details than that. When are you due? How are you feeling? Is Andy excited? A boy? A girl? Twins?” Tess gasps.

“Uhhh…”

“Oh, my gosh. What if you have another set of twins, like his boys?”

“Well we only heard one heartbeat so…”

“You heard the heartbeat already?” Carly shouts, standing up and throwing her arms in the air.

“Yes, you goofball, we’ve been to the doctor several times. Given the fact that I’m forty-one years old, they’re keeping a closer eye on things.”

I don’t tell her that all three kids went with us to an early ultrasound also.

“Pssh, you may be forty-one in actual years, but you’re so healthy it’s more like dog years.”

“So, I’m six?”

“What? No! You know what I mean. Stop being so literal!” Lauren laughs. “But seriously. You’re in excellent shape, and holy crap your kids are going to be gorgeous. Andy’s hot. And don’t give me that look. I love my husband, but damn, girl. Andy’s got it goin’ on.”

“What would Josh say if he heard you say that?”

“Oh, please. Like he doesn’t know. I don’t lie to my husband.”

How can I not laugh at that? Sitting in this room, though, are three of the most faithful and loving wives ever. And their husbands are the same.

“Well, yeah, I would have to agree with you on that. Andy is definitely hot. And…” I gulp and look away before whispering, “young.”

“Oh stop. He’s not that young,” Carly insists.

I raise an eyebrow at her. “He’s six years younger than me.”

“So? You think that bothers him?”

I grab the box of Wheat Thins off the coffee table, one of the things I crave and can’t stop eating. Andy and I have boxes of them scattered everywhere. I eat a couple of crackers before I continue. “No, I know it doesn’t bother him. He’s made that perfectly clear. But, it’s hard to explain. We get looks.”

“If y’all get looks, it’s only because you two are a smokin’ hot couple and everyone is wondering if you two are celebrities.” Tess nods her head at the other ladies for their agreement.

“You’re such a suck ass.”

“I am not! I don’t lie! Right, ladies?”

“Oh damn,” Lauren says, looking around the room excitedly, bouncing in her seat on the couch.

“What?”

She stands up and clutches her phone to her chest then looks down at it again and sighs. When she meets my eyes, she smirks. “Remember those pictures of that guy with his baby in the sling against his chest wearing that insanely sexy leather jacket and aviators?” Her smile is so broad, and her eyes are sparkling.

“What? What picture?” Tess and Carly both ask.

I smile, knowing exactly where she’s going with this. Because that picture made women’s ovaries explode all over the place. And yeah, I’ve thought about it. Just a few hundred times. He’s already a hot dad to his boys. But they’re teenagers. Picturing Andy with a baby? I basically had to chase my ovaries to England, where they exploded to.

“It was going all over Facebook! How did you not see it?”

“So, you can be all judgy of Facebook when people are posting status updates, but not when someone is posting a picture of a hot guy?”

“Of course.”

“Oh hot damn,” Tess says. “Have mercy.” She’s looking down at her phone and looks up with wide eyes and fans her face. “I’m thinking maybe you should ban him from doing… that.” She points to her phone.

I’ve thought the same thing, too.

I see how some of the women in our town look at him.

I’m not blind.

“Holy crap, that picture is panty melting.” Carly’s eyes are a bit unfocused as she stares at it then clears her throat. “So, back to you guys. Is he excited?”

“Umm, yeah. He is. At first? I think he kind of freaked out. He made me pee on a dozen sticks. He went to Walgreens and bought every kind he could then stood in the bathroom with me while he made me chug down bottles of vitamin water to get me to pee.”

“Quite the bonding experience.” Lauren giggles.

“Right? Nothing says love like using the facilities in front of each other.”

Lauren, who sat back down on the couch, sits up straight and stares at me. “Wait. Did he do it, too?”

“Do what?” I ask dumbly. I can’t believe I slipped up like that. No, that’s a lie. I can totally believe it. I would never be able to keep the baby’s sex a secret when we find out. I’m about as bad as Josh and Barrett.

“Pee?”

“Why would he pee?”

“To make you feel better!”

