“We’ll do our best.” At that the door rings, and Owen barrels through with Em and Reeve behind him.
“Hey, you,” Owen says, pulling me into his arms. I give him a brief kiss, not one for PDA, especially in front of his mum.
“Hey,” I say as I pull away from him.
“You excited for tonight?” he asks and I nod, not able to contain my excitement.
“Rosie is obsessed with your mum, so I doubt she will even know I’m gone. I’m more worried about myself than her.”
“I’ll take care of you.” He winks at me before Rosie starts calling out, clearly noticing he’s in the room.
‘How’s my number one?” he asks, bending down to pick her up.
“I thought I was your number one?” I tease. He just gives me that pretty-boy smile over his shoulder.
“Hey, lovely,” Em says, and I realize I’ve yet to say hi to her and Reeve.
“Sorry, this fella”—she motions to Reeve—“took all my attention. How are you guys?”
“Busy. Work is kicking my arse right now, but I guess that’s better than being bored?” Owen replies, still infatuated with Rosie.
“Mine is overall the same. Tonight’s my first night out in months, so I’m pretty keen for a wine and to watch the boys. They better not disappoint.”
Owen lifts his head to look at me while Ali and Reeve laugh. “I promise we will do our best!” he says, and I just grin.
Everyone spends a few more minutes catching up before Evie calls for dinner. Her mood is extra chipper now that she knows Owen and I are together. She tried to play it cool when we told her, but I heard her go into the kitchen and squeal when she thought we weren’t listening.
“So, Owen, do you have any birthday plans?” Evie asks while I serve myself a heaping pile of potatoes, thankful Rosie is napping.
“It’s what, a week away?” Stana asks from across the table. Ali hands her the salt without her asking for it, her gentle smile towards him adorable. I swear those two are headed to the altar sooner rather than later.
Owen nods and I mentally pray that the gift I got him goes over well. Despite my pure panic at leaving Rosie for the night, the girls have agreed to look after her while I get a hotel for Owen and myself. Well, I also got them a room on our floor because let’s be real, neither myself nor Owen will be able to stay away from her for a full night.
But either way, it’s a surprise for the day of his birthday, both girls sworn to secrecy.
“I think maybe a night in with everyone,” Owen says from next to me, answering his mother. His hand finds mine under the table and gives it a squeeze. I bite into my food to hide my smile. I’ve got something else planned for him; he just doesn’t know it yet.
“Well, you know I wouldn’t want to miss my boy’s birthday. How about we all do a picnic to celebrate in the coming weeks?”
“Sure, I bet Rosie would like that too,” he replies, looking to me for confirmation.
“She would. She’s obsessed with ducks, even though I’m not sure she actually knows what they are.”
“Perfect!” Evie beams. “I’ll organize it. Maybe you want to help me, Lottie?”
I nod. “Definitely. Lord knows I need some other things to occupy my time. Don’t get me wrong, I love my girl, but sometimes I need a little bit of human interaction that isn’t from a four-month-old.”
“Oh, love, tell me about it. I used to think I would go stir crazy.”
“Do you think you’ll go back to work soon, Lottie?” Steve asks me before taking a sip of wine.
“I’ve spoken to my old boss and we’ve decided I’m going to go back in two months when Rosie’s six months. It won’t be full time, probably only two or three days, but it’s a start.”
“You need things for yourself,” Evie confirms.
“Will Rosie go into daycare?” Em asks.
“I’m not sure. To be fully honest, I’m still trying to figure it out. I don’t want to leave her with a bunch of strangers, but at the same time I know ultimately I will have to.”
“Understandable,” Em replies.
Conversation eventually shifts to other things, banter easy with my close friends. It’s not long before I’m checking on Rosie with Evie right behind me.
“You know, Lottie, I work part-time now,” Evie says from next to me while we exit the room after seeing a fast-asleep Rosie.
I turn to her, not fully sure what she’s implying.
“I didn’t know,” I respond. “But you’ve been working your arse off for years, Evie. You deserve a break.”
She raises a shoulder. “I’m still young, Lottie. I was younger than you when I had Owen. Fifty is nothing these days.”
I wink. “You don’t look a day over twenty.”
“I know you’re a strong girl. Stubborn too,” she says, eyeing me. “I see a lot of myself in you, especially when I’d first had Owen. I was desperate to get back to work but at the same time panicked to leave him or miss even a second of his life.”
“I know the feeling,” I say.
“I bet you do. That’s why I’m going to make you an offer. You don’t have to say anything right now, okay? But I need you to promise to think about it. Can you do that for me, Charlotte?”
I nod, knowing I could never deny Evie, especially after all she’s done for me.
“I promise.”
“I want you to consider letting me look after Rosie for the days you go back to work. I know your initial instinct will be to say no, but I need you to think about it, okay? I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to. But the reality is, I adore your little girl more than anything, and I like to think I’m looking out for you while your mum can’t, so
