Page 59 of Counting the Days

“Oh, hey, this is my boyfriend, Danny.”

“Perfect.”

—

Zoe’s house was decorated withvases of fresh flowers on every surface; she’d insisted on throwing Ada a baby shower to pay Ada back for throwing her a surprise baby shower. But Ada had refused. Zoe had just given birth; she was not about to let her postpartum friend go through all the work of party hosting. Zoe had badgered her for weeks until she finally relented, but, since this was her third child, Ada made everyone call it a “sprinkle.”

“Please don’t shower me, just a light sprinkle is all I need.”

So far, Zoe had gone against her wishes and drenched her house in baby-themed décor, complete with what looked like a four-tiered wedding cake and a massive pile of gifts. Rhea placed her gift with the others and internally promised herself not to let all the baby-crazy energy get in her head.

The inevitable had taken place: Due to their relationship consummation, Rhea was now emotionally barnacled to Danny; she could never give her Edible Gardener up under any circumstances. She’d made her bed and was having amazing sex on it; there was no turning back. She forced herself to be firm in herdecision and made it official by ripping all the child models off her vision board and throwing them in the garbage. But she knew her ego was going to try to ruin everything.

Her ego was a terrible roommate. She wished she could move far away from it, but wherever she went, her ego would follow. So she gave her ego strict orders to think only of Ada on this day and not to for one second think about herself. She told her ego to be happy for her friends, celebrate their blessings, and stop balking at the fact that this was technically Ada’sthird baby showerand there seemed to be no end to all the fertility festivities.

She gave her ego one caveat: If it had to focus on Rhea Darby, she insisted it should only feel grateful about her new boyfriend and rejoice in the gorgeous man on her arm. Her ego was already fighting back.What about all this love and attention? Everyone gathered to commemorate Ada’s miraculous ability to create human life, and we’re just never going to have a baby shower? Ever?

Rhea reminded her ego that they could no longer live without Danny Beckett, and her ego reluctantly agreed, which allowed Rhea to take a calming breath and look for the friend she was determined to celebrate. Ada was perched on a love seat, wearing a flower crown—a queen on her throne. A queen holding her screaming two-year-old while trying to have an adult conversation with Zoe’s husband, who was holding his screaming infant.

Rhea and Danny approached the star of the sprinkle, and Ada took Ekele off her lap so she could stand up and embrace them. Ekele cried so hard at this turn of events that he began choking. Ada tried to give Danny a proper greeting, but Ekele’s life seemed to be on the line, so she turned back to her son, and Rhea slowly pulled Danny away from the drama.

Rhea moved through the shower, introducing Danny as her boyfriend to Marcus and Jason and Ada’s parents, siblings, cousins, and college friends. Rhea wished their reactions were slightly more subtle.

“Rhea has aboyfriend? Well, this isamazingnews!”

“Boyfriend?! What?!”

Danny handled it well; he was charming and funny, and by the time they were each done with their second Bloody Mary and had witnessed shock about Rhea’s new boyfriend from almost everyone at the sprinkle, Rhea started to relax and enjoy herself.

She noticed Tiny exit the powder room, wiping her mouth, as if she had just thrown up. Tiny saw Rhea and Danny hand in hand and broke into a grin.

“Wow, this morning I thought I would never smile again, butthis…How could I not smile at this?”

“And it’s all because of you,” Rhea said.

“Well…you guys helped a little.”

“Why’d you think you would never smile again?” Danny asked.

Tiny gave Rhea a look.He asks questions?

Rhea returned the look.I know, he’s wonderful.

“Because, Danny,” Tiny began, “I am one thousand months pregnant and it turns out pregnancy feels like being hit by a truck and getting stuck in the fuckin’ tires and just rolling ’round and ’round for almost a fullyear. I slept in my bathtub last night ’cause sitting in water is the only thing that helps the searing pain all over my body, and Epsom salt shrinks my hemorrhoids. But I am not allowed to sit in hot water because apparently that’s bad for this little asshole,” she said, pointing at her stomach, “so I fell asleep in lukewarm water, and when I woke up infreezing cold water,smiling ever again seemed like an impossibility.”

“Oh God, you spent the whole night in there?” Rhea asked. “Did Jason try to wake you up?”

“Jason and I are not on speaking terms.”

Rhea looked across the living room at Jason, who was standing with Marcus, drinking a Bloody Mary and lamenting the disappointing turn in the Dodgers’ season.

“Man, I’m so sorry,” Danny said. “Does eating help or make it worse? Do you wanna go sit, and we can make you a plate?”

Tiny looked at Rhea, utterly dumbfounded.

Rhea nodded.I know, he’s perfect.

Tiny turned to Danny. “Actually, what would help mea lotis if you would go over there and tell Jasonexactlywhat you just said and have him come over here and repeat it to me. He seems to think there’s nothing he can do for me, but that’s only ’causehe never offers to do anything!” She said the last part loud enough for Jason to hear; alas, he was locked in the Dodgers discussion.