I gasp. “How did you know?”

She points at me. “Ha! I knew it. He totally peed on a stick, didn’t he?”

I burst out laughing, wishing I could deny it.

“He had to brace his arm on the wall to make sure it aimed in the right place!” I shout through my laughter.

We all fall over, tears coming out of my eyes when I think about that night. I was so worried, and he made it a game. He calmed me down and eased my worries.

“Oh, bless his heart,” Tess says, her hand covering her chest. “He’s such a sweet guy. I can just picture his grin.”

When I finally stop laughing, I sit back up on the couch and tuck my feet under my butt. “It was sweet. He got down in front of me while I was trying to pee, holding up a bottle of water with a straw in it, encouraging me to keep going, telling me not to worry or be embarrassed. Then he said, ‘We got this, yeah?’ When I started crying, he kind of nudged my knee and said, ‘My turn. Let me do it this time. I wanna see what it’s like.’ I laughed so hard, I peed. Right then. I was so horrified, so he said he would pee on the stick, too. The whole thing is so gross, but it’s a good memory. By the time we had used all of the tests and only one came out negative, obviously being his, we didn’t have much of a choice but to accept it. He smiled at me and repeated, ‘We got this, yeah?’ and I knew we did.

“He was a little concerned about his boys, and how they would take it. But they’ve been wonderful. And they’re all pretty sure it’s a girl, even though we really don’t know, yet. And now Andy is just this super protective, caring, even more affectionate man. Especially after everything that went down.”

“Oh man. You’re blushing! The sex is hot, huh?”

“Carly!” I laugh. “Seriously, not even the same person.” I can’t help but smile at her, though. “Okay, you’re my people. So, yeah. The sex is uber hot. Which isn’t easy since he has the boys, but since Bri isn’t home, we have a little more freedom at my house when he’s over. The stamina that man has… it’s both exhausting and invigorating.”

“Are you going to move in together? Get married?”

“Yes, we’re going to move in together, but I think we’re going to have to add an addition on to his place to make room for me, the baby, and a room for Bri when she’s home. Married? I don’t know. I would love to be his officially. But we haven’t talked about it, not in the marriage sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’ve talked that we love each other in a forever way, but I’ve been too nervous to bring up marriage. Honestly? If he asked me right now, I’d haul his ass over to the court house and marry him on the spot.”

“Ooh, Bri would be upset if she missed it.”

This is true. Andy and Bri have gotten surprisingly close since we’ve been together. She had a great father figure in Barrett, but the bond she shares with Andy is different. It’s been a beautiful thing to watch.

“I don’t think I have anything to worry about there,” I admit.

“What do you mean?” Tess reaches her hand over to me, squeezing it once when I don’t respond. “Talk to us, Christine.”

“I don’t think Andy really wants to get married. Heather did a number on him, you know? She just… she was just so bad.” I don’t dive back into all the crap that happened with his terrible ex and definitely don’t want to bring up anything that happened with Todd and her. So far, Bri hasn’t heard any of the grumblings around town, and I want to keep it that way. Her memories of her father, even when he was sick, are wonderful ones. I want to keep it that way because no matter what junk was going through his head or how stupid he behaved, he was an incredible father.

“And the way she’s just up and left those boys?” I shake my head and shrug, wiping away a stray tear that starts making its way down my cheek.

“Hey—” Carly comes over and sits on the other side of me while Lauren makes her way over, sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Surrounded by my three best friends, I know I’m not in this alone. I might be having a baby at forty-one years old, but I have the love of my life by my side and the best friends a girl could ask for.

“Listen here, you beautiful, incredible, fabulous woman. Andy knows how lucky he is to have you. He loves you. I bet he’s looking for rings right now. Do you know how much he talks about you? Have you seen how he lights up when you walk into the room? It doesn’t matter if he hasn’t seen you in hours or minutes, his response is always the same. And I can only imagine how much he wants you to take his last name.”

“He looks at me a way?”

“Oh yeah,” they all say in unison.

“I’m surprised your panties don’t melt off from his looks alone,” Tess giggles.

