Meant for Me | ✔️

32) surprise

Tuesday, 6th May.

Eight months later

A D D I E

"Happy birthday, sweetie," I said to Willa over FaceTime on Tuesday morning. She wore a splitting grin and rubbed her tired eyes. I wanted to make sure that I got a phone call in before she went to school.

"Thanks, Addie."

"What's for breakfast this morning?"

"Waffles with berries and syrup and cream."

"That sounds like a sweet start to the morning."

She nodded and Raine appeared in the background, leaning over Willa's shoulder. "Good morning," she waved. "Let me see the bump."

As usual, Raine wanted to ooh and aah over my stomach. I was due seven days ago, so currently, I was the size of a house. Their coos sounded over the phone when I lowered it and showed them my protruding belly under a tank top that left my midriff bare.

Nothing fit quite the same but I couldn't complain too much, as far as pregnancies went, this one had been straight forward, mostly painless, nausea free. For that, I was thankful. It seemed like my string of bad luck was slowing. I raised the camera again and slouched further into Irie's sofa. Or our sofa as she liked to call it. We'd been living together ever since she saved me from the condo before I became embedded in the carpet.

No matter how many plants she added to the decor, it still didn't feel like home.

"Will," I said. "Can I talk to Raine for a minute?"

"Okay," she blew a kiss and handed the phone over.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure we were all set for the surprise?"

"We sure are," Raine grinned, the background moving behind her as she walked through her home. "We get on the flight straight after school. We should be in Beverly Hills at around seven tonight. She's going to be so excited."

Since I left Texas, I had been back twice to see Willa. And in between those visits, we spoke on the phone at least three times a week. Things were better than ever. We were close, we were fast becoming best friends.

Willa made me feel whole at a time in my life where I'd never felt so depleted. Unfortunately, I was too pregnant to travel for her birthday, so Milo and Raine graciously agreed to let Raine and Willa spend the weekend here in Beverly Hills. I couldn't wait to get my arms around her.

"Say hello," Raine stopped and turned the camera on Milo who was dressed for work while he drank a coffee. He smiled and gave me a quick wave.

"How's it going, Milo?" I asked. For the most part, Milo and I had absolved our differences and got along just fine. Sometimes I still got the feeling that he was nervous about my part in his daughter's life. Worried that I might attempt to lure her in and have her choose me. He'd eased up over the last few months though, I hoped that he was starting to realize, all I wanted was to know her.

"Not bad," he nodded. "How's the little one growing?"

"She's growing," I said and felt my heart skip a beat, as it often did when I thought about the fact that Margo's daughter was growing inside of me. A piece of the sister that I lost.

Milo excused himself and told me that he was looking forward to hearing all about how our girls weekend goes. He had to work but he figured it would be nice to leave the ladies to it anyway. That was what I considered progress.