“You weren’t showing the last time I saw you.”
She shakes her head and laughs. “I know, he’s definitely getting bigger now. He’s been kicking like crazy too.”
“That’s because he’s going to be a fighter, like his dad,” Tristan says, swinging his arm around her neck. He kisses her cheek, and she bats him off.
“Sorry”—she widens her eyes—“you’ll have to excuse my husband.”
Sam stands behind me and puts his hands on either side of my stomach. “We all know who the fighter’s going to be.”
“Um…” I pull my head to the side and look up at him. “You better think again, champ.”
He laughs and gives Tristan a knowing look.
“Jo-Jo,” Miles calls across the house, letting himself in.
“Uncle Miles!” she squeals and runs to greet him.
He walks into the kitchen a few seconds later with Joey on his shoulders. “You guys ready to go or what?”
“Just waiting on Sebastian and Paul. Sebastian was meeting with a buyer at the gallery this morning.”
Miles looks at his watch. “Okay, but we’ve gotta go in a few minutes. We can’t be late for the grand opening.”
“What’s a grand opening?” Joey asks, holding on to his forehead.
He reaches up and flips her down off his shoulders, making her laugh. “What’s a grand opening?” he asks, giving her wide eyes.
She smiles and shows him her dimples.
“A grand opening is when you open something for the very first time.”
“Like a present?”
“Kind of like a present, yeah. Except that it’s a building.”
“A building?” she says with wide eyes.
“Yep. And today we’re opening a very special building. A community center that your daddy helped build for kids just like you,” he says, poking her stomach.
“What’s a community center?” she asks, stumbling over the word.
“It’s a place where kids and their families can go to play and have fun, where they feel safe.”
“Like a home?”
“Kinda like a home, but for lots of families, not just one.”
Sam kneels down next to Miles and asks Joey, “Do you know what we named it?”
She shakes her head and her little curls bounce around her face.
“The Joseph P. Maloney Community Center.”
“Oh,” she says seriously. “Is that where heaven is?”
I laugh over the tears that prick my eyes.
“No, baby. We just wanted to remember Grandpa Joe, so we named it after him.”
“Oh. That was nice of you, Daddy.”
He pulls her into his arms. “Come here,” he says, standing up with her.
“Sorry we’re late!” Sebastian shouts across the house. “Sorry we didn’t knock. It was open.” He walks into the kitchen with Paul on his heels. “Oh, well I see Miles is here, so no need to knock.” He laughs and so do I.
“Hey, Bas.” I reach for his neck and give him a hug. “How did it go this morning?”
“Well, the buyer couldn’t decide on a painting.”
“Oh,” I say, disappointed.
“So he decided to buy three.”
I gasp with excitement. “Three? Good job!”
He closes his eyes and bows. “You’re welcome.”
“Girl, you are on fire,” Molly says with excited eyes. “Between your gallery and the new baby line for Rock Love Threads, I think it’s safe to say you’ve made it.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I’ve made it.”
“That’s what makes you great,” Paul says, winking at me.
“Thanks for hurrying over,” I say to him and Sebastian. “I know it isn’t easy with a baby in tow.”
“Are you kidding?” Paul says, swinging the car seat hanging on his arm. “We wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
I lean down and look at baby Liam asleep and snug in his seat. “Well, when you have the best baby in the entire world,” I say softly.
“Ha!” Bas throws his chin up. “You wouldn’t say that if you spent a night at our house.”
“He’s got a point,” Paul says.
Sebastian steps around him and looks at my dress. “I love this dress.”
“You should, you picked it out.”
“Huh, I thought it looked familiar.”
“Uncle Bas,” Joey says, and Sam puts her down. She runs over to Sebastian and he kneels down to give her a hug. When she releases him, he holds his head back and gasps. “You’ve gotten bigger since last week.”
Her smile lights up her face. “Do you like my dress?”
He presses his lips together and nods. “I do. You look so pretty.”
“Mommy said I can only wear it on special occasions.”
“That’s right,” I say, wrapping my hand around Sam’s. “And today is definitely a special occasion.”
Sam gives me an excited smile and says, “Let’s go.”
I look around the room at my chosen family, the one that I dreamed of as a child, and see Sam at the center of it all. His dimples light up my heart, which is so full, I sometimes wonder how much more joy it can hold. But then my baby rolls inside my tummy, reminding me that this is just the beginning of a lifetime of memories and moments like this, with a family that I love.
I reach for Joey’s hand and look up at Sam, feeling my heart swell inside my chest when he looks at me with his beautiful eyes. “Okay,” I say to him, “let’s go.”