My mom and sisters arrived in Tulsa the day before the baby shower, and we went out for dinner with the other members of the Hanson family.

During dinner, I noticed Angelina and Zac were busy talking with one another. I thought they would definitely make a cute couple, and I knew Zac was a great guy. I made a mental note to have a little talk with Zac and Angelina when I got the chance. I knew Angelina would need a little coaxing because she was pretty timid when it came to pursuing guys, but Zac was one guy she shouldn’t let get away. I decided I would just have to play a little game of matchmaking.

After dinner, Taylor, my mom, Angelina, Heaven, Shandolyn, and I went back to the house. Everyone was rather tired, so everyone went to bed early.

The next day Diana, Jessica, Avery, and Zoë came over to decorate for the party. I was still in my pajamas when they were finished decorating. I knew then it was going to be a long day.

“Eden, I’m going to go over to Ike’s now,” Taylor commented as I stepped out of the shower with a huge towel wrapped around me.

“Okay,” I nodded. “When do you think you’ll be back?”

“I’m not sure, baby,” Taylor replied. “I won’t be too late, though.”

“Okay, I love you,” I said as I hugged him.

“I love you, too,” he grinned. “Have fun.”

“Yeah, I’ll try,” I groaned.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have the baby shower. I just didn’t feel like being around a whole bunch of people. I was also nervous about the baby. Everyone thought the baby was due in six weeks, but in reality I was due in two weeks. I was just praying I wouldn’t go into labor early.

Shortly after Taylor left, people began to arrive. Audrey was one of the first people there, which I was really grateful for. Audrey was my best friend, and she had really been helpful throughout my pregnancy because I could always call her and talk to her. I actually felt really bad about lying to her about everything.

“So, Ede, I know this is supposed to be your party, but I’ve got some really good news I just have to tell you,” Audrey smiled as we sat in the sunroom, where the party was to take place.

“Okay, so what’s the great news?” I asked with a smile.

“You remember how I was trying to get that job with Tulsa World?” Audrey began.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Well, I got it!” Audrey exclaimed. “So, I can quit my other two jobs, and I’ll just work for the newspaper.”

“That’s great!” I smiled.

“I’m so happy,” Audrey said. “But the only drawback is I won’t be here as much because I’ll be traveling around. I may not even be here when my surrogate niece or nephew arrives. You won’t be mad at me, will you?”

“No, of course not,” I replied. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Audrey smiled as more people began to arrive.

The afternoon seemed to drag by. My mom and Diana insisted we play a bunch of those stupid baby shower games, and, honestly, I hated every minute of it. Then I got to open the presents. I got plenty of baby bottles and diapers, which was really nice because you could never have too many of those. Finally when it was time to eat, I decided I needed to take a breather. I wandered around the house, and finally wound up in the baby’s nursery.

It was finally finished it, and I loved it. The only thing missing was the baby, but he or she would be there soon enough. As I was standing there thinking, Tracie walked past the door.

“Oh, hey, Eden,” she said with a soft smile. “What are you doing?”

“I was just taking a breather,” I sighed. “What about you?”

“Potty break,” Tracie smiled. “But there’s a bit of a line.”

“Oh,” I nodded.

“So, how are you holding up?” Tracie asked. “You seem a little stressed.”

“Oh, I’m alright,” I sighed. “It’s just my mom’s kind of getting to me. You know how mom’s like to take charge.”

“Yeah,” Tracie nodded. “But you’re lucky you still have your mom. Mine died when I was 13.”

“Oh,” I gasped. “I’m sorry. Here I am being unappreciative.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tracie shrugged. “You had no way of knowing.”

I felt really awful. I didn’t really know much about Tracie, but now I had actually begun talking to her and was giving her a chance, I realized she was really a pretty nice person. I guess I just got a bad first impression of her.

“So, how are things with you and Ike?” I asked trying to change the subject.

“Oh, pretty good, I guess,” she shrugged. “You know guys. I think they have more mood swings than women.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I know,” I nodded.

“He’s been a grump lately. I mentioned the word marriage around him, and I think he got freaked out,” Tracie explained. “I was just speaking hypothetically with him. I wasn’t even trying to get him to pop the question. Now he’s being weird.”

“Well, I think marriage naturally freaks guys out,” I replied.

“Apparently not Taylor,” Tracie smiled.

“Nah, not Taylor,” I nodded. “He couldn’t wait to get married.”

Oh, there was another damn lie. Just when I thought I had gotten away from the lies, there they were again. I just needed to keep my mouth shut. Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue.

“Eden, honey, there you are,” my mom said. “Everyone’s looking for you.”

“Oh, sorry,” I said as I smiled at Tracie. “I’ll talk to you later.”

The rest of the day passed by at the same slow pace, and by the time everyone was gone, I was exhausted. I didn’t even wait for Taylor to get home. I went straight to bed.