Page 25 of Born for Starlight

I reached over and offered Josie my finger. She grabbed it with a grip that told me Code had been doing baby workouts with her, and she gave me a two-toothed grin that turned my heart into mush.

"She likes you," Kit said.

"She has excellent taste. Just like her mother."

"Her mother is exhausted. My little terror pulled books off the bookcase this morning. Every single book on the bottom two shelves, and she looked so proud of herself I couldn't even be mad." Kit grinned, obviously just as proud and amused as her daughter.

"Of course she was proud. She did a big job."

Josie babbled something in full agreement.

“This one can't even roll over yet and I'm already scared of her. She has opinions. You can see them forming." Chloe said, swaying Olivia gently.

"She's an Avery," I said. "The opinions came with the package, free of charge."

The hallway door opened, and Zoe walked out. The whole room went quiet.

The dress was simple, which was exactly right. Clean lines, soft ivory, nothing fussy. Just Zoe, looking like the best version of herself. Her dark hair was loose and that streak of blue was peeking out.

Perfection.

"Oh," Bonnie breathed.

Chloe didn't say anything at all. She just looked at her twin with her whole heart on her face, and Zoe looked back, and something passed between them that the rest of us didn't have the language for.

Trenda came out behind Zoe, hands clasped under her chin, doing absolutely everything short of dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "Look at our girl." Her gaze shifted to Chloe, one of the many Avery girls she’d practically raised.

"Mom!" James stopped mid-dinosaur negotiation and stared. "You look like a princess. But a cool one. Not a boring one."

Mom.

Just like that. Easy as breathing, like he'd been saying it his whole life. Zoe's face did something breathtaking. My throat clogged. I had to look down at Josie's little fist wrapped around my finger until I got myself under control.

"Best compliment I'm going to get all day," Zoe managed. She did a slow turn in front of the mirror that Trenda had propped against the wall. "Okay. Truth. Am I going to make Adam cry?"

"He's going to be a wreck," I said. "An absolute puddle. James, you're going to have to hold your dad up."

"I can do it." James flexed an arm. "I'm strong."

"Wait." Bella stood up from the shoe boxes, holding up a pair of ivory heels. "These. Aunt Zoe, these are the ones. Look at the little strap. They go with the dress and you can actually dance in them."

Zoe took them, held them against the hem, and looked in the mirror.

"She's right," Trenda said.

"She's completely right," Chloe agreed.

"I'm always right about shoes," Bella said, then sat back down, a huge grin on her face.

Zoe smiled at herself in the mirror, shoes in hand. My friend was so damned in love, you’d think she was drunk. I felt happiness for her, mostly.

Mostly.

She caught my eye in the mirror.

Uh-oh. I knew this expression. This was the look of a loved-up woman about to make her single best friend her project.

"So," Zoe said, still admiring her own reflection like she wasn't about to commit a friend-felony. "Speaking of the wedding, Angelica. Who's your plus-one?"