29. Chapter 29

" W here do you want these?" I ask Chloe, holding up a stack of cardstock. Scanning over the cards, I chuckle as I read the questions.

‘Who will be the more fun parent?'

‘Who will be changing the first diaper?'

‘Who will be thrown up on first?'

‘Who will want more kids?'

I've been at the townhouse Chloe shares with Brynn for the past two hours, helping her transform their backyard into a surprise baby shower for Quinton and Brynn. Cody, her boyfriend, has been here, too. He's been assigned to be the heavy-lifter/Mr. Fix-It, so whenever we need something moved or hung, we yell for him.

Chloe has rented plastic tables and chairs scattered around the backyard. Each table is covered in white fabric table linens with a strand of eucalyptus running down the center. Three tall vases are placed evenly down the center of each table, mixing greenery, baby's breath, and faux orange picks. Places are set with white tableware with clear coasters resting in the center of each plate. The coasters read " a baby is brewing ." She wanted the party favor to be something cute that both the guys and girls could use.

With the help of her dad, Scott—who happens to be a Michelin-star chef, Chloe has prepared all of the food. When I offered to help, the three yelled "no" at me. Apparently, Chloe informed her dad about my lack of culinary skills. Scott offered to give me cooking lessons the next time he was in town. He's been in Arizona working at a new restaurant he opened at a spa, one that he's adamant all of us girls attend on him.

Did I mention that I love Chloe's dad? He's a lot like mine—cares a lot for his daughter.

"Oh, you can just set those on the gift tables." Chloe is putting the finishing touches on the backdrop she made. It's a foam board, and she cut the top in an arch and painted it white. A collection of ombre-colored orange balloons is attached to the foam board, creating the perfect backdrop for photos.

Turning around, I take in the backyard. "Chloe, this looks incredible."

"It does," Cody adds, carrying a wicker chair over to Chloe. She points to where she wants it, and he sits it down before kissing her temple.

Adjusting the chair to where she wants it, Chloe steps back, places her hands on her hips, and observes her work. With a satisfied nod, she smiles brightly. "Thank you both for all of your help. I seriously couldn't have done it without you."

"What's up, my favorite people?" JP's booming voice comes through the kitchen and out the patio doors. He walks through the open doors and pauses. "Holy shit, this place looks dope."

And it does. The gender-neutral, "little cutie" theme is perfect. Shades of oranges, white, and green are scattered around as far as the eye can see. Real and faux oranges are sprinkled in with the decor to capture the whole ‘little cutie' theme. Instead of a traditional banner, Chloe has hung onesies across the top of the patio door .

"Damn, no wonder you had to leave first thing this morning." Tyler follows JP through the door and snags a handful of sliced green peppers from the veggie tray.

Crew comes through the door holding a stack of gifts. "Did you guys forget something?"

"Oh shit, totally forgot about the gifts." JP laughs, grabbing a couple of wrapped gifts from the stack Crew is holding.

Chloe points to the table on the patio. "You can put all of those there. Let me go grab the appetizers."

"Need any help?" Tyler asks.

She shakes her head no. "I've got it. You guys just mingle. We only have thirty minutes until Macy is supposed to have them home."

"How'd she get them out of the house?"

Cody watches Chloe as she walks inside the door before turning toward us. The boy is smitten with his girl. "Gregg invited Quinton to golf nine holes, and Macy convinced Brynn to go too."

"I'm sure Brynn loved that." JP chuckles, popping a tomato in his mouth.

"She's been texting me the whole time, letting me know she's in misery, especially since she can't partake in the alcohol portion of golfing," Cody informs us.

"Yeah, because half of golf is drinking." Tyler chuckles.

Chloe enters the backyard carrying a large tray with bruschetta, and fresh basil and warm garlic waft behind her. My mouth waters as I inhale the delicious scents. More voices come through the townhouse and funnel through the patio door. Savannah follows my brother and three other guys who I've learned are Cody's roommates—Hudson, Ty, and Niko. And it's Ty, not to be confused with Tyler, my roommate. Although, I've learned I'm the only one who calls him Tyler—he's Harris to everyone else .

Everyone hugs and gives special handshakes in greeting while Chloe instructs everyone to put their gifts up, grab drinks, and help themselves to food. Twenty minutes go by in a flash as Chloe receives a special text from Macy informing us their car is a few minutes away.

