Fake Marriage Box Set

Emma puffed out her chest. “I'm great at making friends,” she said. “Mr. Sanders said it last year when I was in kindergarten. By the time I come home today, I'm gonna have a hundred new friends.”

“Oh, really?” I asked her, stifling a grin.

“You be good today,” Lexi said, kneeling down next to Emma. “And share those crackers that I put in your lunch, okay? That's a great way to make friends.”

“I know, Mom,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. “I know that you're all sad because I'm going off to school, but I'm a big kid now, and this is what big kids do. You and Daddy are just going to have to eat lunch alone. But I'm going to be home for dinner.”

I gave her a high-five, but Lexi still looked a little upset. Emma looked around and then gave her a quick hug, kissing her on the cheek. “Sometimes, I get nervous too,” she said solemnly. “But Daddy goes to work, like, so many days, and he still comes home. School's the same, isn't it?”

Lexi cracked a smile at that. “Just like that,” she agreed. She sighed and straightened up, giving Lexi one last pat on the head. “Come on, let's figure out where your classes are.”

Emma bounded off, following the signs leading up to the administration office. I put my hand on Lexi's back as we walked up the stairs. She moved slowly, and I wondered if her ankles were bothering her again. I'd have to give her a good foot massage when we got home that evening.

“Are you doing all right?” I asked her in a low tone, not wanting Emma to overhear.

“I'm fine,” Lexi said, giving me a sad smile. “I guess with this new little one on the way, I'm just a little emotional. I still remember when I was pregnant with Emma. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago.”

“But look at how much has changed since then,” I pointed out.

“I know,” Lexi said, smiling again. “It's great to have you here with me, helping me out this time.”

“Not that you really need my help,” I said. I didn't mean it in a peevish way, though. I actually really admired how well Lexi had handled her pregnancy. She'd been nervous, telling me about it, even though we'd been talking about potentially having another kid at some point. Once she realized how excited I was, though, she had calmed down exponentially.

“I still wish we knew if it was a boy or a girl,” I said as we watched Emma run off to chat with some friends from her daycare whom she hadn't seen all summer. It looked like she was going to be settling in nicely. We got her all signed in and then headed back down to the car.

“I know you do,” Lexi said, returning to my earlier comment. “But I want it to be a surprise. I didn't know whether Emma was going to be a boy or a girl either, and when she arrived, it made that moment all the more special. Plus, I don't know, there's something fun about trying to guess, don't you think?”

“But I don't know what kinds of clothes to buy,” I complained. “Or how to decorate the n

ursery or what kinds of toys I should buy or anything.”

Lexi laughed. “Andrew, you're a billionaire,” she reminded me. “You could probably hire a tailor the night the baby was born and have them knit up a whole custom-made wardrobe for the kid by the following morning. Or if it really bothers you that much, just buy a bunch of outfits for boys and a bunch of outfits for girls. We'll get rid of whatever we don't use. I'm sure we could donate them to someone in need. Or we'll save them for if we—” She broke off, flushing bright red.

“Were you about to say that we could save them for if we had another kid?” I asked in surprise.

She shrugged, looking embarrassed. “Let's just get through this one first,” she mumbled, but I could tell that that was exactly what she was thinking.

I slung an arm around her shoulders. “You want a big family, don't you?”

“I was an only child,” she reminded me. “I always dreamed of having a big family, back when I was growing up.”

“Let's see how exhausted we are with two of them,” I suggested. “But I'm not ruling out the possibility.”

Lexi smiled. “Soon enough, Emma's going to be old enough that she'll be able to babysit for them,” she said.

“Isn't that a scary thought,” I said dryly.

Emma was proving to be incredibly smart, but she also had a wicked trickster streak in her that led to quite a few pranks around the house. They were all harmless, of course, but sometimes I wondered where she came up with the stuff. I could only imagine what things were going to be like once she had a little brother or two around. I wondered whether they would help her with her pranks, or if she would use them against the poor kid instead.

“Do you have to go to the office today?” Lexi asked as we climbed into the car.

I looked over at her in surprise. It wasn't often that she suggested I play hooky. “Are you feeling okay?” I asked.

“I'm just a little weepy still,” she admitted. “I don't mean to make you stay home just because I'm upset.”

“Don't worry about it,” I said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “But let's do something better than staying home. It's our first day without Emma for the school year; we should have some fun with it. What do you want to do?”

“We could go shopping for baby supplies,” Lexi suggested. “We still need a good stroller.”