“Here’s tostayinghealthy.” Addison took a long sip of her drink and tucked her legs under her. “And here’s to new beginnings.”
Charlotte took a long sip of her drink. “So, you and Mason have decided to go through with it, then?”
A shadow settled over Addison’s face, and she frowned at her drink. “No, the doctor is insisting that I can’t get pregnant. Thechemo and everything else took its toll on me, so it would be too dangerous.”
Charlotte twisted so she was facing her friend directly. “And you haven’t reconsidered adopting?”
Addison sighed and took another long sip of her drink. “Don’t get me wrong. I know adoption is great and all, but it’s not what I want. I still really want to have a baby that’s ours.”
Charlotte’s mind raced to process the information. “So, what does that leave? Surrogacy?”
Addison ran a hand over her face. “Mason is a little iffy about the idea, and I know why. Having a complete stranger carry our baby…it’s not ideal, but what other choice do we have? You know what my family is like. They haven’t even spoken to me in years…”
Charlotte grimaced. “I’m sure if they knew about the cancer…”
Addison took another sip and made a face. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Do you know what happened the last time I…”
Charlotte tuned the rest of the sentence out as she turned Addison’s words over and over in her head. On the one hand, she couldn’t think of any two people who were more deserving of being parents. On the other hand, she also had doubts about whether or not they had any eggs frozen prior to chemo.
And what about the cancer gene?
Charlotte had no idea how the science worked, but knowing Addison as well as she did, she had to believe her friend had done the homework and weighed the risks. Still, the longer she sat there, listening to Addison lament her relationship with her estranged family, the stranger she felt.
She felt a strange and hollow ache in the center of her chest as she heard Addison go on about her plans.
When she glanced around the house and imagined little kids running around, laughing and shrieking, a smile sprang to herlips. Then, Addison waved a hand in front of her face, and Charlotte came back to the present with a jolt. She offered her friend a small smile and downed the entirety of her drink.
Charlotte thought about Addison’s problem for the rest of the night.
“Come on in.” Charlotte threw the door open and pulled Addison in for a hug. Then, she turned to Mason and shook his hand. Together, the three of them stepped into her great-grandparents’ living room, where a few of the family members were sprawled in various stages of rest. A few more spilled out onto the back porch, laughing and talking underneath the light of the moon.
The rest were in the dining room and kitchen, fighting over the snacks. With a smile, Charlotte led her friends into the living room and shot her sister a meaningful look. Reluctantly, Savannah picked up her iced tea and scooched over, leaving room on the couch. As soon as Addison and Mason sat down, everyone started talking over each other.
Game night with the Wilson clan usually ended with cheers and taunts.
But today, they were taunting each other over a game of charades. Having spent most of the day subbing for the summer school teacher who hadn’t shown up, Charlotte opted to sit the game out and was instead watching her family flap their arms and jump up and down.
Addison leaned in closer and raised her voice to be heard. “Thanks for inviting us.”
Charlotte patted her hand. “I thought you could use something different.”
Addison glanced back at Charlotte’s mother, who was gesturing to Jack furiously, her face a bright red color. “Your mom seems really happy.”
Charlotte took a long swig of her orange-flavored soda. “She is. Jack has been good for her.”
But seeing them together had stirred something within Charlotte, a longing she hadn’t known she had.
She wanted someone of her own. Someone to come home to and watch TV with. Someone to cuddle up with at night while they talked about their hopes and dreams. Considering she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been on a date; Charlotte knew her chances of having that were slim.
A small part of her was jealous that Addison was ready to move on to the next phase of her life. Rather than getting her friend back, Charlotte knew she had to prepare herself for the possibility of sharing her with someone else—a baby, no less.
You’re being ridiculous. Addison is not going to abandon you. And besides, you want her to be happy, right?
During a particularly intense round, where her great-grandparents were competing against each other, Charlotte saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to it and found her mom’s second cousins, Laura, Glen Jr., Jaxson, Reese, and Ruby, all facing off in the backyard. All of them had their arms folded against their chests, and their nostrils were flaring.
Frowning, Charlotte stood up and glanced around, but no one was looking at her.
Addison stood and followed her line of sight. “I’ll talk to them.”
