“None of them are my man,” I remind her, and she giggles.

“Well, Dex kind of is.” She stops at the light and winks. “Regardless you can help me fight them off Brady. I swear every time they play, some new girl tries to grab his attention after the show. I can get kind of territorial.” She giggles, and hearing her makes me start laughing too.

A few minutes later, Sadie parks the car outside a small ranch and turns off the ignition. We both tread up the sidewalk, but before we reach the door, it swings open and Jessa’s hollering back into the house. “Grant, just fucking do it,” she yells, and when I see him appear in the doorway behind her, her shoulders slump and she grabs her belly. “Please, baby.” She sugarcoats her voice and snuggles up to him, wrapping her arms around him.

He kisses the top of her head and winks at Sadie and me. Remaining quiet, we allow them to have their moment before letting our presence be known. But when Jessa continues apologizing and crying to Grant, Sadie rings the doorbell. Grant smiles and Jessa turns around with blood shot eyes.

“Did you just hear that?” Jessa asks, her head hanging low.

Sadie bites her lip and nods her head slowly.

“I’m so emotional. Seriously, this damn high and low shit has got to stop. Why won’t she come out? I can’t be that pleasant to stay inside of,” she rambles, and Grant starts laughing.

“I don’t know, baby, I love to be inside of you,” he jokes. I cough out a laugh, and Grant winks at me. Jessa soon begins calming down, and Sadie pulls her close.

“Soon, just a little longer.” Sadie soothes her, and Jessa rolls her eyes.

“Bishop, you won’t be inside of me for a hell of a long time after this.” She points her finger at him, and he just grabs her to pull her close.

“Whatever you want, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be the one begging,” he says cockily, and she pushes him away. “I love you. Go have fun with your girls.” Then he sets his eyes to Sadie. “If anything happens, call my cell. I’ll have it on me at all times.”

“I will. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.” Sadie tries to appease his concern, but it doesn’t change his solemn face.

“Love you.” Jessa reaches up on her tiptoes and gives him a kiss.

He places both hands on her face and peers down at her. “Don’t over do it, okay?” Jessa nods. “I love you,” he affectionately declares, and she’s ready to leave after one more kiss.

The three of us pile into Sadie’s car. I take the backseat, so Jessa can get in and out as easily as possible. Once we park on Main Street, we stroll down a block to a restaurant. I squint up at the green sign with white lettering. It reads Zefer’s, an organic, vegan restaurant. What the hell am I supposed to eat here? I’m more of a fast food girl.

I follow the two girls into the restaurant, and Kailey inches up off the seat and waves us over to her. “Hi, girls. Jeez, Jessa, you look so ready,” she says, hugging them both. “Hi, Chrissy, I’m glad you were able to make it.” She reaches over and wraps her arms around me as well. Not exactly comfortable with affection from people I barely know, I stiffen, and she steps back, but her smile doesn’t leave her face.

A young waitress, more than likely a college student, comes over and Jessa orders some smoothie, Sadie gets a bottle of water, and Kailey orders a tea. Not sure who to follow, I decide on Sadie and order myself a water. The blonde waitress is about to grab them when Jessa stops her. “Oh, Nikki, can we get an order of hummus and veggies?”

“Sure,” she says and starts to walk away.

“The one with three,” Jessa calls out, and Nikki, the waitress, laughs.

“So, thank goodness you got out. Trey have the kids?” Sadie asks Kailey, and she laughs.

“Yeah, I told him that if he didn’t rearrange his schedule, he wouldn’t be playing tomorrow night.” She laughs and smiles over to me. I reciprocate with my own toward her.

“Can you come too?” Sadie asks.

“I’m so upset. I’m going to miss the show. Grant’s bummed because he can’t play.” Jessa purses her lips in a small pouty face.

“Once the baby comes, you can get a babysitter and Grant can play with the guys again. Although their shows seem to be few and far between lately,” Sadie says, talking directly to me, since I’m the newbie.

“I guess, but aren’t I going to be up to my elbows in bottles and diapers with no sleep?” Her eyes land on Kailey, the most experienced, who tries to hide her amusement from Jessa.

Kailey shrugs, “Probably. But not forever. I mean, it all happens so fast.”

“Do you and Trey think you’ll ever have any of your own?” Sadie asks, and Kailey laughs.

“I’m not sure. Maybe someday, but I have to finish school.” Thank goodness, someone who hasn’t graduated yet.

“So, Chrissy, how are things over at the house?” Kailey changes the subject, wanting to talk about anything but kids, I imagine. The girl is crazy busy every day with three kids under the age of six. If I was her, I’d be dying for a little girl talk occasionally.

“They’re good. Sadie and Brady are so kind for letting me stay.” I glance Sadie’s way and smile.

“In case you haven’t figured it out, they’re like the parents of the group. I mean, who else would ever let Rob move back in?” Jessa chimes in, and everyone at the table laughs.

“I don’t know, Chrissy seems to like Rob.” Sadie divulges and raises her eyebrows my way, as though it would be for something more than friendship.

“What?” Kailey and Jessa say at the exact same time.

“Jinx,” Jessa says and points to Kailey, making her do a motion to zip her lips and throw away the key. I laugh at the adolescent behavior because these girls are nothing like I presumed. “He’s not the most dependable, Chrissy,” Jessa tells me, leaning as far as she can get over the table. “Stay, far, far away,” she continues, and I place my hands up in the air.

“He’s bought me lunch, and he’s fixing my car. That’s all. Believe me, I have no interest in a guy who only sees women for a night of fun,” I answer honestly, and Jessa relaxes a bit while Kailey hits the table to draw attention to herself. Jessa giggles knowing exactly what Kailey wants.

“Go ahead. Jinx cleared.” She obliges Kailey’s request to speak, as though she’s the master and Kailey’s the dog.

“I have to say, he sent me a really nice card and arrangement after Jen passed.” She studies the table and then back up to us. “Maybe he’s changed.” She shrugs.

“Rob? Change? I’m not so sure.” Jessa’s still the pessimistic one, but then again from the little bit that Sadie’s revealed to me, she deserves the right to be like that.

“I agree. He’s not even going out all the time. Mostly, he’s been working on Chrissy’s car and before that he was working on his own. He wants us all to go to his race in two months.” Sadie amazes me that she sticks up for him.

“Hmm … well, as you guys know, he and Grant will never be friends.” Jessa appears upset that maybe she hasn’t noticed the difference that everyone has in Rob. But then again, I assume maybe he hurt her more than the others.

“Change of topic,” Kailey announces and we all sit up a little straighter, happy to make this a happy and fun time for Jessa.

The hummus arrives, and Jessa digs in. We all order our variety of vegan dishes, meaning I’ll be trying a tofu burrito. The thought that I have little money and no job prospects makes the meal hard to swallow in more than one way.

“So, my boss, Ryland, is beside himself that I’m going on maternity leave. It’s not like I didn’t give him six months’ notice, and this week he has me working like crazy because he’s so worried what he’ll do when I leave.” Jessa piles carrots and snap peas with mounds of hummus into her mouth.

“That man, though, Jessa, how do you work with him every day and not just stare and drool?” Kailey asks, biting a piece of cauliflower.