I’m not sure they haven’t a time or two. I hate feeling this way, but I can’t help it. I loved someone with all I had in me once, and he ended up leaning on someone else, rather than coming to me, when he was at his lowest. As much as I’ve tried to not let it get to me, it isn’t easy. And the more I lean on Andy, the closer we get and the harder I fall for him, the more nervous I get.

Tess leans over and lifts my chin so I’m looking at her. “Listen to me, and hear what I’m telling you. Do not let your mind get in your way at this moment. Feel.” She presses her hand to my heart then moves it to my stomach. “How does he make you feel? How does he feel knowing you’re growing someone you made together? By the look on your face, I would imagine that he loves it more than just a little bit, am I right?”

I nod my head, feeling overwhelmed by their words.

“Damn pregnancy hormones.” I sniffle.

“Oh, they’re the worst,” Lauren says. “And I only had to deal with it once. But I had a boy and girl in there at the same time. It was like my body was going through whiplash.”

“Thanks, girls. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I say as the waterworks increase and I start weeping. “We’re having a baby!” I wail, half laughing.

“Don’t cry! Then I’ll start crying!” Carly wipes at her eyes that are already leaking.

“A baby!” Lauren shouts, throwing her arms in the air, trying to lighten the mood. “I can’t wait to snuggle it and smell it and dress it up!” Lauren, I can only imagine the clothes she’ll buy this little bundle.

“Me either!”

Soon we’re all huddled together on the couch, each of us crying and laughing.

“I think it’s safe to say she told them,” James’s voice carries over us.

I lift my head and nod, seeing Andy’s smiling face. His eyes soften as soon as we make contact.

“Babe,” he murmurs, making his way toward me on the couch. The ladies move aside as he crouches in front of me and leans up to kiss my stomach. “How’re my girls feeling?”

I hear the ladies behind me aww, and the guys snort.

“I’m good.”

“Yeah? Then what’s with the tears?” He wipes at my cheeks with his thumbs then kisses me softly.

I shrug my shoulders, not wanting to admit how self-conscious I feel about… well, everything. He raises his eyebrows at me, not satisfied with my lack of answering.

“Talk to me,” his voice quiet and so damn sexy.

I glance around the room and notice that six pairs of eyes are on us.

“Don’t mind us,” Barrett says with a cheeky grin. “Just keep talking, pretend we’re not here.”

Tess rolls her eyes, softly hits Barrett in the stomach, and walks over to me.

“We’ll let you two chat. Incredibly happy for y’all. You’re gonna be amazing parents. That’s one lucky kiddo you got growing in that belly of yours, mama.” She leans down and kisses my cheek then squeezes Andy’s hand, turns and grabs a grumbling Barrett, and shoves him toward the door.

Everyone else says their congratulations and good byes, and soon we’re alone.

“Talk to me,” he says again. “It’s just me here.” He’s so reassuring and thoughtful.

“It’s just… you’re amazing.”

He gives me a crooked grin and winks. “And this makes you cry?”

“No! I… you really want this? With me?”

He looks at me with furrowed brows. Just last night I was blissfully happy for us. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone that I was carrying his child, and less than twelve hours later I’m a nervous wreck. No doubt he’s experiencing some whiplash of his own. “Christine, where is this coming from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit.”

I scoff and roll my eyes, scrunching my nose up at him. “You’re so annoying. Why do you know everything?”

“I love it when you do that, scrunch your cute little nose. I wonder if she’ll do that,” he says, glancing down at my stomach. “And, I don’t know everything. I just know you. And I know you’re getting inside your head right now. Are you having second thoughts about me? I thought…”

“What? No! Why would you think that?”

“Well, gee, I don’t know. I walk in after we’ve told our friends about the baby, and you’re not exactly shouting your happiness from the rooftops.”

“No way. Don’t go there, honey. Not even close.”

“So, we’re still good? You and me?”

“Yeah,” I say, but I can hear the doubt in my voice.

“Christine,” his voice less soft than it was.

“I don’t know how to say this out loud.”

“Try me.”

