19. Daphne
19
“Oh. My. Gosh!” Hazel throws the gift bags to the floor when she sees Tatyanna in my arms. “Look at you! Look at you, pretty princess!”
And just like that, my arms are emptied. Hazel plucks my baby from me and melts into a series of coos and cuddles. I’m relieved to not feel as anxious about it as I anticipated.
This is Hazel. My Haze. My best friend. I trust her with my life.
Apparently, I trust her with Taty’s life, too.
“Oh my God, Daph. Seriously, look at her! She’s so beautiful!” Hazel follows me into the living room and plops herself down on the couch. By the way she’s holding Taty, I have a feeling I won’t be getting my baby back anytime soon.
And I’m honestly warmed by it. Which is good. Progress.
“She takes after her daddy, that’s for sure.” I set the gift bag down next to the end table without opening it yet.
“Oh, please. Maybe her hair, but these eyes are all you. Aren’t they, pretty baby?”
Taty babbles at Hazel and wiggles her tiny fingers at her unofficial godmother.
Godmother. Shoot. I need to invite my best friend to… well, pretty much everything coming up in the next week or two.
“Hey, Haze… can we talk?”
“Ruh-roh.” She giggles and snuggles my baby close. “What did I do?”
I roll my eyes with a soft laugh. “Nothing. Yet. I wanted to know… Actually, I should tell you, first.” I take a deep breath. “I’m getting married. To Pasha.”
“Next week. Yeah, I know.” Hazel grins at me. “He called me a while back. Wanted to make sure the date worked for me. I told him, shit—I mean, shoot!” She presses her hands around Taty’s ears. “I’ll quit my job if I have to. I’m not missing this for the world!”
For the thousandth time since coming home, my jaw drops. She knows? He asked her?
I should feel something. Like hurt, or disappointment, at not being able to spring such a surprise on my own friends and family.
But I’m the one constantly surprised. Especially by my own… relief.
There’s so much going on. Too much, really. Between everything with my “parents,” my ex, the gallery, and being a new mother to a picky baby, getting married to the man of my dreams in such a short amount of time has been…
Well, I thought it would be a nightmare. An energy-zapping, gray-hair-inducing nightmare.
But Pasha keeps proving to me that he genuinely does have my back. That—unlike so many people in my life up to this point—he actually thinks about me and my needs on top of his own.
I am not used to that.
Not by a long shot.
“Well?” I reach for Taty just to feel her little fingers wrap around mine. “What do you think?”
Hazel sighs. “I think it’s about damn time. I think you deserve all this luxury and more.”
“I’m not in it for the money.”
“Oh, I know. So does he. I mean that you deserve to be given everything, all this love and attention—and yeah, also some considerable spoiling.” Her voice softens. “God knows you’ve been going without for so long.”
I focus on my baby’s fingers so I don’t have to meet her knowing gaze. “I’ve managed.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to. It’s one thing if your family or your fiancé just doesn’t have the means. It’s a whole other terrible thing when they have half the universe in the palms of their hands, but they only give you scraps.”
Her words hit deeper than she knows. It’s something I’ve done a very good job avoiding— accepting the reality that is my own fucked-up family.
She reaches out to rub my arm with a free hand. “I’m so happy for you, Daph. Really. And you’re right: it’s not about the money. It’s about seeing you no longer accept second- or third-best. You’ve allowed people to walk all over you for years. I’m so—” She covers Taty’s ears again, dropping her voice to a whisper. “—fucking happy to see you standing up for yourself!”
At that, I can’t help but grin.
Hazel adjusts Taty on her lap, crossing her legs on the couch to form a pseudo-nest for the bundle. “So, tell me everything! What are we doing for your bachelorette party?”
“Bachelorette party?” I snort. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“Boo! Boring!”
“Listen. Having some guy wave his wang at me is how all this—” I wave my fingers at Taty. “—started. So… no, thank you. Besides?—”
“I’m sorry, we need to hit the pause button here. Pasha just whipped it out and waved it at you?!”
“No! You know what I mean. The only naked guy I want or need to see, I haven’t seen naked in… shoot. Weeks. So no, I don’t want a bachelorette party.”
Hazel barks an incredulous laugh and shakes her head at me. “Okay, okay. One, your man better be seeing to your needs soon, and I mean soon!”
“He will! I’m just… healing.” From a shit ton more than just stitches.
“Right, right. Still. Two, you need to be honored! Showcased! This is the rest of your life we are talking about! You deserve, no—you need one night of unbridled debauchery before you enter your new lifetime of being a model wife and mother.”
All of that sounds exhausting.
“I love you, Haze. And I know for a fact that in any other circumstance, I’d be all for it. But?—”
“But your man’s possessive in the sexy way that might get you spanked?” She waggles her brows.
That, too. “But I’m exhausted. And all that sounds so…”
“Ah, I get it.” She winks. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t you worry.”
“I’m always worried, Haze. Especially when you wink like that.”
“Well, stop! You just lay back and be the beautiful, pampered queen that you are.”
I dramatically flop back on the couch just to make her laugh, which works. Without opening my eyes, I poke at a different topic I’ve been avoiding. “How’s things at the gallery?”
I can hear her wicked grin. “Oh, thank you so much for reminding me! I need to send you that video of The Tweedles getting their asses thrown out on the sidewalk. It was fantastic. I never knew Keith could screech that high! And I think Todd’s fingernails scratched out a path from wall to door.”
“Oh my God.” I laugh with her, shaking my head. “Those two.”
“Yeah, well, they had it coming. And that new manager, Aubrey?”
My breath hitches. “Yeah?”
“Amazing. Truly amazing. She knows what she’s talking about, and she runs the business with an iron fist. But at the same time, she’s a human being, you know? The other day I bled through and when I told her I needed to step out to take care of things, she just told me to take the day and rest. Asked me if I needed anything, offered to send a heating pad, the works. Kinda felt weird to not be ridiculed for being a woman.”
That makes me open my eyes and sit up. “It’s weird, right? Are we that used to being undermined for normal things?”
Hazel rolls her eyes. “You’d think!” She smiles at Taty and pokes the tip of her nose with a finger. “Things will be different for this little one. And I am so glad, Daph. Seriously.” She looks over at me, her gaze meeting mine. “It’s about time someone treats you the way you’ve always deserved. I really wish you all the happiness coming your way.”