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Sally and Maisie were our first members. Riley joined when she could, and Lily did when she had time. I’d even made new friends through our current members, and our number slowly grew.
“Have fun,” he said. “And see if she’ll give me a copy.”
“I will,” I replied. “But for now, this first copy ismine.”
“I can’t believe she gave you and Riley a copy, but not me.”
“She’s been oddly secretive about this one. She won’t even tell me what it’s about, and usually, she at least lets me beta read. Maybe this one has a cool twist.”
He laughed and then got up to get ready, giving me one last lingering kiss as he left. I went to the coffee shop right after. Lily was waiting with a book in her hands.
“And here you go,” she said with a smile.
“Do you have one for me too?” Riley asked, nearly running to the table.
“Duh.”
“I won’t be able to keep up with Amy here,” Riley said, shaking her head. “But in a month, I’ll have something for you.”
“You have kids, so I understand.” Lily put a hand on her stomach. It wasn’t rounded yet, but I knew the truth.
“That’ll be you soon,” I replied.
“And I’m planning the shower.” Riley rubbed her hands together. “Finally, I can plan something that isn’t a kid’s birthday party.”
I laughed. “And I’ll decorate.”
Lily turned red, but I knew she and Sebastian were excited about the baby. It had taken them a while to get pregnant after agreeing to have kids, but now that it was happening, they were over the moon. I didn’t know if kids were in my future, but Levi was happy to be with me either way.
After taking a long drink of coffee, I got to work reading. The book was incredible, but after a few chapters, I began to see a pattern.
“Hang on,” I said as I put down the book. “A woman who lives in the shadow of a sibling? Is this based on me?”
She smiled. “Surprise.”
“Are you serious? Is this why you wouldn’t tell me anything about it?”
“She kept me in the dark too,” Riley said. “Mostly. I figured it out after a while.”
“What? I knew I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out. It’s hilarious.”
“It really is,” Riley added.
“She’s inspiring, isn’t she?” Lily asked.
“A whole romance heroine based off of me. Are you trying to get this to be Levi’s favorite book?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “I even brought an extra copy for him too, so if you argue that you’re not good enough, he has evidence on his shelf.”
“First off, we share shelves, and second, I’ve been working on myself. I definitely deserve this. I’m the light of all of your fucking lives.”
“She’s got a whole bookandself-esteem?” Riley said with a laugh. “She’s unstoppable now.”
“I always was. It took me getting you guys and Levi in my life to finally make me see it,” I said, and it was true.
I once thought I was made to blend into the background. Now, I knew I was the main character of my own life, and I was more than happy to make sure it stayed that way.