by Jolie, Meg
“It was either that or Mable,” Luke admitted with a snicker. “That was Quinn’s great-grandmother.”
Quinn wrinkled her nose. “He’s joking. We didn’t seriously consider Mable.”
They are named after grandmas, Carly thought. But the names are cute and growing on me by the second, she decided.
“Have a seat,” he said. He patted the chair next to him. It was the only other seat in the room. Carly crossed over to where he sat and gently settled herself down next to him. The cheap vinyl crinkled beneath her.
“Oh! I can’t believe I forgot to ask! Are they identical? Can you tell yet?” Carly wondered.
Leaning over, he grinned at her and carefully plucked the pink knit cap from Adela’s head. She had only faint, strawberry-blond colored fuzz atop her head. Then he mimicked the action with Lydia, revealing a head full of dark hair.
Carly laughed. “My goodness! I guess they’re not! Well, that should make things at least a little easier.” She took the sight of the babies in again. “Oh, I see. Adela takes after our side and Lydia, with her dark hair, she looks like Luke.”
“Well, that was a nice way to decide,” Nora said with a laugh.
“Yes,” Quinn agreed. “That made it a bit easier.”
“Well, I think I’ll go home,” Nora said. “I told Tom I’d be following along shortly and that was nearly two hours ago. I’m sure Carly would like some time to herself with you and those girls. She did have a point. We were all up here all day.” She gave her granddaughters soft kisses and said goodbye to everyone.
“I thought maybe Nolan would come with,” Quinn said. She kept her tone light but Carly was sure that Quinn was wondering why he hadn’t. He also hadn’t come back for Carter’s birthday party. Or almost anything else family related, in fact. Truth be told, he’d only returned to Lanford one other time since Carly’s family had met him.
She wondered how she had not seen the bold printed writing on the wall. Whoever said hindsight was twenty-twenty may just be the smartest person to ever grace the earth. There had been so many little signs. So many things that she should’ve picked up on. Or possibly she had picked up on them. She’d just chosen to ignore them. Because she’d wanted so badly to have a relationship that would work out. Quinn was only a year older. But she was happily married. And now, she and Luke had just expanded their family. Carly had always felt like no one would ever want her. And then she’d met Nolan and—
“Carly?” Luke asked, cutting into her thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“What? Oh! Sorry. I was just…lost in thought. Admiring my new nieces,” she said. She hazarded a glance at Quinn. She could tell that her sister didn’t believe her excuse. She shook her head, as if just remembering the question. “Right, Nolan. Well, you know, it was so last minute…He just couldn’t make it.” She hoped Quinn didn’t press for more. This was supposed to be a wonderful day for Quinn. She was not going to ruin it for her sister. Not the way that Nolan had ruined it for her. “Enough about him!” Carly scoffed. “I want to hear about you! I called a few hours ago but Luke’s phone went to voicemail.”
“Oh, sorry about that. That must’ve been while Quinn was trying to nap,” he explained.
“So tell me, how did it go?” Carly asked. Her gaze bounced from Quinn to Luke and then back to Quinn again.
“Exhausting but as good as could be expected.” Quinn grinned at Carly. “I bet you want a play by play?”
Carly grinned back and nodded.
“Well, I’ll give you the condensed version. I started having contractions around eight last night. We brought Carter to Nora and Tom’s around ten. Adela was born at six twenty-two and Lydia at six thirty-four. You can fill in your own blanks for the rest of it,” Quinn said with a laugh.
“How did Luke’s parents end up with Carter?” Carly was sure that her mom hadn’t been happy about that.
He grinned at her. “Well, the grandmas had an agreement. Since Mom’s retired, she volunteered to take Carter if Quinn went into labor on a work night. Margo would get him if it was a weekend.”
“Ah,” Carly said. “So the odds were clearly in your mom’s favor.”
“Sure were,” Luke agreed.
