No One Else (The Ladies Who Brunch 2)

“Because life fucking sucks.” She winks at him and then heads toward us in the kitchen. “I brought the champagne, ladies.”

Charlotte claps her hands. “Good thinking. We didn’t get to have brunch this morning because someone was too busy preparing for a Super Bowl party,” she says with a side glance in my direction.

Ethan releases me as I move toward the cupboard to fetch champagne glasses. “Hey, this was Ethan’s idea, so if you want to blame anyone, blame him.”

“I’ll take the blame,” he says, kissing me on the cheek. “Besides, that just means I got to enjoy her this morning instead of her running out the door to meet you girls.”

“That’d better mean you got laid, Amelia,” Penelope interjects. “Otherwise, that’s just a waste of a Sunday morning without brunch.”

“Don’t worry. Ethan made sure staying home was worth it.” I smirk in his direction as he grabs a beer and the boys head toward the couch.

“So, how are things going? Are he and Oliver officially moved in yet?” Charlotte asks once Ethan is on the couch, just as Noelle comes into the kitchen from the bathroom.

“Almost. Next weekend should be the last move with a bunch of little stuff. Oliver’s room is already set up, Ethan donated a bunch of their furniture since most of my stuff was newer and was already here anyway, and they’ve pretty much been sleeping here for the past week, so I’d say everything is almost official.”

“We’re so happy for you, Amelia.” Noelle gestures to Charlotte and Penelope, who nod their heads.

“Thank you. I’m insanely happy.”

“Good. And if he ever messes up again, just let me know. I can deliver three hundred tubes of hemorrhoid cream to his office with the click of a button,” Penelope declares just as her cell phone rings. “Jesus, why on earth is my boss calling me on a Sunday like this?”

“Does he not usually call on Sundays?” I ask.

“Every once in a while because PR never stops, you know? But this is like the fifth time he’s called.”

“Should you call him back then?”

“Ugh, I really don’t want to think about work right now. I just wanted to get champagne drunk with my girls and watch hot men run around in tight pants,” she groans. “But I’d better see what he wants before I get too drunk to have a normal conversation with him.”

Noelle chimes in. “Do you even know how to have a normal conversation?”

“Hardy, har har.” Penelope grabs a potato skin and then saunters off toward the stairs to go somewhere quieter.

“Amelia.” Oliver runs up to me, pulling on my apron.

“Yes, buddy?”

“Can I have sour gummy worms now?”

I gesture to the charcuterie board that we made earlier together, complete with sour gummy worms, of course. But I made Oliver wait until the party started before he was allowed to eat any. Okay, maybe I let him have one earlier. “Just a few. But you’d better have a carrot afterward.”

“Okay.” He hugs my legs. “Thanks for letting Daddy and me come live with you and having this party. I love you,” he says, and then he runs off.

Charlotte and Noelle both look at me as I watch him grab three sour gummy worms and a carrot.

“Yup. I totally get it. I’d fall in love with him too,” Noelle says, sniffling. “This is why I don’t want to wait to have kids, you guys.”

“I know. And don’t get me wrong, he is still a kid. He has breakdowns and argues with us, but then he says something like that, and you just can’t help but melt. This week I get to help him make Valentine’s Day cards for his entire class, and I’m legitimately looking forward to it. I’ve been on Pinterest for weeks looking at ideas. Six months ago, this was all a dream; this thought about the future that I hoped one day would come true. And now it has, albeit, in an unorthodox way. But it’s seriously the best. I get to be a mom…” I trail off in a whisper as I fight tears from forming.

“Yes, you do. Seems as though your life has changed quite a bit, but in a good way,” Charlotte says on a smile and then turns to Noelle. “Are you crying?” Charlotte asks her as she sniffles again and wipes under her eye.

“It’s the damn hormones, Charlotte. We’ve been through this. You girls are just going to have to get used to mood swings from me until I have this baby.” She grabs a potato skin and walks into the living room, where the men are already yelling at the television.

“I love her, but we might have to give her a tranquilizer at some point,” Charlotte mutters just as the boys shout at the television. I pour three glasses of champagne since Noelle isn’t drinking alcohol at the moment and then make my way into the living room with Charlotte so we can watch the game.

A few minutes later, Penelope returns to the room after grabbing the glass of champagne that I left on the kitchen counter for her.

“Damn! Come on, Kansas City!” Ethan shouts. “This game better not be like this the entire time.”

“Like it would be any different if Dallas were playing,” Nick mutters under his breath.

“You’re just pissed that New Orleans didn’t make it so you could drool at Maddox Taylor on the screen the entire time.”

Nick puts a finger in the air. “As a heterosexual man in a very loving relationship, I have no problem admitting that Maddox Taylor is a fine male specimen. But didn’t you hear? Maddox’s contract is up this year, and rumor is that New Orleans is gonna let him go.”

“What?” Damien, Ethan, and Jeffrey all turn their heads in Nick’s direction.

“Yeah. Don’t you guys keep up with this shit?”

They all give Nick a deadpan gaze.

“No, man. Sorry, I’m not reading the gossip magazines. I’ve been kinda busy,” Ethan mutters as Nick shakes his head.

“And you call yourself a football fan.”

A commotion rings out from the television, pulling everyone’s heads back to the game.

“Touchdown!” Oliver shouts before breaking into his victory dance.

And everyone laughs as the boys take turns showing off their best touchdown celebrations.

It’s so normal, so us. My friends, my family—and I can’t believe this is my life now.

* * *