Page 100 of The One I Stood Beside

I shake it. “Done.”

“They’ll be sleeping together before the end of the summer,” she says.

“Damn, you’re that sure?”

She nods and turns back to the gravestone, looking at me from the corner of her eye. “We have something else to tell you.”

“Mom.” I place my hand on Sadie’s stomach. “We’re having a baby.”

The warmth from the sun feels hotter for a moment, and I like to think it’s my mom telling me she hears me.

“And?” Sadie prods.

“It’s a girl. We’re going to name her Daisy.” I attempt to push back the tears pooling in my eyes.

“I told you from the beginning that it was a girl.”

Sadie insists her mother’s intuition was giving her strong girl vibes early on in the pregnancy and turns out she was right.

“As long as you and the baby are healthy, that’s all that matters.” I kiss her temple, then look at my mom’s headstone. “I’m so happy, Mom. The only thing that could make me happier would be if you were still here.” A tear slips free, and I wipe it with my hand.

Sadie lays her head on my shoulder and kisses my jawline. “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.”