“Have Jemma and Lily been here today?” Carly wondered. They were Quinn’s best friends from high school. They remained in close contact even though Lily had moved to a town about an hour away. Jemma and Carly had gotten to be close friends over the past few years because they had similar dating habits. While everyone else seemed to be settling down, Jemma and Carly had been out having fun. At least, until the past year or so. Then Carly had met Nolan and Jemma had met Bart. Now, Carly realized, she might be all alone in the Single Girl Club…yet again. She ignored the pang in her heart and glanced at Quinn.
“Jemma was here right after she got off work. She wasn’t sure if she’d be back again tonight or not. Lily called and will drive over before dinner.” Quinn glanced at the clock. “In fact, she could be here anytime now.”
“How long are you in town for?” Luke asked.
That was a good question. Carly wasn’t sure of the answer. She cocked her head to the side, thinking it over. Initially, she’d planned on heading back to spend time with Nolan’s family. Obviously, that was not an issue now. “You know, I might just stay all through break. I’m not sure yet.”
“What will Nolan think of that? Or will he be joining us for the holidays?” Quinn asked.
Carly gave her sister her best smile. She tried to keep her tone light. “I have no idea what he’ll think of it. But he’ll have to just deal with it, won’t he?”
Quinn didn’t get a chance to respond to Carly’s blasé attitude. They were interrupted by the last person Carly thought she would see visiting a pair of newborns.
“Hey.” The single word, coming from Jesse Nyland as he entered the room, sent her already chaotic emotions into a tailspin.
He was carrying a small wicker basket, covered in clear pink plastic. Inside, Carly could make out a stash of baby items. Attached to the arrangement were two identical balloons. Both proclaiming, It’s a GIRL! in bright pink.
“Oh, hey Jesse,” Luke said, giving a nod to his former roommate…and Carly’s ex.
Not her ex-boyfriend, exactly. He was more like her ex…She wasn’t even sure. The relationship they’d had wasn’t really definable.
Jesse gave Luke a nod and turned to Quinn. “And how are you, Momma?”
She smiled at him. “I’m great.” Then her eyes slowly swung to Carly.
“Hey, Jesse,” Carly said. For some reason, she thought it would be best to be proactive in the conversation.
“Carly,” Jesse tossed back at her in greeting. He held up the basket. “My sister helped me put this together. Well, I guess she actually put it together for me. Since I don’t know a thing about babies.”
“That was so sweet of you,” Quinn said.
“Well, I’ll just set it over there.” He lifted the basket a bit and motioned to the window ledge. He bypassed Carly to get there and her stomach did an annoying little flip as he walked by. Her gaze followed him as he placed his gift with the others.
In her excitement to see the babies, she hadn’t realized that the window ledge looked like a gift shop. She briefly chided herself for not having thought to stop and buy a baby gift, too. But she knew Quinn would understand. She’d been in a hurry to get here. Stopping had been the last thing on her mind.
“Thanks, Jesse,” Luke said. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He ignored Luke because his attention was focused on the babies as his eyes drifted from one to the other. “They’re beautiful.”
So is he, Carly thought with a sigh. She immediately cringed to herself. It didn’t matter how good he looked in his well-worn jeans and gray pull-over. It didn’t matter how hot he looked with windblown hair. It didn’t matter how his piercing blue eyes cut straight to her heart. Or, at least, it shouldn’t have mattered. So she tried to tell herself that it d
idn’t. She’d been down that road—with all of its hills, twists, detours and potholes—before. It was a path she really shouldn’t even fantasize about traveling again.
Not that she was doing that.
His gaze floated to Carly again. With a start, she realized she’d been staring at him. She snapped her eyes away, placing them on Adela instead.
“Do you want to hold one?” Luke asked Jesse who was eyeing the bundle in his friend’s arms. Carly glanced up.
She thought she knew Jesse well but his expression was indecipherable. It could have been curiosity or it could have been trepidation.
A small frown appeared on his face. He hesitated, as if conflicted. Finally he decided, “No, uh, I think I’ll pass. Maybe when they’re not so small.”
An awkward silence followed. Carly thought it felt endless, though it was probably only mere seconds long.
