4. Bailey
CHAPTER 4
Bailey
W e arrive at Olivia’s place at exactly 6 p.m. Charlie is grinning ear to ear in her unicorn onesie pyjamas, holding her favourite stuffed cow, Vanilla. The muscles in my arms strain as I hold the bags I brought with us. I wasn’t sure what to bring to a practical stranger’s house for girls’ night, so I brought juice boxes and snacks for Charlie, wine and sparkling non-alcoholic cider for the adults, homemade cookies, candy, and chips. It was like I was a kid in the grocery store.
A smiling Olivia opens the door and immediately wraps her arms around me. “I’m so glad you guys came.”
“Thank you for having us.” I force a smile, feeling unsure about all of this.
She ushers us in, helping take a couple of the lighter bags from me. Olivia looks amazing. She has the pregnant woman glow and her curves are stunning. Her auburn hair is pulled back in a ponytail that swings as she walks. We follow her into the living room where three more gorgeous women sit.
A brunette a few inches taller than me jumps off the couch and hurries towards us. “You must be Bailey and Charlotte. Liv has been so excited for you guys to come. I’m Zoey, that’s Hannah, and that’s Eliza,” she says, pointing at a stunning, model-like blonde and a classically beautiful woman with black hair. Eliza looks like someone who doesn’t realize just how beautiful she is.
I give a little wave. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Thanks for having us.”
“Of course, come have a seat. We were just chatting,” Hannah says.
I put our bags down beside the couch and usher Charlie over to one side of the large sectional couch that sits in the middle of the expansive living room. We take a seat, unsure of all the new people.
“Charlie, I have some craft stuff if you’d like,” Olivia says as she hands me a glass of sparkling cider she must have opened. Charlie perks up.
“Really?”
“Yup, I have tons of extra stuff from our fall crafts at school.”
“You go to school?” Charlie asks.
“I teach sixth grade.” Olivia and Charlie chatter as they get some crafts set up at the dining room table.
“So, how did you meet Caleb?” Hannah asks.
I shift uncomfortably. “Officer Sutton responded to a call at our house. He helped us out. Charlie wanted to do something nice for him for Thanksgiving, so we dropped cookies off at the station. My persuasive daughter then convinced him to join us for lunch. That’s when we ran into Olivia and Josh.”
“Caleb’s a good man,” Zoey says. “I’ve gotten to know him a lot more since Liv and Josh started dating. We all know, if we ever need anything, we can call him and he’ll be there.”
I nod, taking in her words. These girls have no connections to Caleb, other than being his friend’s wife’s friends, and they all know he’d be there for them if they needed it.
I wonder what it’s like to have someone like that in your life. Lily has been the only constant in our lives. My parents passed in a car accident with a drunk driver when I was twenty. Charlie was only six months old. Derek and I split a year and a half ago, although he wasn’t around much before the split. He only started coming back around when the divorce was finalized, and it’s irregular visits. Neither Charlie nor I can rely on him.
A hand gently grasps my arm. “You okay?” Eliza asks.
I smile softly. “Yeah, I guess my mind just wandered.”
She assesses me with her gaze like she can see more than I want her to. Giving my head a little shake, I look back at all the girls. “So, how do you all know each other?”
“Liv and I grew up together. We met Han and Liz while we were at UBC,” Zoey says.
“I think that was the only positive thing to come from that house party,” Hannah remarks.
Olivia comes back into the room and settles beside me.
“So, what did I miss?” she asks as she rubs her belly.
“Bailey just told us how she met Caleb, or as she calls him, Officer Sutton,” Hannah says, making me blush.
Calling him Caleb feels too familiar. He’s just the officer that responded to our 911 call. I don’t want them to think this is more than it is. I don’t want to confuse myself into thinking it’s more than it is.
“He showed up at our place after a 911 call. That’s it. It’s nothing more,” I say.
The girls stare at me, assessing me and my response.
It’s Olivia who breaks the silence. “So, what are we doing tonight? Taylor Swift dance party or movie night?”
“Taylor Swift!” Charlie calls from the dining room.
The girls laugh, and Olivia plays “Shake It Off” through the speaker system. Charlie runs into the living room, her crafts forgotten, and dances with us. My entire body relaxes as we dance and laugh, not caring about making fools of ourselves. We dance for what seems like an hour. At the end of our little dance party, Charlie curls up on the couch with a blanket and cuddles Vanilla. We settle in with snacks and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days .
As the credits begin to roll, Josh comes in the front door. He walks over and kisses his wife and rubs his hand over her belly. I smile, remembering what it’s like to share that experience with someone. I enjoyed being pregnant with Charlotte and wish I could do it again, but that would require me to ever trust a man enough to give him the shattered pieces of my heart and soul.
