“Mom, Dad, this is so cool.” I think?

“Oh Sam, this is amazing! When I finally went to the doctor, he told me I was pregnant. We couldn’t believe it. We’d suffered from secondary infertility for so many years and we just never thought it would happen. We never expected this, but we’re so happy!”

“It’s going to be an adjustment for us,” my father pipes in. “We realize we aren’t in our twenties or thirties anymore. With your mom turning forty this year, we’re going to have to watch her closely and make sure everything is progressing along normally and healthily.”

“Wow,” I say and take another bite of chicken. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“It’s too early to tell yet. We’ll know in ten or twelve more weeks,” my mom replies and takes a sip of water.

“Wow,” I say again. A baby?

“Cassie’s going to freak out when I tell her.” I laugh through chewing my food.

“Let’s wait a little longer before we tell anyone else, okay?” my father asks.

“Why?”

“Because we want to make sure your mom and the baby are doing alright. We have an appointment with the doctor again next week. Why don’t we see how that goes before we start sharing the news? We haven’t even told Aunt Peggy yet.”

“Okay.” Aunt Peggy is going to be so happy. She’s never been married nor has she had children of her own. She treats me like a daughter, and I know she’s going to love my little brother or sister just as much. I swish water in my mouth and look down at my plate. I’ve eaten all of the chicken and veggies without even realizing it. The fresh berries are left, and I scarf them down without saying another word.

“Are you okay, Sam?” my mother asks hesitantly.

“Yeah. Of course I am. I’m just—just a little surprised?” A lot surprised.

“So are we. Oh my God you have no idea!” Mom says.

“It certainly took us by surprise, but we’ve realized this is a gift, just like you were. We’re the luckiest parents alive.” My father reaches out and grabs my hand. “We were blessed with you, and now we’re all going to be blessed with this miracle.”

Tears well in my eyes unexpectedly. I squeeze his hand and look over at my mother, who is outright crying now.

“I can’t wait,” I say honestly. The joy in my parents’ eyes is infectious, and I can’t help but feel like this baby is going to bring so much more love into our house.

I finish my meal, listening to my parents talk about the renovations they are going to make to the guest room upstairs.

“I hope Aunt Peggy is going to be okay with giving up her space when she stays here.” I smirk, knowing how much she enjoys staying in the room next door to mine when she’s here.

“We’re going to renovate the first-floor library to add a day-bed for guests. Since there’s a bathroom off of that room, it will be like her own suite when she’s here,” my father says.

Aunt Peggy only lives about forty-five minutes from us as it is. She’s so busy with the family that she works for, she barely spends any time in her own home.

I look at the clock, and my dad says, “We can be ready to leave in about twenty minutes. Is that good for you?”

“Yes. Cassie was very specific that I should meet her at the party by eight. Her mom is picking us up by midnight and we’re sleeping at her house.”

“You’re not wearing those shoes, are you?” my mother asks, looking toward my Steve Maddens that I dropped next to my duffle bag near the center island in the kitchen.

“Yes I am. And I promise I’ll be careful.”

My father chuckles and says to my mom, “We’ve heard that before, Klutzy-McGee.”

My mother chuckles and I roll my eyes.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, we pull up in front of Trisha O’Toole’s sprawling estate. There are cars parked along the circular driveway, and the backyard is lit up like a baseball stadium, music blaring.

“Her parents are home, right?” my father asks, skeptical.

“Yes, Dad.”

“I think I’ll come in and say hi to Mr. O’Toole. We’re supposed to be playing golf at the club tomorrow, and I want to confirm the time with him.”

“Ugh, Dad!” I know this is useless and he’s going to come inside with me anyway. He’s done this as long as I can remember, and I secretly like it. But since I’m a teenager, I need to give him a hard time whenever I can.

We get out of the car and walk into the grand foyer of the O’Toole’s house.

“Benjamin! So great to see you,” Mr. O’Toole’s voice booms. “Are you ready for the tournament tomorrow?”

“Of course I am. But if I remember correctly, you weren’t quite up to par the last time we played.”

Mr. O’Toole laughs at my dad’s pun and they walk toward his den.

“Have fun tonight, Sam.” Dad pulls me in for a hug. “Watch yourself in those shoes, please.”

“Don’t worry.” I smile confidently and walk, very deliberately, toward the back of the house. I certainly don’t need to fall flat on my face, proving my father right. “Love you, Dad!” I call out before he’s out of sight.

I step onto the vast patio and see the party in full swing down by the pool house.

“Sammy!” Cassie shrieks and comes running up the lawn. “You’re here!”

I laugh as I walk slowly to meet her. “Take those shoes off this instant,” she scolds me and grabs my hand. “You look ah-mazing!”

“Thanks, Cass.”

“Your hair is so perfect tonight. What did you do to it?”

“I just added a little bit more shaping cream and let it air-dry longer than usual.”

“Brad better notice me tonight. You better not catch his eye!” She giggles and I know she’s totally kidding. I’ve seen Brad ogling her more than once, so I know she’s on his radar.

We reach the pool house and Trish runs to greet us. “Sam! So great you could come. My dad has been talking about playing golf with your dad all week.”

“Yeah, they’re up at the house right now strategizing.” I smirk and she hands me a drink.

“Shhh,” she says. “It’s just lemonade with a teeny tiny splash of citrus vodka.” She winks and I take the cup hesitantly.

“Your parents are here, Trish. You better not let this party get out of hand,” I say to her sternly, and she giggles out loud.

“Seriously, Sam. Lighten up.” She turns to the crowd around the pool and signals to the DJ to crank up the music. The three of us dance our way across the patio and I kick off my shoes. Just in case.

I take a sip of the drink Trish gave me and practically gag. I drop the cup in the first trash bin I can find. I’m no prude, but I know better than to drink something Trish O’Toole has made for me. Teeny tiny equals mostly vodka.

The night flies by and most of it I’m consoling Cassie. “I can’t believe he didn’t come,” she slurs and attempts to take another drink of Trish’s electric lemonade.

“That’s enough, my love.” I laugh and replace the cup with a bottle of water.

She squints and peers across the lawn. “Brad! Over here!” she says and waves her hands in the air. I look toward the patio and see Brad and his older brother.

“Ugh,” she says. “What the hell is Todd doing with him? Isn’t he like a senior in college or something? What a perv coming to a high school party.” She smiles through her teeth as Brad and Todd join us near the pool.

“Hey,” Brad says to Cassie. He smiles quickly at me but then fixes his gaze back on her.

“Hi, Brad. I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” she says unconvincingly.

“Yeah.”

Todd Mitchell strolls toward me and drapes his heavy arm over my shoulder.

“I’m Todd. You’re hot.”

My skin burns from his touch, and I squirm out from underneath him. Everything about Todd screams run. He’s so creepy, and I’ve heard stories about him from Cassie’s older cousin. He’s rarely home from school, but when he is, he’s constantly trolling for hookups. It’s funny, but Brad is nothing like him. He’s actually the exact opposite.