Page 164 of Pretend You Love Me

He strokes his chin. “Maybe, but where will you stay when you come up in the summers?”

I laugh and put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m having two kids, not forty. There will be plenty of room for all of us.”

He smiles. “Okay. I’ll talk it over with Kenzie.”

As he’s making his way over to McKenzie, I move toward Brooklyn. She’s talking with Rose and Sadie.

“It must have been the tea.” Rose’s eyes are shining.

I slip my arm around Brooklyn’s waist.

“The tea, huh?” I say. I flash a grin at Brooklyn.

“Yes. I gave Ginger...I mean, Brooklyn, some fertility tea that my sister had used and BAM...look what happened.”

Brooklyn’s sipping a glass of sparkling water. She shoots me a look.

“BAM is right,” I say.

She nudges me a little.

“And my sister had twins too, so I know it was the tea.”

Brooklyn chokes on her water and starts coughing.

“What?” she says between coughs.

“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you that before? She had been trying for ages without success, and then she started drinking that tea and voila...twins.”

Brooklyn’s eyes are huge. “No. No, I don’t remember you telling me that.”

“Well, I don’t believe in coincidences.” Sadie looks at Brooklyn over her glass of white wine. “Must have been the tea.”

Paul and Melvin walk up. “Ginger you’re looking good. Are you planning to deliver in town? I haven’t delivered any human twins, but I’ve delivered litters of...”

Paul cuts him off. “Melvin, it’s really not the same.”

“Look at her head. Not a scar to be seen.”

Paul leans forward to get a better look at Brooklyn’s forehead. “Well fuck me sideways, you’re going to have to teach me how you did that.”

Melvin has a smug gin on his face.

Paul slaps me on the back. “I knew it would happen for you two. Glad it worked out. You hadn’t been trying long anyway.”

“Oh, it was the tea,” Rose says.

“Tea?” Paul scrunches his face.

“I knew I recognized you that first day in my office,” Melvin says to Brooklyn.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you. I just needed to be anonymous.”

“Well, Martha recognized you immediately. She didn’t tell though until the news was out.”

Brooklyn’s eyes grow big. “Really? She knew and didn’t say anything?”

“Oh, I knew too,” Rose jumps in.