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Both of them laughed, and I bit my lip to stop myself from doing the same.

I could no longer keep moving cookies around without seeming like a weirdo, so I let myself look at the pregnant woman one more time before I slipped back to Beck’s side. He wrapped his arm around me absentmindedly, pulling me closer as he wrapped up the conversation. A few minutes later, he walked me back to his truck, where the rest of the cookies were boxed up for transport.

We didn’t say anything on the ride to the house where the birthday party would be.

My mind was still on the pregnant woman.

And the possibility that I could be in her shoes in a handful of months.

When we got to the next house, the three-year old girl was running around in a pink dress, with a tutu tied around her waist and a crown on her head. She was chasing an older girl around the house, both of them carrying sparkly wands and yelling something about a queen.

“Thank you so much,” the girls’ mom gushed, as Beck carried the cookie boxes over to the trays she’d set out for them.

I’d met her a handful of times, so we knew each other vaguely, though I’d never met her kids. One of which was in her arms—a baby boy I knew was only a few months old.

One of the little girls in the other room started screaming, and Ellen sighed. “Would you mind taking him for a minute? I need to put an end to the drama before any of the guests arrive.”

Without waiting for an answer, she set her baby in my arms.

I couldn’t stop myself from going still. Very, very still.

I’d never held a baby before.

He was so small and light.

And the way those adorable blue eyes stared up at me while his binky bounced up and down lightly in his mouth was mesmerizing.

He was so perfect, my chest ached a little.

Or maybe a lot.

“Hello,” I said softly, not sure what else to say to him.

Beck stepped back up to my side. “How’s Elliot today?” He leaned over my shoulder, tickling the little guy on the belly while grinning down at him. “Aren’t you handsome?”

My chest tightened more.

A lot more.

Elliot gave Beck a gummy grin back, and I swear, my heart stopped.

The other ladies were right.

Babies were insanely adorable. Irresistibly adorable.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I was pregnant, after all.

Maybe I would like being a mom.

Beck cooed at the little guy, and I couldn’t stop myself from joining in. Though I felt weird about it at first, when he started giving us that gummy grin, the weirdness faded quickly.

He was gorgeous.

Absolutely gorgeous.

When Elliot’s dad came over and scooped him out of my arms, thanking us for helping out, the ache in my chest returned.

I hadn’t wanted to let him go.