“Ugh! These stupid damn hormones! One minute I’m perfectly sane then… this!” I gesture to myself and he says nothing, simply gives me a look of understanding. I take a deep breath and rip off the proverbial band aid. “I wanna get married!” I shout then cover my face with my hands.

“Now?”

I remove my hands and look at him. His chocolate brown eyes shine, his smile wide.

“What do you mean?” I ask him in a whisper, fearful that I’m misreading his response.

His eyes soften, and he turns his head slightly. He leans in close, resting his forehead against my own. I inhale deeply, taking in his warm comforting scent that’s all him. “Christine, you’ve gotta know. I’d marry you yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? I thought marriage was off the table. After Heather?”

He scowls at me. “Don’t say her name and ruin our proposal day.”

“Pro…” I clear my throat. “Proposal day?” I squeak out.

“Well, it wasn’t necessarily planned this way, but I’m taking my lead from James, I guess. I’ve had this, well, I’ve had this for a while now.” He reaches into the front pocket of his jeans and pulls out a little black velvet pouch. “I had to take it out of the box. That thing was annoying the shit out of me in my pocket. But I never wanted to be away from the ring, kind of like you. The boys helped me pick it out. And Bri. I asked her first.”

I suck in a breath and move my eyes from the object in his hands to his mouth. His tongue sneaks out and licks his lips, his teeth grazing his bottom lip. I take in a shaky breath, resisting the urge to bite his lip. It seems that I’ve hit the horny stage of this pregnancy, and even though I couldn’t keep my hands off him before, it’s only gotten worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it. I look up in his eyes and can see that he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“You… what?”

“I took the kids out for pizza,” he explains, and the fact that he says kids and he’s including all three as if they’re one does something to me. “And I asked them what they thought. They’re excited. All three of them. So excited, in fact, that they dragged me to a jewelry store as soon as we were done eating. They’re probably going to be pretty pissed that I did this without them, actually.”

I couldn’t stop the wetness on my cheeks if I tried.

“Christine,” he raises up on one knee, kneeling in front of me. He takes the ring out of the pouch and slides it over the tip of his forefinger while I wipe the tears from my face and sniffle. “You told me once that I needed to be happy. I listened. You. You’re my happy. You’re Reece and Aidan’s happy. You’re Bri’s happy. And soon, you’ll be our little girl’s happy.”

I giggle and snort and try to remain looking cute but it’s just not possible with the ugly crying that’s happening right now. “You’re just so sure it’s a girl, huh?”

“Hazel’s gonna even out our brood, you know?”

I nod my head, not being able to speak, but I know my smile is watery. He’s so sure of us, of her, he’s named her. And it’s the perfect name. My green eyes. His brown.

“Neither of our lives have been easy, but that’s okay with me, because I think that going through the crap? That’s what brought me to you. But I do wish more than anything that I was your first love, and that you were mine always. I wish we could have shared all those moments together from the start. I wish no one had come before me to have your heart, and I pray I’m the last one to have it. I wish that person who had you first hadn’t hurt you. I wish he wouldn’t have taken advantage of the best thing you have to offer. But most of all, my wish is that you’ll know I’ll never forsake your heart, I’ll never take it for granted, never forget that it’s the most precious gift that you could ever give me. And, if you’ll let me, I’ll care for you, for the both of you.” He leans up and kisses my stomach again. My hands go into his hair and he looks up at me, tears shining in his eyes.

He reaches for my left hand and blows out a shaky breath. “You’re the love of my life, Christine. I don’t want to wait a second longer. For the rest of our lives I want to wake up to you next to me in our bed. I want to have the privilege of loving you forever and knowing you’re always mine. I want to travel the world with you by my side, I want to cook breakfast next to each other, clean up baby puke, watch our boys play sports, see Bri graduate from college and help her start her life, maybe adopt a puppy, choose paint colors, potty-train this little nugget, argue over who last emptied the dishwasher and what movie to watch and where to vacation next, curl up on the couch together and binge watch shows on Netflix. I want my last name to be yours. I want to show our kids what a real marriage is like for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”

There’s no other answer I could give him. Even before the proposal he just gave me. I nod my head quickly and sob. “Yes! Of course!”

