We all laughed.

My mother lightly brushed her hand across the baby’s head. “Do we have a name?” she asked as she looked at Jessie and then at me.

I looked down, and we both nodded.

“Lauren Ashley. Her name is Lauren Ashley Reynolds,” Jessie said with a smile.

“It’s perfect. She’s perfect. Let me give y’all a few minutes. Before I go, Scott, would you like to go tell your friends it’s a girl?”

I quickly looked up at my mother. “Oh yeah! Let me go real quick, Mom…on my crutches and all.”

I made my way out of the room and down the hall. Everyone stood up at once. I knew the moment I opened my mouth, I was going to start crying again, and Jeff would probably call me a pussy. I looked at each of them standing there with smiles on their faces. These were my six friends who had stood by me through everything. I knew there wasn’t a damn thing we wouldn’t do for each other. My life would be empty without them in it. I knew this wouldn’t be the last time we were all going to be waiting to hear the news of another new baby. Our lives were just starting. So many more happy memories were waiting for all of us.

“Well?” Ari said. “Are you going to tell us, dickwad? Or make us all stand here and guess?”

I let out a laugh. Only Ari could make me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry.

“It’s a girl—Lauren Ashley,” I barely said.

They all made their way over to me. With every handshake and hug, my heart grew bigger and bigger, and my love for my friends grew tenfold.

“Congratulations, dude,” Gunner said as he took me in for a hug.

Each of the girls took turns giving me a kiss and wiping away my tears.

Josh smiled as he gave me a hug. “I told you, didn’t I?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah. You weren’t kidding either.”

When Jeff walked up to me, I braced myself for what I was sure was going to be an onslaught of snarky comments.

“Welcome to fatherhood, dude. It’s one of the coolest things ever. I’m glad you had a girl because if you had a boy, I would have to worry about him going after my Grace. If your son were anything like you…”

I started laughing and shook my head. “Thanks, Jeff.”

He smiled, and to my surprise, he brought me in for a quick hug and slap on the back. “I’m really happy for you and Jessie.”

As everyone stepped back, I saw my father walking down the hall with Starbucks coffees, and Bryce was following behind him with more coffees.

Dad stopped and smiled as he looked at me.

“A girl—Lauren Ashley,” I said.

He handed Josh the coffees, walked up to me, and pulled me in for a hug. “Son of a bitch. Well done, son. Well done. I’m so damn proud of you and Jessie.”

I smiled, and Bryce reached out and shook my hand. Things hadn’t been the same with us ever since the whole Chelsea incident, but we were trying to work on it.

“So, I’m an uncle. Pretty damn cool.”

“Dad, would you like to see her?” I asked.

“Do horses shit?”

I laughed and shook my head. I turned and made my way back into the room as I listened to my father talk about all the things he was going to teach Lauren.

I never want this feeling to end.

As I held my daughter in my arms, I glanced over at Scott sleeping away in the recliner next to the bed. I smiled and slowly shook my head.

“Your daddy seems to be tired, sweet baby girl.”

I looked at the cast on his ankle, and my heart broke for him. He was supposed to be training a horse next week, and now, he couldn’t, and he was so upset about it. When he’d asked Ari if she would do it, I’d thought she was going to jump through the roof because she had been so happy.

Lauren yawned while I used the tip of my index finger to gently trace a pattern along her face. She smelled so good, and she was so precious. Every time I looked at her, my heart wanted to burst open.

“You know, I remember the first time I felt you move. I was standing outside, and at first, I thought it was like a nervous feeling, but then Ellie told me it was you moving around. I also remember the first time I saw your little body move across my stomach.” I let out a little chuckle. “Your daddy cried the first time he felt you move. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’m pretty sure you are going to be spoiled beyond belief. Between your daddy and your two grandpas, you will be one tough little girl. Don’t worry though—your grandmother will be sure to keep you dressed to the nines in pink ribbons and bows.”

Lauren opened her eyes, and I could swear that we were looking into each other’s souls. The strangest feeling moved over me, and I couldn’t pull my eyes away from hers.

As she slowly closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep, I thanked God for the blessings in my life. I had been feeling so sorry for myself the last few weeks—wishing my mother could have been here to see the birth of my child or to watch me marry the love of my life. I knew though that she was with me. In some strange way, it almost felt like she was letting me know she was here.

I slowly moved to get up when I heard the door open. I looked and saw Melody walking in.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Hey! What are you doing here? I thought you had a lunch you had to go to today?” I asked as I tried to stand up. I was so sore that all I really wanted to do was soak in a hot bath.

She walked up to me, took Lauren from my arms, and took her over to the bassinet.

Oh, thank God. I don’t have to get up and move now.

“Are you still going home today?” she asked in a whispered voice.

I nodded my head and grinned like a fool. Scott and I had put Lauren’s bassinet in the sitting room off of our master bedroom, and I couldn’t wait to get home and start working on her room. We’d held off until we knew if it was a boy or a girl, and I had so many ideas.

Melody walked up to me and held out her hand. “Come on, you need to walk around. Trust me, it will help with the pain.”

I rolled my eyes, and she put her hands on her hips.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me, young lady?”

“Uh…”

“You’re in deep shit now,” Scott said from behind me.

I turned to see him looking at us with that panty-melting smile of his.

Oh Lord…

I instantly wanted him, but after I was split open from giving birth to his child, I had made a vow never to have sex with him again. I slowly licked my lips, and his smile faded for one brief second. Then, it was quickly there again, but this time, he raised an eyebrow. He always could tell when I was turned-on, which turned me on even more.

“Come on, up you go. I see you are dressed and ready to go, so I think a walk around will do you a bit of good,” Melody said.

I slowly stood and felt every single pain.

As we made our way down the hallway, arm in arm, we chose to remain silent.

“Let’s get a bit of fresh air, shall we go outside?” Melody asked with a smile as big as the Texas sky.

I couldn’t help but smile back.

As we walked over to a bench and sat down, I took a deep breath of air in and slowly let it out.

“Jessie, I wanted to apologize to you.”

I snapped my head over and looked at her. “For what?”

She shook her head, and then she looked up toward the sky. “For the way I treated you when you first started dating Scott. I know I was nothing but a bitch to you.”

I pulled my head back and widened my eyes. Where is this coming from? “Melody, you don’t—”

She held up her hand. “No, please let me get this all out. I sat down today at brunch, and I looked around at all these women who were sitting there. They are the best of the best, I guess you could say. Then, I saw Chelsea take a seat, and my stomach turned. Just thinking about what she did, using brother against brother just to hurt you, and how I-I…” She quickly shook her head as if she were clearing a memory or thought from her mind. “I just let her do it. I knew she didn’t want Scott. I knew that. I knew they were never meant to be together, and when I heard her say she was going to win him back, I chose to do nothing. Now, Scott and Bryce barely talk to each other. What if…what if you had never come back? Scott’s heart would have been devastated.”