She was trying to pull together something to say—and silently willing either Quinn or Luke to say something—when Jemma and Lily appeared in the doorway. She blew out an audible sigh of relief, causing Jesse to look her way yet again. She felt a blush spreading across her cheeks so she hung her head, letting her hair cover her face.
Jemma’s eyes darted around the room. “What’s this? Looks like you are all havin’ a party without us.”
Lily tiptoed closer to Luke and Carly. Her own baby-bump was just starting to show. “I need to see those babies, right now!”
4
“Drink,” Jemma slid the shot glass across the table.
Carly eyed it warily. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. At least, not tonight.”
Jesse hadn’t stayed at the hospital long. The entire time he was in the room, Carly could’ve sworn the air felt different. Charged, somehow. She knew it had to be her imagination, yet she felt it all the same.
She’d been grateful for little Adela in her arms. Her new niece had given her the best reason imaginable to keep her eyes averted. The few times she’d looked up, she was sure she’d caught Jesse looking away quickly.
Fortunately, those odd moments hadn’t been prolonged.
He’d checked out the twins like a good friend should, then he’d bid everyone goodbye. Carly thought it seemed as though he was in a hurry to get out of there. She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved to see him go. Luke had walked him out, stopping to grab some cafeteria food on his way back up.
Lily, Jemma and Carly had taken turns with the babies until Quinn’s dinner came. They decided to leave shortly after that. Quinn had been up all night and she looked exhausted. They left with promises to see her again in the morning.
As the three women were walking out, Jemma invited Carly and Lily out for a drink. Lily declined. She had at least an hour’s drive home. The weather had already begun to worsen and she didn’t want to risk getting stuck in the storm because she’d decided to go out for a virgin daiquiri.
Carly, not wanting to face her parents yet, had gladly accepted Jemma’s invitation. She’d sent Margo a text telling her not to wait up or worry. Then they’d gone straight to Shady’s, their usual hangout.
“Yes, tonight it’s a great idea,” Jemma firmly told her friend. She slid the glass a bit closer. “I can tell something is wrong. Really wrong, if I’m not mistaken.”
Carly groaned as she pulled her hands through her hair. “Am I that obvious?”
“No,” Jemma assured her. “If you’d been obvious about it, Quinn would’ve picked up on it. I didn’t really notice until just now. You’ve got this look on your face like…Well, you tell me what that look is about.”
Carly’s fingers danced around the base of the small glass. She hadn’t wanted to talk about Nolan. Yet, she knew she would have to some time. She couldn’t go on forever, pretending that nothing had happened.
Although…she thought, she could maybe pull it off for another six months.
It wasn’t as if her family had ever seen much of Nolan. If he didn’t come for a visit between now and June, they probably wouldn’t even question it. She could prolong the, ‘I told you so,’ from her Mom and the look of pity from her sister.
“Whoa,” Jemma said as she leaned back in the booth.
Carly reluctantly lifted her gaze from where it had been blindly resting on her shot. “Yeah.”
“It’s that bad?” Jemma surmised. She grabbed a strand of her ebony hair and twirled it listlessly around a finger. Her eyes were such a deep brown, the irises almost weren’t visible. Her shimmery red lipstick stood out against her cinnamon colored skin. Those lips pursed in question.
Carly finally lifted the glass and downed the drink. She made a face as the fruity concoction slid down. “Gah…no more of those,” she said as she placed the glass back on the table.
Jemma waved a manicured hand at her. Her crimson nails flashing. “Pfftttt, a little old foo-foo shot like that? You can handle a few more.” She motioned to the waitress. “Two more Melon Balls, please. And another of each of these.” She motioned to the bottles of beer on the table.
The girl scampered off to retrieve their order.
“I’m still waiting, you know,” Jemma said.
“Nolan and I are over,” Carly blurted. There was no way she could’ve dropped that verbal bomb on her family. Not today. Jemma? Jemma was different. Jemma, Carly was sure, would understand. She had walked that twisted, potholed road herself.
“Son of a bitch,” she muttered. “I’d love to think you’re the one that dumped his ass. But judging by that sour look on your face, I’m guessing that isn’t so.”
