“Oh, right.” Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to me that her presence in the States might be temporary.
I look away so she doesn’t notice it bothers me. Because it doesn’t.
“And now you know why I have to run so much. All those biscuits with my tea make me fat.” Genny pats her slim stomach, and I have to fight not to comment that there is not an ounce of fat on her—I know.
“It makes you fa-at. Makes you big and fat,” Arin sings behind us.
We both turn to watch her. Now she’s moved on from digging to burying blades of grass.
“Yes, Arin’s a strange one,” I say. The five-year-old is also the happiest, sweetest child I’ve ever met.
Genevieve looks at her adoringly, the way I imagine I look at her. “She’s precious.”
Arin’s volume sharpens as her refrain changes. “She’s dead in the trees. She’s not alive anymore, she’s dead.”
“Well,” Genny says, rethinking her last statement. “And morbid.”
“Precious Morbid. That should be her band name.”
She laughs and then glances around at the children who have gathered in the play area. “Are you related to all these little people, then?”
I scan their faces. “Not all of them. I don’t think. I don’t know a lot of them.” I begin pointing out and identifying the ones I do know. “Mina is Hudson’s oldest, of course. Arin is my sister’s daughter.”
“And she just has the one?”
“She has a son too. Tyler. He’s taking his nap. But I think they’re done with kids now. Mira had a hard pregnancy, and she works a lot at her boutique and her husband is a doctor. So I think they have their hands full.”
“I’d say.”
I nod next to the girl serving us tea. “Kira here is Norma’s daughter. Norma is our head finance officer at Pierce Industries. She has an older son she adopted too, Tariq.” I crane my neck to see if I can spot him. “I think he’s over there in the pool.”
Just then, a little boy in a miniature suit runs up to me, excitedly.
“And this is Jake. He’s my man, aren’t you, buddy?” We bump fists before he joins the other boys running circles around the tables.
I look up to see his mother waddling towards us in the distance carrying a toddler in a matching suit. “Be right back,” I say to Genny then run to give Gwen a helping hand.
“I should have known you’d be hanging in the children’s area,” she says to me as I take Theo from her arms. “Thank you. That helps. Now I’m back to only carrying one of my offspring.”
I chuckle as I survey her extremely large belly. “You look miserable.”
“I am miserable. Thank you.” She peers past me toward Genny, who’s now concentrating heavily on her phone, her forehead creased. “Uh, hello. Who’s that?”
“That’s Genevieve, my date.” I emphasize date because that’s what she is, not because I like the way it sounds when I say it.
Gwen eyes me suspiciously. “That’s interesting. You don’t usually bring girls to these things.”
“I don’t usually know anyone I’d care to bring.” I glance over toward Genny and see her pointing her cell toward my niece. My pulse speeds up. “That’s weird.”
Gwen follows my gaze. “What? That she’s snapping pics of Mina?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that, you know, odd? Why would she be taking pictures of some other person’s child?” The reasons I can think of make my stomach knot.
Gwen laughs and nudges me with her shoulder. “It means she likes you, you dolt. She likes your family and wants to make memories. She’s maybe even imagining she’s Mina’s aunt.”
The tension unwinds from my body. “Shut up,” I say, rolling my eyes, but really? It makes me feel all gooey inside.
“Chandler and Genevieve sitting in a tree.” Gwen taunts me with her chant. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
I shake my head then start walking toward the woman we’re discussing. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
So maybe it’s strange that I’m still such good friends with the person who broke my heart years ago. The truth is, it wasn’t always like this. It took a good part of a year for me to come to terms with always seeing her, watching her life with JC grow and flourish. Really accepting that I wasn’t the man she chose.
Eventually, I had to figure it out. Gwen’s best friends with Laynie, and our lives intertwine a great deal. It’s been a tough road—for me, anyway—but now our relationship is strong and warm. We’re practically family.
Genny scrambles to put her phone back in her purse then stands so I can give the two a formal introduction.“Two boys? That must be a handful.” She comes up beside me to take my hand, as though claiming me as hers. Which is not at all like her but really nice all the same.
“And another boy on the way.” Gwen pats her belly, acknowledging our linked fingers with a raised brow.
It makes me feel confident and cocky. And a bit sassy. “You know, the sex of your baby is determined by the husband. Maybe you should have picked a different sperm donor.”
I really don’t love Gwen anymore—not like that—but I still like to give her shit about the guy who won her heart. “Where is your significant other, anyway?”
“He’s finding me some watermelon. I need some, like, now.”
Genevieve nods as though she understands. “My stepmother is four months along, and the cravings she has are insane. Good luck to you with them.”