The only reason I wasn’t terrified was because I knew he was feeding me a line.

When I told Daniel I had to leave because I was going to a barbecue that afternoon, he offered to accompany me, but I declined. This date had already lasted much longer than it should have. Plus, I knew if I showed up at Tim and Richard’s house with Daniel on my arm, Tim would immediately start planning our wedding.

I parked on the street in front of Tim and Richard’s house and let myself into their backyard through the side gate. I’d assumed everyone would be gathered on the patio as usual, but it was empty. Richard hadn’t even turned on the grill yet. I walked to the back door and peeked in through the glass window, but all I could see was the laundry piled on top of the washing machine. I returned to the front of the house. Both cars were parked in the driveway, so I knew they were home.

I knocked on the front door. As soon as Jayden opened it, I could hear Tim and Richard’s raised voices from upstairs. Jayden didn’t stick around to explain. He disappeared into the back of the house, where I assumed the rest of the kids were hiding too. I was debating between going to check on them or turning around and leaving, when Richard bolted down the steps. He stopped short when he saw me. “Grace, I didn’t know you were here.”

“I just got here. I thought we were barbecuing this afternoon.” I set the box of cupcakes I’d purchased on the way over on the console table. “I must’ve gotten my dates mixed up. Sorry.”

“No, we just lost track of time,” Richard said, “Come in.”

“No, I’ll leave. Or I can take the kids for a while if you guys need some time alone.” I didn’t know how I’d fit six children in my car, but we’d figure it out. Or we could always go for a walk in the neighborhood.

Tim appeared at the top of the staircase. He looked upset, but when he saw me, he pasted a smile on his face and said, “Don’t go. We’re celebrating.”

“You are?”

“Yes,” he said, joining Richard at the bottom of the stairs. “We’re getting a baby!”

Chapter 9

“Congratulations!” I shouted. I looked from Tim to Richard and back to Tim. Neither looked happy about the news. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Richard replied then paused before adding, “Maybe not at this precise moment in time though.”

“No time like the present,” Tim said.

Richard glared at him.

“This seems like something you two should celebrate alone,” I said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take the kids for a few hours? I don’t mind, but I may need to borrow your minivan.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tim said. Then he noticed the bakery box sitting on the console table. “You brought cupcakes. It’s a party.”

Richard went outside to light the grill, and the kids slowly trickled out of their hiding spaces. Tim shooed them all out to the backyard along with the dogs. The cat and the gecko remained hidden somewhere inside the house.

Tim pulled a package of ground beef out of the refrigerator and started dividing it up into similarly sized balls. At his direction I chopped tomatoes and cucumbers for a salad.

I waited until we’d both gotten into a rhythm before I said, “I don’t want to pry but—”

Tim smacked a ball of ground beef, flattening it into a patty. “I love him, Grace. But sometimes he is just impossible, especially about money.”

I’d had my fair share of money arguments with Jonah too. We just had different priorities. Jonah claimed it was because I grew up wanting for almost nothing, while he grew up wanting for almost everything.

According to the magazine article I’d read in Dr. Rubenstein’s waiting room last week, the number one issue couples fight about is money. Sex and children are numbers two and three.

Although Tim and Richard’s house was large, I knew they hadn’t purchased it. Richard told me he’d inherited the house from his mother when she died. Other than the money they received from the State for fostering, they were a one-income family. Tim previously worked as a graphic designer, but these days his job was to take care of the house and the kids. Richard was a physician’s assistant in a doctor’s office, but I had no idea how much that paid.

“He’s probably just worried,” I said. “When I was pregnant with Amelia, Jonah was a stressed out mess. We argued all the time. But after Amelia was born, he was fine.”

“I know he’s nervous,” Tim replied. “I am too. The agency called us this morning and told us we need to pick up the baby from the hospital tomorrow.”

“Wow, they don’t give you much notice.” At least Jonah and I had nine months to prepare.

“No,” Tim said, pounding out another patty. “If I had more time, then I could’ve gotten us everything we needed used. But with one day’s notice, I have to buy new. What choice do I have?”

“You could shop at Ikea,” Richard said. I spun around and found him standing in the entrance to the kitchen. I hadn’t heard him come inside. I thought he was still in the backyard with the kids. “It doesn’t have to be Pottery Barn,” Richard continued.

“You want your son to sleep in a crib made of sawdust?” Tim asked.

“It’s not sawdust,” Richard replied. “It’s particleboard. And the Pottery Barn crib wasn’t solid wood either.”

“Just so you know,” I said, keeping my eyes focused on the cucumber I was slicing, “the baby’s not going to sleep in the crib for the first few months anyway. Most people start with a bassinet in their bedroom then move the baby to a crib when they’re older.”

“See,” Richard said. “We don’t even need a crib yet. Let me ask around at work. Maybe someone has a crib they’re not using anymore.”

“I have one,” I said.

Both Richard and Tim stared at me.

“I’ve got everything—a crib, a dresser, a changing table, the bassinet too. Nice stuff,” I said to Tim. “You’ll like it. Although you’ll probably want to buy new bedding because mine’s all pink.”

“You still have Amelia’s things?” Tim asked.

“Everything but her clothes, although you wouldn’t want them anyway. They definitely looked like girl clothes. But I still have all the furniture.” I could feel the tears welling in my eyes, but I didn’t let them escape.

Richard glanced at Tim, then back at me. “No, Grace. We can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask. I offered.” I sniffed back my tears and forced a smile. “And you would be doing me a favor. My mother’s been hounding me to get rid of this stuff since the day after the funeral. She’ll probably send you a thank-you card.”

Tim wiped his hands on a dish towel and hugged me. “I’m sure when you’re ready you will,” he said, “but not today. Not for us.”

He let go of me and I stepped back and wiped my eyes. “Please let me do this. Otherwise, I’ll just end up donating it all to some random charity, and I’d much rather it went to people who I know will give it a good home.”

Tim and Richard exchanged another glance.

“Are you sure?” Richard asked. “Absolutely sure?”

“We don’t want to pressure you,” Tim added.

“You’re not pressuring me. I offered. You’ll be doing me a favor by taking it off my hands.”

Chapter 10

“You want some coffee?” I asked Richard when he arrived at my house early the next morning. He had dark circles under his eyes, and I wondered if he’d slept at all last night.

“No, it’ll just make me more jittery. Do you have a toolbox? I left mine sitting next to the front door so I wouldn’t forget, and I still walked out of the house without it.”

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll go get it.”