At exactly seven-thirty, the doorbell rings, and with a grin, I go to the front door and fling it open.
“Hi,” I say, pleasure flooding over me seeing my best friends.
Brooke and I cling to each other as if we haven’t seen each other in months. I hug Jason next and then usher them into the house.
“This is beautiful,” Brooke squeals as she looks around.
They had both been to the house before I bought it and after I bought it but this is the first time they’re seeing the furniture.
“It’s a solid house,” Jason says, looking around the expansive living space.
I know that it’s too big for one person, but deep inside, I remain hopeful that I’ll have a baby one day. I have no boyfriend currently, and the last guy I had a relationship with was almost a year ago. Yeah. A baby. That’s all I want to be truly happy.
“Can we have a quick tour?” Brooke says.
It’s fun to show them around and see Brooke’s reaction to the furniture pieces I picked. I love modern furnishings—simple, clean looks and lots of wood. She exclaims over everything in a way only Brooke can. Total enthusiasm.
Brooke and Jason are the closest things I have to family in LA. My mom lives in Northern California, and so does my dad.
I met Jason first, as he and I had been friends since college before he went for firefighter training. We’d been known as the three musketeers in college. Jason, myself, and our friend Marvin. I wait for the shadow of sadness that always comes over me whenever I think of Marvin. It doesn’t disappoint and swamps over me like a gust of wind.
“Are you OK?” Jason says.
“I’m fine,” I say as I lead them to the couch.
“You’re thinking about Marvin, aren’t you?” Brooke is very perceptive especially considering that we haven’t known each other for as many years as Jason and I have. Oddly, we had never met as she’s Marvin’s little sister.
“I was,” I admit.
We lost Marvin and his wife, Ellie, several years ago in a grisly road accident, but we never fail to remember them, especially when we’re together.
Marvin and Ellie left custody of their son Liam to Jason and Brooke. They’d been there for each other during that terrible, painful time. Drawn together by grief, they fell in love and got married.
Thankfully, it all worked out well, with Liam having a set of parents to raise him, and then later, they had added a little girl to the brood.
I ask them about the kids, and for the next five minutes, Brooke updates me on their antics, which gets all sorts of emotions tugging at my heartstrings.
“I should offer you some wine, but the food will go cold,” I say a few minutes later.
“How is Ann doing? I haven’t seen her in a long time,” Jason says, his tone teasing.
“Don’t tease her, Jason,” Brook says. “You know how busy she is at work. Cooking is just not doable. Besides, I love seafood.”
Guilt floods me as I remember how much trouble Brooke goes to whenever I go to their home for dinner. She cooks everything from scratch.
“She’s a keeper,” I say to Jason as we settle around the table to eat.
Jason leans toward his wife and rubs his nose against hers, then they laugh. There are a lot of moments like that with Brooke and Jason.
I love them, and I know they try their best to include me, but boy, is it tough sometimes to be with them. They’re crazy about each other, and because of that, they’re always doing the couple’s thing. You know—private jokes, whispering to each other, stuff like that.
They are the one couple who reinforce my belief in love.
I pop open the wine bottle, and as I begin to pour some for Brooke, she covers the wine glass with her hand and smiles at me. “None for me, thank you.”
I frown. “We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
She winks and glances down at her tummy.
My eyes widen as understanding dawns. I shift my glance from her to Jason, then back to her again. “Are you?”
A soft look comes over her features as she nods. “We are four weeks pregnant.”
“That’s so exciting.” I squeal.
“We haven’t told anybody yet, even the kids,” Brooke says.
“You’re glowing,” I tell her. “I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed it before.” Brooke is gorgeous with good girl looks and a body that could be a model even after giving birth.
As we eat dinner, we catch up on each other’s news. I regale them with tales from work, which are always a hit.
“Speaking of weddings,” Jason says. “Connor and Jen’s wedding is this coming weekend.”
“Oh, cool. Are you guys going?” I ask. If I remember correctly, the wedding will be in Vegas.
Jason shakes his head. “We can’t, not so early in Brooke’s pregnancy.”
I remember that Brooke had problems with her last pregnancy in the early months. “Yes, it’s better to be safe and stay home.”
Jason reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope, which he pushes across the table to me.
“What’s this?” I say.
“Plane ticket,” Jason says. “You are going to Vegas in our place. “
“What are you talking about? “I say. “I can’t go to Vegas. I have a business to run.”
Brooke and Jason exchange a look.
“Do you realize that ever since we met, you’ve never taken time off,” Brooke says. “You’re always working.”
“That’s because it’s a new business,” I say. “I have to work ungodly hours for the business to succeed.”
“We understand,” Brooke says. “And you’ve done a wonderful job with it. We are all so proud of you, but now it’s time for you to have a little fun.”
“Does she even remember what the word fun means?” Jason says, his tone was sarcastic.
I stick out my tongue at him. “No one knows how to have fun as much as I do, Jason, and you know it.”
“Then go,” Brooke says.
“You have good people working for you, Marian,” Jason
