“Yeah, I have a feeling.” She tapped her nose.
“Just make sure anything you do get is gender-neutral,” I suggested. “Just on the slight chance you’re not right about this.”
“Impossible,” she replied. “I’m always right about this stuff.”
“Right, okay.” She held her hands up. “I’m going to get out of here. I have loads I need to get done today.”
“You working this afternoon?” I tried to keep the incredulity out of my voice and obviously failed, judging by the rolling of her eyes as the words came out of my mouth.
“Is that such a shock?” she asked, and I just stared at her silently for a few moments, letting the quiet say what I didn’t dare to.
“Yeah, yeah, I guess.” She shook her head and laughed. “I’m still not used to coming into the office, all right? I’m getting there.”
“No, it’s good,” I assured her. “Takes some of the weight off me.”
“That’s kind of the point.” She shrugged. “I want to be able to help. I want there to be someone here you trust if you do want to take some time away from work when the baby comes along.”
“That’s really sweet of you.” I smiled, and she gave me a quick hug.
“You should come around for dinner again soon,” I suggested. “Spend some more time with Amaya and Jolene before the wedding, get to know them a little better.”
“Make sure Amaya forgives me for the shit with the contract, huh?” She winced slightly, and I chuckled.
“Yeah, that can’t hurt,” I replied. “Maybe I could invite Darla as well?”
“Maybe you could.” She grinned and bit her lip. I could tell that she was already running through every single way she could get her claws into Amaya’s new friend.
“I’m sure she’ll like you,” I assured her, and she flashed me a big, cocky smile, one that I recognized from seeing it on myself.
“I know that. I’m just perfect,” she teased me. “I’m going now, properly this time. Catch you later?”
“Catch you later.” I waved her off, and I watched as she went out the door and back down to the office we’d set aside for her years before when she had made some vague noises about wanting to come work at the company. As it turned out, that had been little more than posturing, and the office had spent several years gathering dust and remaining empty, but now here she was, making an effort. I didn’t precisely know what she was doing while she was here, since I ran a tight ship, and everyone I needed to do anything was already around here taking care of business, but I appreciated the effort. Maybe she was looking into the company history so she could actually step up to the plate when the time came for me to leave. That would be useful.
I sat back down and stared at the spot she had just come from. It was crazy to think we were friends again. She was being a butt about being my best man, but I knew she was excited about it. It would have felt wrong for me to take anyone else up there with me. I knew people at work, of course, and there were a few old scattered friends I’d had in high school that I could have called up and asked to help me out, but it would have felt wrong to have anyone other than Cleo standing up there next to me when I said my vows to Amaya.
Amaya. I smiled to myself. None of this would be happening without her. If it hadn’t been for Amaya, none of this would be happening, not just the wedding but Cleo stepping up at work and the family coming together like this. It was amazing. She had already done so much to change my life, and we weren’t even married yet, well, not properly. I couldn’t wait to slip that ring over her finger and make her my wife. I’d been thinking a lot about that specific moment, about how it would make me feel. I’d always assumed it would come with a big heaping pile of anxiety, of worry over somehow having picked the wrong woman and being stuck in this for life, but with Amaya, there was this clear-headed certainty. It was her. It had always been her. It had just taken me longer than I would have cared to admit to realize that.
I turned my attention back to work, furrowing my brow and wiping the smile off my face. I had so much to get done before the wedding, and none of that involved sitting around getting sappy about my fiancée, no matter how much I liked doing it.