Carly shook her head. She dumped out the whole story to Jemma, stopping only to down another Melon Ball…or two. She told Jemma details that she wouldn’t dream of sharing with anyone else. Only because like her, Jemma had dated a skeezeball or two in her day. Jemma, however, had been smart enough not to get herself engaged to one. Even still, Carly trusted her to understand in a way she wasn’t sure anyone else would.
“What a dirty bastard,” Jemma finally declared. “I can’t believe he was just sneaking out?”
“Yup.”
“And he was going to just write a note?!”
“Yup.”
“And that morning, he had the nerve to—”
“Yup,” Carly said again, cringing as she cut off her friend.
“Dirty bastard!” Jemma said yet again. She gave a sharp shake of her head.
Carly’s emotions had been on overload all day. It felt good to let someone else in. She’d assumed that it would be Quinn that she’d tell first because her sister would help her carry that mental burden. Yet, she didn’t want to do that to her sister. Not today, of all days.
Jemma was the perfect alternative. She wouldn’t judge, either. And she’d probably understand better than anyone how Carly felt. While their other friends were married and starting families, the two of them were still far, far away from experiencing the joys of marital bliss.
“What are you going to do?” Jemma wondered.
She made a face. “No idea. I don’t know how I’m ever going to afford rent. I barely have enough in savings from my summer job to get me through as it is. But add rent to that? I mean, yeah, I can get a job when I get back. Maybe. Although with school underway, it’s hard to find jobs this time of year. The other problem is, I’m not naturally smart like Quinn is. I mean, I work my ass off for decent grades. I don’t have time to work next semester. Then again, if I don’t have anywhere to live, it won’t even matter. I’m just…screwed.”
She cast a forlorn look to Jemma. Jemma pulled out her cell phone.
“What are you doing?” Carly suspiciously wondered.
Jemma waved the phone at her and then began tapping away on it. “I’m texting Bart, asking if he’s free to drive us home. I have a hunch tonight could be a late night.”
Carly nodded then hesitantly asked, “I don’t mean to be a pain in the ass, but do you think I could crash at your house? I can’t deal with Margo tonight.”
“Not a problem,” Jemma assured her. She’d been friends with Quinn since grade school. She knew Mrs. Johnson well so she didn’t need further explanation. Her phone chirped and she glanced at it. “We’re good. Bart will be here in a bit. He was getting ready to head out anyway. Another round?”
Carly laughed. “I think I’m out of practice. Or at the very least, I need to slow down.” Her head was already spinning. There had been a time when she could out-drink just about anyone. Those days were no more. While she still enjoyed a night out, even she realized she’d become a bit more responsible over the past few years. She had a feeling that tonight, that just might change. Then again, if she was ever due for a night of drinking herself senseless, she decided tonight was that night.
With a responsible ride on the way, and somewhere safe to crash, she decided…Why not? She reached for her beer.
“I think I better make sure you eat something,” Jemma said. She flagged the waitress down and ordered them each burgers.
“You know what really sucks?” Carly lamented.
“Um, aside from your fiancé dumping you?” Jemma asked with raised eyebrows. “What could be worse?”
“I lied to my parents. They have no idea that Nolan and I are…were…living together. They think that I’m living with some friends off campus. It’s the only way that they agreed to pay my rent after I moved out of the dorms. You know how they feel about ‘cohabitating’ before marriage.” Carly used air quotes, while she mimicked her mother. Margo, especially, was firmly against what she constantly referred to as unsavory cohabitation.
Carly perched her elbows on the table and then rested her face in her hands. She took several deep breaths. Despite the alcohol, her head was still clear enough for her to realize just how much Nolan had derailed her life. She finally lifted her head to face her friend.
“My parents are never going to forgive me for this. Mom warned me over and over that I rushed into the engagement. Dad has sent me a rent check every month. When they find out that I am not getting married…And that I might not have anywhere to live…That I’ve been lying to them for a year…?” She moaned again. She wasn’t sure which of the above her parents were going to be more upset over.
