“I don’t know,” Tina said looking at me, “I can’t really imagine our lives without Kit. She’s like a sister even to me.”

“That’s because you are the one that I love,” I said, “you know, I would love if your siblings saw me as a sister just like Kit sees you.”

“Oh I would love that so much,” Tina said smiling as I wiped some straying tears from her eyes.

“Would you like me to go with you?” I offered.

“No,” Tina said smiling, “I should go face them by myself.”

“Are you sure?” I said.

“I’m sure,” Tina said smiling, “you just be here. Ready to help me make dinner for them or catch me if I fall.”

“T,” I said smiling, “I don’t have to catch you because I’m always holding on.”

Tina smiled broadly and shifted to press her lips against mine. We kissed tenderly, only breaking off because Caleb’s soft cries filled the room.

“Someone’s hungry!” Tina said laughing.

I chuckled, standing up with her and grabbing the bottle. I smiled as I remembered this stage in Angie’s own upbringing and I said, “Here we go again…”

……………………………………………

Max:

“Wow, you look great, Max,” Dylan said as I walked into the motel room they had rented just outside of Oakland. It had been so hard to say goodbye to all my friends and drive all the way over here. The hardest goodbye was Shane, who I had gotten closer to since we were living together.

“How did you get your figure back so fast!” Nikki exclaimed.

I sat on the bed opposite of the two who seemed to have become friends even though their distrust of each other was obvious from a mile away.

“So I did hypnosis,” I said not wanting to talk about the horror of my pregnancy and what I did with that beautiful baby.

“Hypnosis?” Nikki repeated, “that’s intense stuff.”

“I remembered what happened that night,” I said simply noticing how they both tensed at my words and their smiles faded.

“Well I think hypnosis is a crock,” Dylan said defensively.

“I mean, I guess it’s not always accurate,” Nikki agreed softly.

“One of you hit her in the head with a metal pipe,” I said, “I had my eyes closed in anger and I didn’t see which one of you did it.”