I throw my arms around him, knocking him down and back into the coffee table.

“Oomph.”

“Sorry, got a little excited.” He just smiles and twists so we’re lying on the floor between the couch and coffee table, him hovering over me.

“I have one more question, and I want you to think about this, and we’ll have to talk to them, but… if you want…” He hesitates, suddenly looking nervous and shy.

“Hey, what is it?” I graze the stubble on his face with my fingers, and he closes his eyes, leaning into the touch.

“The boys. They love you so much. I know it’s early, and I don’t expect this to be decided now. But I want to know if you’re open to discussing adoption with them?”

My heart does a double tap against my chest, tears springing to my eyes immediately.

“Yes.” I don’t hesitate.

His answering smile comes quickly and widens across his face. “That’s two yeses. Damn, I’m a lucky man. Can I put this on you, now?” He shows me the beautiful cushion cut diamond ring. It could turn my finger green or be a Ring Pop for all I care.

“What are you waiting for?” I stick my hand up and wiggle my finger, anxious to have the sign of his everlasting love on my finger, and he effortlessly slides it on. We both watch, and as soon as it’s in place he lifts his eyes to mine.

“How’d you know my size?”

“One day when you were taking a nap I sized your finger,” he admits with a slight tinge of blush to his cheeks.

I choke back a laugh and can just picture him trying to be stealthy. Though I’m a little concerned by how out of it I am while napping. “You did?”

“Once I got that ring on your finger, and a yes out of your mouth, I only want to see it on, never off, so I wanted to make sure it fit.”

“I love you so much, Mr. Simpson.”

He grins his wide grin, the one that reaches his eyes and makes them sparkle. His tongue snakes out and he licks his bottom lip, and it makes me want to devour him. “I love you so much, almost-Mrs. Simpson.”

Grasshoppers jump in my stomach like it’s the first sign of summer. “I like the sound of that.”

“It’ll sound a whole lot better without the almost included.” His voice is husky and deep.

“I agree.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow what?”

“Want to get married tomorrow?”

A laugh bubbles up out of me. I don’t care about a big wedding. We’ve both been there and done that, and we’ve learned that a wedding doesn’t make a marriage. I meant it when I said I would marry him in the court house.

“Well soon, yes. But not tomorrow. I doubt Bri can be home, and I won’t do this without her.”

“I don’t like the word soon, remember?” He looks so vulnerable, and hearing him remind me of it makes me hate his ex-wife even more. Every time he asked when she would give him the divorce her answer was “soon.”

“Right. Well, how about… two weeks? I’m sure we can convince Bri to be home then, and it will give the girls a chance to find something to wear because you know Lauren will make me let her be a bridesmaid. That better?”

“Better.” And he kisses me soundly to seal the deal. “In two weeks. I’m gonna marry the shit out of you,” he mumbles around my lips.

“Mmm.” I can’t form any coherent words because at the moment his hands have me distracted, running up and down my sides, sliding under my shirt and up to cup my breasts, squeezing just lightly. They’re still tender, and he knows this.

Mercy, he’s so sexy. My body melts beneath his. I wrap my arms around his neck, keeping him close. Our tongues tangle, our breaths intermingle, and our bodies crash together. He lowers his center, grinding himself against mine, and the sensation sends bottle rockets through my body, causing me to moan deeply. He lifts his head and moves his mouth, kissing me on the cheek, my jaw, my neck.

I pull at his shirt and he lifts slightly, yanking his shirt off in one swift movement. He tosses it to the floor, and once again his mouth is on me. Our tongues tangle with each other, his lips soft and punishing at the same time. I can taste the cinnamon of his gum that he’s always chewing. My hands graze the smooth contours of his chest, down to the ridges of his abs and up his back. I grip his shoulders, digging my nails into his skin. He moans and shifts, pressing his hardness against my center when I wrap my legs around his waist, locking my ankles together.

He lifts up and looks down at me, breathing heavily.

“I love you. You said yes, right?”

“Why would you question that? Andy, I think I’ve loved you since you took me to the cabin.”

