“I’m okay. Are you sure you’re up for this? Both of them are a lot.”
Bellamy leans her shoulder into mine, reminding me that her friend would try to get out of going tonight.
“Are you kidding? Between my activity roster and the practice team, I keep nearly seventy adult children in line every day. These two little beauties will be a piece of cake,” I assure her.
“He’s not wrong.” Reid nods, a smile tilting his lips.
“You’re not getting out of this,” Bellamy warns her best friend.
Amanda nods before her eyes find mine. They’re a gorgeous shade of green, filled with unease. “Thank you, Will,” she says softly.
“Anything special I should know? Allergies? Routines?”
“She loves her soft blanket at bedtime. She usually crashes by eight. We’ll be back by then, right?” She turns toward Bellamy.
“Nope. Dinner at six, and drinks after,” she says, looping her arm through Amanda’s.
“Reid, grab my phone, will ya? Text Amanda my number. You can call and check on her as many times as you want, but I promise you we’ll be fine.”
She nods and stands a little taller, as if my words have given her comfort.
“Thank you for that. I promise not to text you every fifteen minutes.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Bellamy tells her.
“I leave her at day care during the day, and I just hate not spending every spare minute with her,” Amanda admits.
“You’re still you,” Bellamy tells her. “You’re an incredible mom, Manda, but you’re also still a woman, a best friend, and I really want you to come with us tonight.”
“This guy…” Amanda’s voice trails off.
“He’s a good man. I met him at Riggins. It’s just dinner and drinks, not a marriage proposal.”
Amanda laughs. “I’m a single mom by choice. I’m not exactly expecting any marriage offers to come rolling in.”
“Any man would be lucky to have you. Both of you,” I tell her, my heart aching for all that she’s been through.
“Coach is right,” Reid says, then points his index finger at me. “Don’t let that go to your head. I normally wouldn’t say that outside of the game.” He smirks.
“Of course, I’m right. I’m older and wiser.”
“I mean, you’re not that much older.” Bellamy grins. “You and Mom started pretty early.”
“We did, and we got the best thing to happen to both of us as a result.”
“Way to get me all up in my feels, old man,” Reid grumbles, pulling Bellamy into his arms and pressing his lips to her temple.
“They’re right. One day, the right man will come along and sweep you off your feet. When he does, I’ll be right beside you, just like you’ve always been for me. Oh, and babysitting… We’re on for babysitting whenever you need,” Bellamy tells Amanda.
“Sure are. That will give us practice when baby number two comes along.”
My breath stalls in my lungs. “Bella?”
She grins. “No, we’re not pregnant.”
“Not for lack of trying,” Reid mutters.
“Okay, we’re leaving.” Bellamy laughs. It’s carefree and matches the smile that’s lighting up her face as she peers up at her husband. I swear, I can see cartoon love hearts between the two of them.