Lottie snakes her arm around my free side, her body leaning into me.
“Everyone is going to be here in less than thirty minutes and Rosie looks like she’s been swept up in a hurricane.”
“At least she’ll be the cutest girl here,” I say, to which Lottie nudges me in the ribs.
“Don’t let Reeve hear you say that. He might scoop your eyes out with a spoon. As far as he and Em are concerned, that spot goes to Penelope and Mirabelle.”
“As any parent would think, that spot goes to their child.”
I laugh, thinking about Reeve with his twin daughters. For a guy who didn’t know if he wanted kids, he sure came around quickly. When those two were born two and a half years ago, you would have sworn he thought the world started and ended with them. As it should be.
“Are Stana and Ali bringing Billy?”
Lottie looks over my shoulder and her eyes light up. “Speak of the devil.”
Lottie
I slip out of Owen’s embrace and bolt over to my cousin. She looks stunning in her flowing maxi dress with her newly cut dark hair sitting just past her shoulders. Her small belly is slightly rounded, my new niece set to arrive in less than four months.
Three-year-old Billy bolts from his father’s side, searching for Rosie. Despite their three-year age gap, they’re attached at the hip.
“It looks like America treated you well,” I say, pulling her in for a hug. I haven’t seen her in nearly two months due to her and Ali galivanting through the States together.
“I’ve missed you, Lottie,” she says into my hair, and a calmness settles over me at having her back.
“How’s the baby?” I ask, my hands going to her stomach.
“Honestly, amazing. Nothing like with Billy where I was sick for what felt like forever.”
“God, I remember how it was with Rosie and Leo, bloody hell.” I pause, looking around. “Now where did that handsome husband of yours go?” I scan the garden, only to spot him holding Leo while Owen grabs Ali a beer. I suspect it will only be a matter of hours till those two, plus Reeve, pull out the instruments and attempt to relive their time at Saint Street.
Despite Ali still owning it, their playing has drastically decreased. After we all started having babies, their weekly performances began to slow. Now they’re lucky if they get to play every other month, but that’s life. Growing up is giving up some of the things you enjoy in order to gain the fulfillment of others.
“Have you heard from Em?” I ask, leading Stana over to put her bag down.
“Knowing her, she’s gonna be late.”
“Oh God, I can already imagine Reeve being all ready to go on time and Em still putting on her makeup.”
Stana’s mouth turns up. “I swear she and Reeve are polar opposites. I see that in Mirabelle and Penelope too.”
I think of their two raven-haired twins. Mirabelle is her father’s spitting image physically and personality-wise. She’s got a kept-together seriousness about her for her young age, always appearing to be watching while Penelope is an outgoing and outrageous tornado. They give their parents a run for their money, that’s for sure.
“Can you imagine when they’re teenagers? The trouble those two are going to be…”
Stana’s shoulders shake, her mind clearly thinking about the future. “I can’t. I’m sure Reeve will have a heart attack the first time one of them brings home a boyfriend. Although they’re only two and a half, I sometimes see him glaring at the small boys on the playground when they get too close.”
“Lord help us.”
Giggles are heard around the corner before Em and Reeve round the side of the house, each with a twin on their hip. Em’s strawberry locks are piled atop her head, and Penelope twists in her hold, clearly attempting an escape.
Mirabelle, on the other hand, rests her head on her daddy’s shoulder, while his other arm is piled with bags.
“Someone is early,” Stana calls out, walking over to her sister-in-law, myself in tow.
“It was no easy feat,” Reeve replies, dropping the bags to the grass, Mirabelle still glued to his side. Pen is already on the ground, running to find Billy and Rosie. Bless her, at less than three years old, she thinks she’s already one of the big kids.
“You want to go play with the others?” Emilia asks her daughter. Mirabelle snuggles into her dad’s side, shaking her head. My heart melts a little with each action.
“I’ll take her over,” Reeve says, quickly giving Stana and me a kiss on the cheek each before heading to the others.
“Now that I’m child free, give me a hug, you two!” Em tries to hug us at the same time, a sort of squished sandwich of an embrace.
“God, it feels like forever since we’ve all been together,” Em says, pulling away.
“Only two months,” Stana adds.
“It feels like longer,” I reply. Life without all of them in it just doesn’t feel like life at all.
“It’s weird, you know. I’m so used to being around you ladies all the time for the past eight years, it felt so strange leaving for two months. It was even weirder being in America for that long.”
Since Stana moved to London eight years ago, sure, she’s had the occasional trip back to LA, but never for more than a few weeks. I think with Billy being older and them about to have another, it was the perfect time to show Ali and Billy where Stana was from.
“Are Steve and Evie coming?” Stana asks.
“Yeah, they’ve been away for the weekend with Mum and Dad. I think all four of them should arrive this afternoon. Plus Hugo and his girlfriend are coming too.”
“Wait, the girlfriend?” Em asks, her body jolting forward.
I nod. “Yep, thatone.”
“Ah, I can’t wait to meet her,” says Stana. “Is Louis coming?”
I look toward Em.
“From what Reeve
