as she talks. “Hey Heath. I’m on Second Avenue right now—am I anywhere close to this place?”
“Uh, that depends on where on Second Avenue you are.”
She rattles off some information about her surroundings and the closest street she can see, and I’m relieved to know she’s not far away at all. I give her directions and stay on the phone with her until I see her walking through the door of my restaurant. Okay, it’s my sister’s restaurant, but I’m the manager so that counts for something.
It’s quiet in here at the moment because we haven’t opened for lunch yet; Lila and I have just been running through our daily routine, checking with the kitchen and the wait staff that we’re all set for a smooth day and evening ahead. There are always little issues that come up throughout the time we’re open, but the best thing we can do is be as prepared as possible.
I greet Melissa with a smile, my heart thumping as I notice how much bigger she’s gotten since the last time we saw her. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. She’s carrying our baby and she looks ready to pop any second. Dec and I are going to be dads really, really soon.
“This place looks really nice,” she says after I’ve introduced her to my sister and Lila has disappeared somewhere at the back of the restaurant, presumably her office. Melissa glances around at the restaurant and bar, taking it all in. “Do you guys really only serve rice?”
My lips quirk in a smile. “It’s all there in the name.” I point to the logo on my shirt that reads Rice, Rice, Baby. “It’s amazing how many different kinds of rice there are and what can be created with them.”
My phone chimes with a text and I check it to see it’s from Declan.
“Shit. Dec’s stuck in the subway so he’s going to meet us at the hospital.”
She shrugs, offering a friendly smile. “Okay, should we get going?”
The hospital where Melissa is having her scan today is only a few minutes’ walk from the restaurant, which is why we suggested to meet here.
“So, have you got much planned for Christmas?” I ask as we walk.
She shakes her head. “We do a big family thing for Hanukkah, so we keep things pretty quiet on Christmas Day.”
I smile, tugging my jacket tighter around me to block out the icy wind. “Sounds like my family. Our Christmas Day pretty much consists of Chinese food and board games. It’s actually a near miracle we were able to convince my parents to come here instead of us going to Boston. Mom keeps fretting that we won’t have an adequate selection of games. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s all she packs in her suitcase—just a bunch of board games and maybe a toothbrush. She doesn’t seem to really get that there are department stores in New York where you can buy everything under the sun, including every board game to ever be invented.”
Melissa chuckles, shaking her head in wry amusement. “I think she’d get along with my mom just fine.”
We enter the hospital and take the elevator to the consulting rooms where Melissa has her appointment.
As we’re waiting to see the doctor, my phone goes off to the sound of Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” and I jump to answer Dec’s call.
“Hey, we’re just waiting to see the doctor. Are you almost here?”
“Babe, I’m so sorry, I’m still stuck. I don’t think I’ll be there in time. You’ll have to just have the appointment without me.”
“What? You mean…I should go in by myself?” I lower my voice and whisper into the phone. “Is that allowed?”
“What do you mean ‘is that allowed’?” Dec asks, amusement in his tone. “You’re the baby’s father, of course it’s allowed.”
I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Fortunately, it’s just a standard check up that goes without incident. The doctor confirms that the baby has moved into the ‘delivery position’ so could really come any day now, but he also says he’s confident we’re still a week or two away.
* * *
That afternoon, once Dec is finally free of the subway, we head out to one of our favorite bars to catch up with Aidan and Ben before they return to Austin. I have to admit, I’m thrilled they’re together and so happy, but I was kind of enjoying having them here in