“Okay, you ready for this?” asked Heather.

The two of us stood in front of a handsome brownstone in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. Through the windows, I could see the outlines of the partygoers and hear the low tones of the lively music bleeding through the window out onto the lawn.

The block was as charming as they came. Townhomes lined the road, each with their own small, well-kept lawn. It was mid-October, and the leaves of the thick-trunked trees that shaded the street were beginning their autumn change into brilliant oranges and red that looked very nice in the early evening sun.

“You kidding?” I asked. “I can handle meeting some new people.”

“Yeah, but these are all my friends,” she said.

“All of them?” I asked, teasing her, my eyebrow raised. “Someone’s popular.”

She playfully rolled her eyes and gave me a swat on the arm.

“Okay, not all of them,” she said. “It’s my best friend Julia’s birthday party, and she’s friends with a bunch of people from my old job, where she and I met. And she met a bunch of my current coworkers through me, and now they’re all best buds. So, I know most of the people here. And you don’t know a one.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “I know you.”

“That doesn’t count,” she said with a smile.

“And I know the most important guest there,” I added.

“Yeah?” Heather said, eyebrows raised in anticipation of my response.

“Yeah—Faye!”

A big smile broke out across Heather’s face and she tapped herself on the forehead in a “duh” gesture.

“You should see her,” she said, grabbing onto my arm in excitement. “Julia sent me a picture of her and Melanie—that’s Julia’s kid—earlier today. She has them done up in the most adorable little dresses.”

I loved watching Heather talk about Faye, even if the idea of her being a mother was something I was admittedly still…getting used to. Even months into our relationship, it was still hard. And I didn’t know why.

“I can’t wait to see her,” I said honestly.

Heather gave a warm look to my response, but I could sense that she was still curious about what I really thought about Faye.

It was difficult. Faye was wonderful and adorable, but there was something there, something preventing me from feeling totally comfortable around her, and comfortable knowing Heather was a mom.

I put it out of my head as best I could, ready to focus on the party. I took a look at Heather, who looked beyond sexy in her tight party dress.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Ready.”

She approached the door and gave it a quick knock. Moments later the door opened, revealing a cute brunette about the same height as Heather. The two women let out an excited scream at the sight of one another, each rushing in for a tight hug.

“There you are!” the brunette cried as she let Heather out of her hug.

“It’s so good to see you!” Heather replied.

The brunette turned her big brown eyes to me, giving me a quick, appraising once-over.

“And there he is,” she said. “Mr. Justin Donovan, in the flesh.”

Over her shoulder, I could spot a few partygoers letting their eyes linger on me. I was used to it. While I wasn’t a movie star or someone else whose face people would instantly recognize, plenty of people knew who I was.

“And you must be Julia?” I asked. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you. And happy birthday.”

I leaned in and gave her a warm hug, which she returned.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “Nice to meet you, too. Though I’ve heard so much about you that it almost feels like we’ve already met.”

“Same here,” I said. “Heather speaks really highly of you, and you babysitting Faye has been a huge help.”

She smiled warmly. “Beyond happy to do it,” she said. “Faye’s such a little treasure, and she and Melanie are totally becoming best buds.”

Then she clasped her hands together.

“But come on in! Everyone here is so excited to meet you,” she said, then shook her head dreamily. “The famous Justin Donovan here at my party. Amazing!”

Julia led me into the house, which was as nice inside as it was on the out. She took us from one group of partygoers to another, and Heather was quick to get me introduced.

Small talk at parties was a skill I’d developed over the years. It really wasn’t hard once you learned the tricks—remember the person’s name, keep the conversation about them, and pretend like at that moment they’re the only other person in the world. Heather’s friends were all good company, which made it all even easier.

After doing our first round through the party, Heather took my hand.

“Okay,” she said. “Enough adults for now. I need to see my little muffin.”

“I’m right there with you,” I said.

Julia directed us to the second floor, and we headed up the stairs. After turning a corner, we arrived at the large rec room where a dozen or so kids, ranging in age from babies to toddlers, were being looked after.

Heather rushed over to Faye, scooping her up off the ground. Faye had recently started crawling and was in the process of happily exploring the room with another baby that I assumed to be Melanie.

“There’s my little munchkin!” said Heather, bringing Faye close and giving her a hug.

“Hey, kiddo!” I said. As uneasy as I was about the whole parenting thing, I couldn’t help but think Faye was totally adorable. With her sparkling blue eyes and constantly happy expression, she was about as perfect as babies come.

Faye reached out her little hand toward me, grabbing onto my nose.

“Oh no!” I said in a pretend worried voice. “She’s got me!”

I made my face into a silly expression, and Faye giggled happily.

“Careful,” said Heather. “She might not let go. And I don’t think you’d be able to do any more modeling without a nose.”

“We’ll just see about that,” I said, and she laughed.

“Well,” said Heather after a moment. “I think we should do a little more mingling. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Faye in Heather’s arms, we went back down to the party. Sure enough, plenty of the guests came up to us, ready to fawn over Faye.

“She’s so freaking adorable,” said one couple.

“Right?” I said. “I think it’s almost wrong that they let babies get this cute. It’s distracting.”

The couple chuckled. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Heather watching me, appearing happy that I’d say such things about Faye.

“It’s like, I get it—you’re cute,” I said with a smile. “But seriously, maybe take it down a notch. At some point, you’re just showing off.”

Heather and the couple laughed again, Faye watching it all with a big smile on her face. Once the couple was gone, I turned to Heather.

“Why don’t you go mingle?” I asked. “I can hang out with Faye for a while.”

She regarded me curiously. “Really?” she asked. “You want to hang out with her?”

“Sure,” I said. “We’ve actually been e-mailing back and forth. She said she’s got some tips on power moves to really dominate my next business meeting.”

Heather smirked and gave me a soft jab to the arm. “Okay,” she said, handing Faye over. “Let me know when you’re ready for a break.”

“Will do,” I said. I was already a little worn out from all the chatting, so hanging out with some company that could only coo and babble was exactly what I was in the mood for. Faye and I took a seat nearby, and I watched Heather.

It was really something to see her in her element. She flitted from group to group, laughing and chatting and bringing a little bit of good cheer and light to whatever conversation she was a part of. Everyone seemed to love to have her around.

And I realized how lucky I was to have her in my life.

I turned my attention to Faye, the little baby looking up at me with her big, blue eyes. She had an expression on her face that almost seemed like she was waiting to hear my thoughts.

“That’s your mommy,” I said. “She’s something else, isn’t she?”

Faye laughed, reaching out for Heather.

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Hard to imagine life without her, right?”

Faye cooed some more, as if agreeing.

Heather and I made eye contact from across the room, a warm smile spreading across her face as she took in the sight of me with Faye. It was strange to be sitting with a kid, but it was also pretty nice.

It made me wonder if I was ready to bring Heather fully into my life—not only her side as a lover, but her side as a mother, too.

It was so much to process. Soon, I hopped out of the chair, Faye in tow. I brought her over to Heather, and the three of us melted into the party, all of us enjoying the company of one another.

It was something special, and I vowed to savor every moment of it.