He smiles and leans down, lifts my shirt and kisses my belly, moving higher with each graze of his lips. Just as he’s about to remove my shirt, we hear a pounding on the door.

“Let us in! The girls want to see the ring then you can get back to having all the sex!” Barrett’s voice booms loudly through the closed door.

“Shit,” Andy mumbles. “Why is he such a pain in the ass?” His voice raises through the last words.

“Heard that!”

“Meant for you to!”

“Don’t let Andy put his shirt back on!” Lauren shouts. “What? Dang, Josh, you don’t have to growl at me!”

“Stop staring at him!”

“I can’t help it!”

“Are they watching?” I whisper shout, horrified at what our friends could have seen. I thought they had left!

Andy looks over his shoulder, I lean up on my elbows and sure enough, through the windows off my front porch stand six of our best friends staring in, completely unashamed at their Peeping Tom tactics.

Carly waves like a maniac, smiling widely, James’s arm around her, who leans down and kisses her on top of the head. Tess and Lauren have their faces and palms planted against the window like one of those old stuffed Garfield cats. Josh and Barrett both have their phones up and aimed at us.

“Were you recording us?” I screech.

“Not the sexy time. Just the proposal part. But we can do that, too, if you want!” Barrett shouts. “Come on! Let us in!”

“You guys left through the same door you’re standing on the other side of, it’s not locked, you dumbasses!” Andy shouts.

He barely gets the words out and the door flies open, Josh and Barrett tripping over each other through the doorway, Josh landing on the floor first.

“Dammit! That’s the second time I’ve fallen today!” Josh grumbles. He pops up with a jump, smiling as though nothing happened. “Congratulations! Ha!” He points to Barrett then around the room. “I said it first, suckers!”

Andy pinches the bridge of his nose and moves to get off me. He stands first, giving me his hand to help me up before he reaches down to swipe his black t-shirt off the floor.

“Please. By all means. Come in. We weren’t in the middle of anything.” He wraps an arm around my waist and kisses my temple.

“Oh please, y’all can get back to it. We just wanted to make sure you guys were good, and we’re glad we did, otherwise we would have missed the proposal!” Carly claps her hands.

“Ever occur to you that it was a private moment?”

“Nope.” Barrett looks at us and raises his phone to take a quick picture.

“I’ll take a copy of that,” Lauren says.

“Would you stop! I’m right here!”

Lauren looks over at Josh and shrugs before mumbling an apology.

“For real, y’all. We’re so dang excited for you guys!” Tess bounces over and hugs us both.

“Woman! Hands off shirtless Andy! Andy, my man, do us a favor and cover that up? You’re making us look bad.”

“Speak for yourself, brother. I didn’t get the nickname Captain for nothing.”

“Oh, shut it.”

“Just sayin’.” James shrugs his shoulders.

“He’s not lyin’, either,” Carly agrees quickly, but blushes and bites her lip.

“Mine! How many times do I have to tell you that?” James says oddly as he reaches over and removes her lip with his thumb. Those two are so weird.

Andy grins at everyone and slides his shirt on, and I sigh. It really is a shame. He’s incredibly good looking with a shirt on but without? They could put him on a billboard and it would stop traffic.

“All honesty, now that we don’t have the distraction of Andy’s bare chest.”

“And abs,” Tess adds in helpfully, making Barrett sigh and shake his head, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, that. Congratulations again, you two. We couldn’t be happier for you. Between the baby and the engagement, you two deserve all the happiness in the world, and we are all so excited for you.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to us to have you guys by our side.”

I look over at Andy and he looks back at me; the love I feel radiating off him is overwhelming at times. He fixed a part of me I didn’t know was broken. When Todd turned to someone else rather than me when he was at his lowest, I didn’t realize how deeply it affected me. I had always brushed it off that it was just something he did because he was going through a hard time. Looking back, I realize that yeah, that was the reason. But it doesn’t excuse it or make it right.

And I know, without a doubt in my mind, that Andy will never do the same to me. That he’ll fight for us, no matter what we’re going through. I was meant to be his forever, and I feel ready to accept that gift.