What's nice about today's surprise party is that Brynn and Quinton know that the weekly family dinner is still taking place, so we don't have to worry about hiding, but they have no idea they're walking into their baby shower. My eyes find the gift table, which is overflowing with presents. Gift bags and wrapped presents of every shape and size cover the table.

Laughter filters to where we are all standing, waiting patiently. Nerves and excitement blossom in my belly as the anticipation builds. Chloe stands front and center as everyone else casually gathers around her.

Macy is the first to walk out, a massive smile on her face. And then out steps Brynn, looking over her shoulder, laughing along with Quinton and Gregg. She's dressed in a baby blue ribbed dress that hits mid-length, a matching sweater covers her arms, and white sneakers cover her feet. The dress hugs her seven-month baby bump perfectly.

When she turns her attention to the yard, she halts, hands flying to her mouth.

"Surprise!" we all yell as she bursts into tears.

Quinton steps up beside her, lips tipped up in a smile as he wraps his arms around his wife. Brynn is overcome with emotion as Quinton helps her down the few steps.

"Oh my god, you guys!" she says, emotions clogging her throat. "You bitch, this is why I had to be forced to spend the afternoon watching freaking golf?"

Macy shrugs. "How else was I going to get the two of you out of your room? "

"Chlo." Brynn's lip pouts as her shoulders soften.

"Like it?" Chloe asks tentatively.

Erasing the space between her and Chloe, Brynn throws her arms around her best friend's shoulders. "Like it? I love it!"

"Nice job." Crew nudges my shoulder from where he moved next to me. I smile softly at him.

Quinton goes over to the group and does the whole handshake/pat on the back thing guys do while Brynn goes around hugging everyone. She pulls me in last, hugging me tightly. "Thank you so much for helping Chloe."

"Of course. You look beautiful."

"Please, I look like a beached whale."

Quinton sidles up next to her. "Don't talk about my woman like that. She's growing the next football star."

"Or cheerleader," she retorts with a wink.

Chloe disappears back into the kitchen as she instructs everyone to grab their plates and make their way inside for dinner. The aroma of home-cooked Italian dishes wafts through the air as everyone groans in appreciation. Platters are filled with roasted chicken and vegetables, garlic-butter angel hair pasta, spaghetti and homemade meatballs, a garden salad, and garlic bread. Apparently, Brynn can't get enough pasta, which is why Scott and Chloe made a variety.

With plates full, everyone gathers around the perfectly decorated tables. Laughter and the clinking of silverware mingle with the conversations as everyone enjoys the delicious dinner. Sharing jokes and stories while grilling the soon-to-be parents.

As dinner starts to wind down, Chloe passes out the cardstock games to everyone. The first game she had us play was a typical prediction game where everyone had to guess the date of birth, statistics like height and weight, gender, and so on. She said she'd keep the cards, and whoever got the most right would win a gift card to The Eagles Nest or something similar.

Now, the next game is interactive. Open conversation and laughter surround the tables as everyone jokes while they answer the questions. While everyone is filling out the cards, Chloe stands and moves between the two tables as Quinton grabs two chairs for him and Brynn to sit on. Chloe instructs them to switch one shoe and to sit with their backs to each other.

"Okay, guys, I'm going to ask Q and B the question, and without seeing each other, they'll raise a shoe of the person to whom they think the answer applies in the air."

"Then we'll mark off who was right on the card?" Hudson, one of Cody's roommates, asks from beside me as Chloe nods.

Leaning forward with a pen in hand, I wait to see if I'll be checking off or crossing out my answers.

"Look who's acting all studious," Grant chides, teasingly elbowing me in the ribs. I stick my tongue out as he chuckles.

"First question, who will be the most fun parent?"

Both Brynn and Quinton raise Brynn's sneakers in the air.

"Oh c'mon," JP grumbles.

"Did you seriously not pick Brynn?" Cody chides.

"Don't be one of those dads that loses his cool when he has kids."

"I'll keep him young." Brynn winks, the suggestive tone not lost on anyone.

Chloe brushes a strand of hair out of her face as she reads another question. "Who will be the first one to get peed on?"

"They do that?" Quinton gasps.

