Graciela flips her hand. “There are a lot of terrible reasons to marry someone,chiquita.”She pauses mischievously. “Like unexpectedly having a baby with them.”
Elle lets her head fall to one side and lifts her bare ring finger in the air. “Do Colin and I lookmarriedto you?”
Uhh… Hmm.
I shift my eyes uncomfortably and suddenly question whether or not thequestionI’m planning to ask shortly is a good idea.
No,it’s definitely a good idea. We’ve been living together for months, we’re planning to buy a house in the suburbs next year, and we’veliterallytalked about getting married at some point.
Nevertheless, I have to fight to maintain a neutral expression.
“No, but you did move in together immediately afterward,” Graciela retorts. She casts a sly side-eye toward me. “You two had all this time before Audrey arrived to move in together, but you didn’t do it untilaftershe was born. That tells me you only did it because you suddenly had a baby together. And I bet you any amount of money he’s already planning to propose. Right, Colin?”
Every woman in the room turns their eyes toward me, and now my face is numb.
“Uhhh…I, um…” I stammer, and then clear my throat. “Can I get anyone a refill on their—”
“He isnot,” Elle pipes up. “We have plans in place that we’ve carefully thought through. We have a one-year plan, and a five-year plan, and a ten-year plan, and longer-term plans.” She casually leans against the arm of the couch, causing her tiara to slip off, and she quickly catches it to fix it. “We’ll get married atsome point,but it won’t be a result of Audrey being born. I’ve always believed it’s a bad idea to marry someonejust becauseyou have a baby with them. He knows that.” She lifts her hand off the tiara to gesture at me and then quickly catches it as it slips off again. “Right, babe?”
I still can’t feel my face. “Right.”
Elle arches an eyebrow at Graciela. “See?”
Celia suddenly scoffs. “Really,Colin?” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Way to flake out.”
Oh for fuck’s sake.
So much for Celia keeping the secret about me asking her what kind of ring Elle might like weeks ago.
I tug at my collar and release an extra button because this apartment suddenly feels like the core of the damn sun.
I know that my awkwardness about this is written all over my face. To make matters worse, Joaquin is now standing next to me, cradling the bowl of hummus while he eyes me with an equally awkward and totally guilty expression.
“Hey.” He coughs and gestures at the room with a pita chip. “Did you guys get some of this hummus? It’s from that halal truck on Avenue of the Americas, and it’s really fuckin’ good.”
“Joaquin Alejandro,”Fortuna hisses, thumping the balloon so it flies through the air toward him. “Do not use that language in front of this baby.”
He grins slyly. “Sorry,Mamá.”
“Ah-dah!” Audrey chirps from the rug, pointing at me. “Ah-dah! Ah-dah!”
The awkwardness of the potential proposal predicament fades to nothing as an enamored smile pulls across my face.
“Yes, my little sweetheart,” I prompt her, crossing the room to scoop her up. “Are you having a good time at your mama’s birthday party?”
She curls up against me, tucking her head under my chin while she pats my chest and picks at the buttons of my shirt. “Ah-dah, ah-daaahh…”
Elle giggles, mirroring my enamored smile while she watches us. “Listen to that. She is totally going to end up sayingDadafirst.”
Georgia chuckles heartily. “She just might. My girls all saidDadafirst. I think theDsound is just easier for babies to pronounce. Don’t take it personally, Elle.”
Elle laughs again. “I’m not. I love how much she loves him.” The tip of her nose turns slightly pink. “He’s honestly the best daddy ever. It’s like fatherhood is his true calling in life.”
“Not a bad calling to have,” Georgia agrees, then turns to me. “How’s Archer doing?”
I give Audrey a small bounce as she continues to pick at and pinch the buttons on my shirt. “He’s doing really well. We send him books every month, and he devours them. He’s about to start a college correspondence program.” I shrug. “He’s pretty determined to keep making progress even in there, and he’s obviously sober. By the time he’s eligible for parole, he’ll have his associate’s degree, and that’ll work in his favor.”
Georgia offers me a warm smile. “That’s really good to hear. He’s a good kid.”
