Page 32 of Don't Think

She nods, finally pleased. “That’s right. Now stop freakin’ cleaning. Go grab a bottle of wine and just…breathe.”

Nora walks into the room, her nose buried in her phone while she drops onto the arm of the chair. I have to bite my tongue so I don’t tell her that’s not a seat, but I know if I tried then Ana would be more on my case.

When you plan a vacation as a mother, all you look forward to is peace and quiet. The time to be your own person for once. But the part nobody ever warns you about is that your brain? Never turns off from mom mode. So is it really peace and quiet when there’s always that little voice in your head, making demands to keep your title?

“Do you think all of them are coming? Or just Jax and James?” Nora asks, chewing on the sleeve of her shirt.

Bite your tongue, Allie. Bite your tongue.

God, this is harder than I thought.

Ana’s head snaps in her direction, then chuckles. “Oh, come on! Don’t tell me I have to keep an eye on you too.”

Nora’s face turns beet red, her eyes wide when her mouth opens and closes before she finally says, “No, you don’t. I was just curious.”

“Mm-hmm,” Ana hums under her breath.

I hold up a hand, stopping them both. “Excuse me, but nobody has to ‘keep an eye on me’ either.”

They both look at me, chuckling while mumbling, “Sure.”

My head falls back against the couch. Usually, I wouldn’t mind the teasing, but all of this already feels overly stressful. Between it being my first time without my girls, and the fact thatBottom Lineis cominghere—am I sure I’m not dreaming?

Why did I even agree to this? I could have just said no. It was on the tip of my tongue and everything, but that little voice in my head was begging me to say yes.

“Stop.” I hear Ana say, her voice low.

I turn toward her, raising an eyebrow. Although the look is unnecessary—she’s always been able to read my mind, to the point it’s almost scary. I swear she and I were separated at birth, but given Ana’s Mexican heritage and my pastiness, my theory has been disproven.

“Stop what?”

“Pouting. Worrying. You name it.” She crosses the room and sinks into the armchair to my right. Her feet land with a thud on the corner of the coffee table, making me cringe both physically and internally.

“I’m not pouting. I’m just—”

“Pouting,” Ana and Nora say in unison.

My mouth falls open. “Pouting is the wrong word here,” I defend with a forced laugh. “I’mnervous. I’mexcited. I’m feeling too many things to pick just one. But pouting? Absolutely not.”

“I’ve already said this so many times, but I’m going to say itonemore time.” Ana leans forward, eyeing me hard. “You, Allison Lorraine Windsor, fuckingdeservethis.”

“You keep saying that, but—”

“Webothdo,” Nora cuts in. “I mean, look at how my life is turning out. I haven’t had a break in three months since Michael left, and I’ve been just going through the motions. But I’m sure as hell not going to let that stop me from moving on.”

Ana’s eyes dart to me, and I shake my head slowly.

She and Nora have never exactly seen eye to eye. She thinks Nora is… self-centered. Constantly redirecting conversations so she’s the main topic, but Nora just needs someone to see her just as much as the rest of us. So I let her say what she needs to. I always have—without question.

Ana closes her eyes, inhaling a long breath before blowing it out slowly. “Exactly. Youbothneed to remember who you are. You’re not just someone’s mother. You’re not just someone’s baby mama, or whatever the hell they call it now. You are your own people. You both have needs, wants, desires. So, we’re here to find them.That’smy point.”

I give her a small smile, mentally thanking God she didn’t pick now to say something offensive.

“Wait! I have an idea,” Nora exclaims, practically leaping from her seat. “We should make a vacation bucket list!” Her eyes light up while she looks between Ana and me.

A bucket list?

My eyebrows knit together, head tilting. “What would we even put on it? Don’t drown in the harbor?”