We all shrug as Chloe looks at Q. "I mean, they can't control it."

Brynn and Quinton both raise Q's shoe, and we laugh. He's obviously going to be the first one to get peed on if he's not expecting it to happen. The game continues as everyone adds their commentary along the way. Everyone's playful side came out to play as jokes and digs didn't go unnoticed.

Savannah and Grant tied with the most correct answers. When she looked over at him, I couldn't help but notice the slight blush in her cheeks as her eyes seemed to glow. I'm adding that in my mental bank to bring up later. Right now, I am not in a position to talk about anyone's relationships when I can't even bring up my own.

As Chloe titters around, ensuring everyone has everything they need, Brynn and Quinton glowed as they walked around the group, enjoying conversations. Their smiles grew wider as the night went on, their happiness radiating. While everyone is busy, I take the opportunity to start gathering all of the dishes from the tables. On my third trip inside the kitchen, I have a shadow on my trail. Scraping the dirty dishes into the sink, I rinse them off before placing as much as I can into the dishwasher.

"Hey, Rebel." His hushed voice sounds raspy.

A soft smile plays on my lips as I scrub the pan covered in hardened marinara sauce as he sidles beside me. "Hey."

Opening and closing the drawers around the sink, Crew finally finds the right one as he pulls out a towel. Rinsing the pan, I pass it over to him to dry. Everything about this interaction feels domestic as I glance out the window and watch the group mill among each other.

"I can't believe Q is having a kid. It feels like yesterday when he showed me the ropes on campus."

"You two were pretty close." The words come out as a statement rather than a question.

"He kind of stepped into the big brother role for me. I was pretty dumb and na?ve. The small-town kid who's never been in a big city with parties and girls at the ready." He glances over at me. "Not that I was with a lot of those girls."

I give a soft laugh. "It's fine, Crew. You can talk about all the babes."

"There was never ‘ all the babes.'" He taps his shoulder against mine as I stare up at him. We fall into a routine as I wash and he dries, making our way through the pile of dishes.

"Do you want kids?"

The question startled me as I dropped the soapy plate I was holding. Luckily, it didn't break in the sink. Leaving the plate in the sink, I lean forward, gripping the edge of the sink and staring out the window.

I used to think about having kids all the time. Growing up, I'd play pretend with my dolls and make Grant be the dad while I was the mom. We'd dress up our babies, pack little diaper bags, and push the kids through the house in little toy strollers. I used to beg my mom to let me take my baby doll with me wherever we went. Even as I got older and outgrew pretend play, I'd still think of kids. I enjoyed babysitting throughout junior high and when I could in high school.

Then, when I started dating he-who-shall-not-be-named, I started picturing the white picket fence and picture-perfect family with two kids, a boy and a girl. But as things got worse, that dream started to fade. Everything started to drift away—my hopes, dreams, and ambitions.

But now, with Crew standing here next to me and as our relationship evolves, that dream begins to flicker in my mind. I can see kids again in the future. Only this time, I want a house on a farm. A place where I sit on a swing on a large wraparound porch, sipping lemonade as my slew of kids play in the front yard. They'd stand and scream excitedly as their daddy returned from a long day of working the fields. He'd bend and scoop all the kids up in his giant arms before carrying them up the stairs to me. He'd place them on their feet and tell them to scurry off because he needed to see his woman. And with a welcome home kiss, he'd sit next to me as we watched the life we've built play out in front of us.

"Yeah, I want them."

He bobs his head up and down. No words are said as he dries the last of the dishes, and I wipe down the counters. Glancing around the room, it sparkles and shines. You'd never think that just minutes ago, this room was lined with dishes to feed our little family.

"Hey, there you two are." Chloe jogs into the kitchen, pausing to take a look around. "Wow! You guys did not have to clean."

"It was the least we could do after you did everything."

She loops her arm through mine as she leads us out of the kitchen. "Please, girl. I could not have done it without you."

Everyone is sitting around waiting for us to join the group again. I don't miss my brother's glare as he watches the three of us. His nose flares as Crew steps out behind us. "I found them. They completely cleaned my kitchen."

"Thank god we don't have to do that," Cody grumbles from his seat.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "It's time for presents!"

