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God I have no easy answers for that I have no idea e have co for us

But ether and giving it a chance isn’t the worst thing in the world Maybe I’ive it a tomorrow and a tomorrow and a tomorrow and then decide

“If you think you can handle et cake,” I tell Daniel, wilting and shrivelling a little in the face of all that we have yet to surmount

Because Daniel rins, and says the one thing that could reassureabout my other family tradition “Cake? Sounds like a deal I love cake”

Chapter 9

Daniel

I thought it would be in good fun to get a cake in the shape of a toilet As it worked out, not everyone was available all at the same time until the weekend I kne nervous Leandra was about her fa the fact that we accidentally created new life- so I wanted to do so that would take the pressure off

I ordered the cake, specially made, from a bakery in the French Quarter They did an incredible job, going so far as to shape the cake and cover it in fondant, or whatever that icing that looks so realistic is called It cost a fortune, but I now have a mini 3-D toilet No two dimensional stuff for me

I ot here early I wanted them to be here to help me put out snacks and what not, but also so I could basically coach the on their best behavior I don’t know if I’m more worried about Grande a few e secrets as of late, mostly to Leandra- all to Leandra that day at her boutique- and I’m not sure I can live that down in front of Leandra’s entire family

She wanted to get there last so she wasn’t tempted to blurt out our secret before everyone was there She was afraid if her brothers and cousins showed up after her and got her talking, she’d slip up

Thankfully, its been days since my trip to the hospital and I’m healed up I haven’t seen Leandra since she dropped me off at her place, since she drove, and actually helpedthe ice pack for h I’ve thought about her every minute of every day since I last saw her The positive? She’s stayed in touch through texting and when I sent her the bouquet she was supposed to get in the beginning, she sent s where you fill in the faces of the dancing animals, except she pasted different colored toilets onto all of them as a thank you

As Leandra’s fa, I’m so nervous that I could hurl I’ve felt like I’ve been on the verge allGranma offered to make pancakes when she arrived, but I knew my stomach couldn’t take it, so I lied and said I’d already eaten Wes just straight up said he’d rather eat bricks Grandma didn’t take offense She also ret ever telling her that I got stabbed by my own cactus Thankfully, Wes wasn’t in the room when she asked I don’t think I could live it down if he knew because I know that I’d never, even if we lived to be one thousand and eighty-two years old, live it down

The first group to arrive couys are both scowling at me, and I’m not sure what Leandra told theirlfriends are Ellis and Lindy, and they’re much less scowly I open the door and let the roo chairs Not classy, but then again, neither is sitting on the floor

“We brought this,” Lindy says, holding out a bottle of ith a big sreen stone and when I look at it, I can’t help but wondering if it’s cursed Is ita little?

“Aren’t you a darling!” Grandrabs the bottle of wine before I can take it, and spirits it off in the direction of upstairs, which is where she left her purse and car keys after she got here