How did Lane always know?
“For Toby’s first birthday, Sally made a bunny because he was obsessed with them. And now it’s trains, but they knew about his love for those. Next year, though, it’ll be something new. Maybe dinosaurs. Maybe princesses, or princess-dinosaurs—whatever he wants. And they’ll miss it.” She gave a shrug and picked up a lighter. “It’s all just weird.”
Those fingers stayed against her neck, soft and reassuring. “But you’re okay?”
This time, Anna smiled at her. “Yeah.” She lit the candles and looked back at Lane. “I really am.”
Lane leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.
When they pulled apart, Anna was still smiling. “Thanks for putting up with my crazy.”
“I like your crazy.”
“And I love you.”
Lane grinned. “Me too.”
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
Anna picked up the cake, and they walked towards the main bench, Lane starting to sing and everyone joining in, the kids flocking to the table. Wide-eyed, Toby was held over the cake by Sandra, his cheeks covered in cupcake icing. When they finished singing, Lane’s arm around Anna’s waist, Ella showed him how to blow out the candles while everyone clapped and cheered. Toby looked proud, even though he couldn’t have any idea why.
The candles were lit another six times so all the kids could have a turn.
Cake was passed out, and everyone said how amazing it was. Someone even congratulated Anna on how well she had made it. Anna didn’t correct them, smiling sweetly and saying, “Thanks. Old recipe.”
Before Ella could completely open her mouth, Kym clapped her hand over it and gave her a wink, pulling her hand away to reveal a huge grin on Ella’s face as she caught on in an unsubtle, six-year-old way. She tried to wink back at Kym but only managed an exaggerated blink.
By the time four rolled around, kids were starting to crash, and people were drifting away. At four fifteen, everyone had left. Thankfully, with the five of them remaining, it wasn’t long before the clean-up was done. Anna was putting some Tupperware into a storage box when Sandra walked up next to her, adding a cupcake rack to the contents and sliding her arm around Anna’s shoulder. Gratefully, Anna leant into her. Nearby, Ella propelled herself sleepily back and forth on the swing, the bright yellow party dress she had chosen covered in grass stains from playing soccer with her friends. She looked to see if Toby was still where he had been for the last half hour. There he was, curled up on Lane’s jacket where he had put himself and promptly fallen asleep, hands and face covered in cake. At her mother’s squeeze, she turned her head and kissed Sandra.
A cheeky expression more befitting Toby crossed her mother’s face. “How’d your list go?”
Anna groaned. “Yes, okay, you were right.”
“I’m your mother, I’m always right.”
In the swing next to Ella, Lane sat pumping her feet, getting her swing up into the air, and Anna smiled at them. Kym soon began pushing Ella to let her compete with Lane and see who could swing higher.
She turned back to her mother. “You are.”
“Well, that was far too sincere.”
Anna gave a shrug and kept her gaze on the swing set. “You said I could do this.”
More tightly than before, Sandra squeezed Anna to her. “As your mother, I am biased, but I think you can do anything.”
At the face Anna made, Sandra laughed, dropping her arm. “Let me know if you still think you’re coping tomorrow after trying to keep Toby in his new bed, especially since he’s currently having a late afternoon nap.”
“Oh God.”
“It’s karma.” The delight in her tone did little to make Anna feel better. “When we got you in yours, you used to go into Jake’s room in the middle of the night and wake him up by patting his face. Only, we clued in and tried to stop you. I could never get you back to sleep, but whenever your father was home, you became like butter. He’d pick you up and put you back in bed and read to you until you fell asleep. When he was gone, you were a horror.”
Watching the man in question pull down streamers, a warmth spread through Anna. “I didn’t know that.”
“Oh please. As a toddler, you were a typical daddy’s little girl.”
Grabbing a box, Anna held that information close.
When Sandra and Andrew finally made it into their car, they waited to give Kym a lift, while Kym hugged Anna as if she was never going to let go. When she finally pried herself off Anna, Anna grinned and elbowed a bouncing Lane standing next to her.
“We aren’t making a big deal,” Anna’s face arranged itself into what she hoped was a neutral expression. “But just—have some fun, okay?”
After untangling herself from Lane’s hug, Kym nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin line. “I’ll try. That, or I’ll be at your house with wine in a few hours.”
Anna squeezed her shoulder. “Either one.”
As she walked away, Anna thought she looked small and a little lost.
“Kym!” When Kym looked back, Anna waved a dismissive hand at her. “You could wear a sack, and he will think you’re gorgeous. Strut your stuff tonight.”
With a wave and a coy, definitely cheerier expression, Kym slipped into Anna’s parents’ car.
A sniff made her turn to Lane, who then sniffed theatrically again. “Our little girl is all grown up.”
Laughing, Anna grabbed her shirt, pulling Lane against her, trying to kiss the smirk off her lips. When she withdrew from the embrace, Lane grinned and grabbed her, bringing Anna to lips that were soft against her own.
“If you two are going to be gross, can we go home now?”
Hands on her little hips, Ella stared at them with her eyebrows raised. Letting Lane go, Anna poked her tongue out. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”
Anna ruffled Ella’s hair and walked over to Toby, scooping him up and holding him against her chest, his head on her shoulder. The weight of him in her arms was solid, almost heavy. He grew too fast to keep up with, surprising her every day with new words and new skills. There were moments he took her breath away as he’d look up from an accomplishment, eyes lit up like her brother’s once had as he discovered a new talent.
Now in her arms, Toby murmured but didn’t wake up. His eyelashes left shadows against his cheeks, and he smelt like grass and sugar and baby shampoo. At that moment, watching Ella take Lane’s hand and start chattering, Anna didn’t care that she had two overly tired, sugared kids to try and settle that night.
There wasn’t much else she’d rather be doing.
With Ella’s sticky hand in Anna’s left hand and the right under Toby’s bottom in order to carry him, they started the walk home. Between Lane and Anna, Ella swung their hands back and forth.
“Nurse Lane?”
“Yeah, Ella?”
Lane winked at Anna over Ella’s head.
“You’re staying tonight, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we have pancakes in the morning?”
With a snort, Anna grinned at Lane, who looked back down at Ella. A smile played at the edges of her lips, and Lane let go of Ella’s hand to wrap an arm around her small shoulders.