Page 67 of Keeping Promises

“Enough. I just can’t,” I scream, louder than I intended, causing both Lexi and Brynn to jump. Shock laces their features. I shake my head as the tears continue to fall. “I’m sorry, I’m just a hot mess over here. I’m so ready for this all to be over—for her to be here already.” I place my hands over my belly button, forming almost a heart shape with my fingers. “And now—” My voice catches. “—I have to do this alone.”

My daughter isn’t even in this world yet, and I already feel like I failed her. Is this what my mother went through?

“Hey.” My best friends crowd me, and Lexi places her hand over mine on my stomach. “Let’s get one thing straight. You are never alone—both of you.”

“We’re here for you always,” Brynn chimes in, adding her hand over mine and Lexi’s. “This baby has two kick-ass aunts and two awesome uncles, and you are not and will not ever be alone in this.”

“All for one and one for all,” we say in unison, flipping our wrists over, revealing our matching infinity tattoos. A hint of a smile graces my lips.

My best friends hold me as the tears continue to fall. Eventually, they slow, but the emotions in me are still running wild.

“Why don’t you go take a warm shower, and we’ll whip up some breakfast?” Lexi’s tone is more of a command than a question.

I nod. A shower sounds nice to wash away my heartbreak.

Once alone in the bathroom, I flip the shower on and allow the steam to fill the space. Just as I think I’ve cried my last tear over Asher Harrington, I feel another kick, and the waterworks begin again.