Chapter Forty-Seven
PATIENCE
Even as late as it was, we were all still wired.
Carson had made it out of the house unscathed. We ate, talked about wedding plans, and shared our baby news.
I couldn’t believe that Gemma was having twins—boys to be exact—at the start of January, and River was expecting a little girl less than two weeks later. They both were in their second trimester, and we understood their reasons for keeping things quiet; no one was upset.
Gemma hadn’t been feeling well; she’d been worried about how things would go, pregnant with two, and needed to get through the first part before revealing her exciting news.
She wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer, not that I thought she truly wanted to.
The woman was growing two babies inside her, and when she pulled the baggy shirt off her tiny frame, she had a small baby bump.
River had the slightest start, looking more like a little pooch in her belly—it was adorable.
I couldn’t believe we hadn’t all caught on before now.
River had some morning sickness, but not telling us sooner had been more about soaking in the fact she could really be this blissfully happy and have what she did after the haunting past she had grown up in.
Due in February, a bit behind them, I wasn’t showing yet.
I couldn’t wait to see my belly grow with mine and Jett’s child and feel them kicking me.
Even Griffin was so freaking excited he could barely calm down these days.
Knowing both my friends had blood tests and knew the sex of the babies, I was longing to do the same.
“Patience, are you listening?” Ruby asked, grabbing my attention.
I bit my lip, shaking my head. “Sorry, I was in baby land.”
River and Gemma nodded in understanding. “It’s an easy place to get lost,” the latter said, laughing.
“That’s for sure,” River added.
“Okay, I get it,” my sister said. “Back to wedding planning, though. Is there anything else we haven’t nailed down?”
Tilting my head, I thought about it for a moment before answering. “I don’t think so.”
I was giddy with anticipation for the actual wedding and saying vows with my husband, with all our friends and family in attendance. My marriage to him would have always been because I loved him, but it all started out in a weird way and without the people we cared about most around us.
“Is Dusty coming?” Summer asked.
A huge smile broke out across my face. “She said she wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
With the mention of her, I decided to give her a call—on speaker. Not thinking about the time, of course, which she commented on in her classic Dusty way when she picked up after a couple of rings.
“This had better top a triple orgasm after a session of hardcore sex with a hot schoolteacher with the body of a football legend if you’re waking me up at…”
After a pause, she was back.
“Crap, you’re kidding—two in the morning. What the hell is wrong with you? I just finally fell asleep an hour ago,” she groaned.
Everyone around me was in stitches hearing her.
“Wow, the cackling hens are there,” she said through the line.
“Did we wake you up from that scene you just described?” Alley yelled out.
Dusty scoffed. “Shit, I wish.”
“So just your fantasy!” Teal shouted.
“I plead the fifth,” Dusty quipped and then in a teasing voice added, “So, what do I owe this displeasure to?”
“Be nice,” I told her. “We just miss you, and we're talking about my upcoming wedding. Or renewal of vows, whatever you want to call it.”
“You deserve this,” my friend said, such serenity in her voice that I felt my eyes get misty.
London, who was next to me, bumped her shoulder with mine. “You totally do.”
“Does anyone else think that Alley and Dusty are like almost replicas of each other in the personality department?” Jurnee asked. “Smartass with a heart of gold.”
“I can’t give a beatdown like Dusty,” Alley said.
“Bullshit,” Dusty shot back. “Bat or no bat, I have faith you can.”
“Oh my gosh, I just thought of something,” Brinley announced. “While we are all here and Dusty is on the phone, let’s pick her out a special ringtone.”
“Really? You all are gonna make me cry,” Dusty joked. “But yeah, I totally want one.”
“Put your thinking hats on, ladies,” Teal called out. “Some of us have songs based on our appearance, personalities, our relationships, and our pasts. We will find you a good one, girl.”
Dusty whistled through the phone. “Wait. I want to know what each of your songs are.”
Gemma jumped into the fray, taking control in her teacher voice—she was in her element. “Okay, this is how we’re going to do this, ladies. When I point to you, call out your name, your ringtone song, and who sings it.”
Dusty couldn’t see everyone nodding, their eyes glued to Gemma waiting for her command, but we were ready. Our friend was still young, but she was a great teacher; kids loved her, and even though her tone held authority, it was still kind.
“Okay, here we go!” Gemma yelled, pointing at Jurnee first.
“Jurnee. ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison.”
“Summer. ‘Gorgeous’ by Kane Brown.”
“Alley. ‘Bad Reputation’ by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts,” she said with a smirk.
All the ladies' songs were chosen by the group, not by us, and we all went with it—some more enthusiastically than others judging by the satisfied look on Alley’s face.
Gemma pointed again, and we kept going.
“Teal. ‘Hero’ by Mariah Carey.”
“Brinley. ‘Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears.”
“Ruby. ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ by Roy Orbison.”
I nearly giggled at the blush on Ruby’s face as she took her turn. Summer had done the same. All my friends were beautiful, but Ruby and Summer were kind of in a league of their own, and they both thought we were silly for our song picks.
“Gemma. ‘Broken and Beautiful’ by Kelly Clarkson.”
“Capri. ‘Fighter’ by Christina Aguilera.”
“Lake. ‘Girl On Fire’ by Alicia Keys.”
“London. ‘Forever Your Girl’ by Paula Abdul.”
“River. ‘Warrior’ by Demi Lovato.”
“Patience. ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ by One Direction,” I answered.
My song came from Jett, and the ladies had picked up on it. Because he always sang it to me, I couldn’t help but find it endearing.
“Wow, that’s quite the playlist you all have going on,” Dusty said once everyone had finished. “So what do you all have for me?”
We all grouped together, whispering in each other’s ears.
“Why is it so quiet?” Dusty asked.
“We’re huddling—kind of like your hottie quarterback would do just before he made the ultimate play,” Lake told her, causing a roar of laughter.
Dusty groaned. “I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”
“Not a chance!” Alley yelled.
“Okay, break,” Ruby said, clapping her hands together loudly.
“You guys are real hilarious,” our friend on the other end of the line said sarcastically.
“Drum roll, please,” Gemma said.
London made the sound, playing along.
“Our song of choice for you is…” Alley paused for dramatic effect. “‘Confident’ by Demi Lovato.”
As the words left her mouth, the song blared through the speakers in the room. Alley had gotten that dialed in fast.
When the song ended, and the music was turned down, all we heard was silence.
“You there?” Alley asked the woman on the other line.
There was a sniffle, and I noticed all the ladies still.
“You guys are the best. I love that you included me,” Dusty said, obviously a bit choked up.
It was clear she was emotional. We all had been there more times than not, and nobody called her on it.
“You’re one of us,” I chimed in.
Then everyone started jumping back in and resumed conversation, giving Dusty the low down on the pregnancies, the wedding plans, and anything else going on.
“Can we please have dessert now?” Gemma begged after a while.
“I second that!” I shouted.
“I third that!” River yelled.
“Are you sticking around for a movie and dessert?” I asked Dusty. “I can put you on FaceTime.”
“Hell no. I miss you guys, but I miss my sleep more,” she teased.
We all burst into laughter before settling down to say our goodbyes. Once I hung up, music began pulsing through the speakers again. All the ladies started singing along to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, shimmying their hips—me included—as we headed to the kitchen to get our sweets.
Not long after, we were all in sugar comas but content. Curled up on the couch I was sharing with Gemma, “Pretty Woman” playing quietly on the television, I glanced around at the others lining every other imaginable space in the room.
My heart warmed.
I was so blessed to have friends like them.
And I owed it all to my husband.