Derek didn’t just physically hurt me. The change in him from my loving husband to a man who took out his anger and frustration with his fists broke my heart. I thought I knew him. I thought I had found the man I would spend the rest of my life with. The man who would be by my side to raise our daughter. I guess I didn’t really know him.
“Do you guys want to spend the night? We have a few spare rooms. You can stay in one. I’m making breakfast in the morning. The girls are all crashing,” Josh says.
Looking over at a sleeping Charlie, I don’t want to disturb her by taking her down to the car and then having to get her inside and up to her bedroom.
“That would be great, thank you.”
He nods. “I’ll help you move her.”
In seconds, he has his arms under her legs and back and is carrying her down the hallway. He walks into a room with a queen-sized bed in the centre. A black comforter is spread over the bed with pillows to match. I rush in front of him, pulling back a section of the covers so he can place her in the bed. I thank him and follow him back out to the living room. Saying good night to the girls, I grab the bag of stuff I brought for Charlie and head back into the bedroom. Settling into bed, I realize that tonight was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.
W hen I wake up in the morning, it’s to an empty bed. I jump out of bed, not sure what Charlie would have gotten into while I was asleep. Walking into the living room, I find her in the kitchen wearing an apron, helping Josh cook breakfast. They both smile as they work together. I look to the dining room and see Liv and Zoey at the table. Liv has a dreamy look as she watches her husband cook with my daughter.
“Morning, Bailey,” Zoey calls when she sees me.
“Morning.” I grab a seat beside her, and Charlie slowly makes her way to me with a coffee mug in her hand.
“Good morning, Mommy. I made you coffee,” she says with a proud smile.
“Thank you, Baby Girl.” I kiss her forehead before she rushes back to Josh. Making eye contact with him, I mouth thank you , and he smiles.
“Oh, I love Josh’s breakfast,” Hannah says as she and Liz join us. “Did they tell you the story about our first breakfast here after a girls’ night?”
“No.”
“So this was when Josh and Liv were totally in denial that they both liked each other. Josh offered Liv the spare room when she needed a place to crash. He let her host girls’ night one Saturday when he had poker. We woke up the next morning and Josh basically told us we had to stay for breakfast. He made all of Liv’s favourites. We then mentioned Liv’s summer checklist.”
A blush spreads across Liv’s cheeks as she hides her face in her orange juice.
“Best decision I ever made,” Josh says as he kisses the top of her head and places a plate of bacon on the table. “Han, can you wait until the table is fully set before you get into the bacon please.” He grins, and Hannah just sticks her tongue out at him before he returns to the kitchen.
Charlie carries a plate of toast, while Josh carries whipped cream and syrup between his arm and body, a plate of French toast in one hand and eggs in the other. They place everything on the table and it looks delicious.
“Josh, may I have some orange juice?” Charlie asks from her spot beside me.
“Of course.”
He heads into the kitchen, returning with a glass of orange juice. She says thank you before taking a big sip, licking her lips with a mmmmmmhhhhh .
I put some food on her plate and load up mine.
Olivia rubs her hands together in excitement. “I’m so glad I can eat eggs again,” she says.
“Pregnancy aversions?” I ask.
“Yeah, the egg aversion was horrible. I would sometimes crave the taste, but the smell was off-putting. I craved pickles too. It was actually how we figured out I was pregnant.” She laughs.
Josh reaches across the table, taking his wife’s hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it with a soft smile.
“What time’s the game tonight?” Zoey asks.
“Today’s an early one. We start at four,” Josh says.
“Game?” I ask.
“Josh and the guys play rec hockey. You and Charlie should totally come today. It will be fun. We can get hot chocolate, too,” Olivia says.
“I’ve never watched hockey,” Charlie says .
“Well, all the more reason you should come,” Hannah says with a mischievous smile. She shares a look with the girls, and I’m not sure if I should be worried.
“Can we go, Mommy? I wanna watch hockey and sit with Liv.”
All eyes are on me, and I know no matter what I say, these women and my daughter will wear me down.
“Okay, Baby Girl, we can go. But you have to eat all your breakfast and get ready for school tomorrow. You won’t have time after the game.”
“Yay!”
Conversation with everyone is easy. I learn that Zoey’s in law school, Hannah’s a nurse at Vancouver Memorial, Eliza’s an accountant, and Josh is the CEO of Lincoln Enterprises.
I help clean up the dishes before gathering Charlie and our stuff. Olivia texts me the address of the rink, and I promise we’ll meet them there. With hugs goodbye, Charlie and I head home. I make sure Charlie’s homework is done and her clothes are set out for school tomorrow. I get her a bag packed for the game, and we walk out the front door. I hope it’s a smooth and uneventful evening.