Moving over to the table, I reach for my packages for the happy couple. "Okay, but I have to go first."

"Girl, you didn't have to get us anything," Brynn says, facing me. Her smile is bright, and her pregnancy glow casts an almost halo-like effect around her.

Bouncing over to the mom and dad-to-be, I place one box in Quinton's outstretched hand and the other gift in Brynn's before sliding out of the way. She tries to balance the box around her belly but struggles. With a huff, she tells Q she'll just wait to open hers until he's done .

Slipping his finger beneath the envelope flap, he breaks the seal and pulls out the card. As he opens the card, something lands on his lap. He grabs the item before tipping his head back and laughing. Placing the ring on his finger, he twirls the white embroidered key chain with an image of New Balance 608 sneakers with an embroidered "Dad Life" below.

"This is great," he howls. Q holds it up, and everyone chuckles at the unofficial-official pair of dad shoes.

Placing the card and keychain on the small table Chloe placed between the chairs, he unwraps the gift. As he removes the top layer, his eyes flit to mine. "You didn't."

I wink as he continues to open the gift. Murmurs of "what is it?" come from the group. Flipping the top of the box, Quinton pulls out his very own pair of "dad sneakers."

"Oh my god, you're going to look so hot in those," Brynn says.

JP whoops from his seat. "Leave it to the sneaker queen to get our boy some dad kicks."

"How'd you know my size?"

I shrug nonchalantly. "I have my ways."

"My turn!" Brynn shouts eagerly.

Q thanked me as he placed the box on the floor before helping his wife unwrap her gift. Ripping open the paper, she moves tissue paper out of the way before pausing, her hands hovering over the items. Her eyes snap to mine as tears escape her blue eyes.

Slowly and gently, she begins pulling out items. A clear, round decorative piece fixed to a wooden block is on top of a cream-colored crochet blanket. Doves flying through the air with clouds and the sun are engraved in the acrylic. A wooden-handled rattle with a soft shade of tan crocheted dove's head and a matching baby lovey made with soft fleece and the same style crochet dove finish the package .

"This is perfect." Emotion clogs her throat as she gently places everything back in the box. She hands it to Quinton as she gets out of her chair and waddles her cute self over to me. She puts her hands around my shoulders and pulls me in for a suffocating hug. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Crew told me the story, and I thought you'd like to have doves looking over your sweet baby." She sniffles before pulling away. She waddles back to her seat after a quick peck to my cheek.

The rest of the evening is spent with more laughing and crying as all of the gifts are unwrapped. Everyone seemed to have the same idea for Quinton—lighthearted gifts to help ease their nerves, which come with welcoming their first baby. Brynn's gifts were a mix of sentimental and the essentials. Chloe gifted a journal for Brynn to write letters to her baby and track growth and other significant items. While the practical items were a variety of adorable gender-neutral outfits, bottles, a baby monitor, bedding, and everything in between.

Everyone shared the same excitement as we watched. As the evening starts to come to a close, Brynn stands from her chair and gets our attention.

"Thank you all so much for coming to shower us with all of your love. Chloe, thank you for planning the surprise. I should have known something was up with how you've avoided me." She winks at her bestie, who feigns innocence. "It's no secret that Q and I have had our issues with our parents. But one thing is for certain—you are our family. In the four years that we've been at CTU, our group of friends has meant more to us than that. I can't imagine life here without you all in it."

"Which makes this next part so fucking hard." She pauses, looking up at Q as she grips his hand. "After talks with Q and my counselors, I'll graduate at the semester's end. "

Shock ripples around the group as Chloe's eyes well up with tears. "Wait, what?"

"I was able to work a few things out by taking an extra class this semester, but I have enough credits to graduate. Besides, you guys don't want a baby cramping your style."

"Uncle Cody doesn't care about his style." Q groans as Brynn chuckles.

"Q will be in the off-season, and I'll have our baby. It's just time to say goodbye. My time at CTU is over." A sob rips through her chest as she says her last word. Everyone stands and makes their way over to them.

Even with the heavy news, the day has been nothing short of perfect. These people discovered each other at a time when no one knew who they were. Friendship blossomed as a familial bond grew more profound in the time spent together. And as final hugs of goodbye are given, the love shines through as we all wait with anticipation of the arrival of our newest member.