Bouncing Off Clouds:

So much has happened over the summer. Petey and Ashlee are trying to get their divorce finished. He and I haven�t gone public with our relationship just yet. We�re waiting until the divorce is finalized. Ashlee is about to give birth soon. That issue came up during my lunch break. I was about to head out with the girls when my cell phone rang. Nessa, Robyn, Rachel, and Sakura looked at me, grinning.

�Answer it!� she said. I gave her a little teasing smile.

�I will!� I said. I drew out my phone and flipped it on.

�Hello?� I asked.

�Hey baby!� Petey said on the other line. I fought back the urge to squeal like a little fangirl. I fought to keep myself under control.

�Yes, Petey?� I asked. There was a slight pause on the phone.

�I have to talk to you about something,� Petey said slowly. My face dropped a little bit.

�Okay�� I said as I was walking to the bathroom. �What is it?� Petey took a moment before speaking. Uh-oh. This is bad. Don�t tell me it�s over now.

�You know that Ashlee is pregnant, right?� he asked.

�Right,� I said. �What about it?�

�I have filed for joint custody. Is that okay with you?� he asked.

�Sure, sure!� I said. �It�s your kid, why shouldn�t you take care of them?�

�That�ll mean you�ll have to be the kid�s stepmother,� Petey pointed out. �Are you up to that?�

�Yes!� I said quickly by the time I was in the bathroom.

�Are you sure?� my boyfriend asked, unconvinced.

�I have been taking care of Davis for years!� I said. �I can handle it!�

�A kid needs much less care than a baby,� he pointed out.

�I can handle it,� I said to him much slower.

�Okay,� he said at last. �We�ll talk about this more later. Among other things.�

�Fine,� I replied. �I�ll see you tonight.�

�Okay, love you,� Petey signed off.

�Love you too,� I said back. We shared a kiss before hanging up. I squealed aloud to myself as I jogged in place a little bit in the bathroom that I had ended up in. Oh yes! This is real! He wants me to be step-mother to his unborn child. He trusts me enough to fill in that role. I know I can do that well. I have practically helped Keisha raise Davis. A baby is different, but I can manage.

I walked out of the bathroom to see my friends crowded around the door. They were all grinning at me. I looked at them slightly confused.

�What?� I asked. The girls didn�t speak at first. Sakura chuckled at me. I raised an eyebrow at them.

�You heard everything?� I asked. My tone was just too happy to reflect my usual annoyance with my noisy friends. Nessa smirked at me.

�Rosie�s going to be a mommy!� she cheered. I rolled my eyes at her.

�Step-mother!� I corrected. �Why do you guys have to be so noisy all of the time?� Nobody answered me, of course. They all just giggled at me. I only rolled my eyes again. Why bother? I�m not in the mood to get mad lately. I�ll let �em slide. But just this once.

�Whatever,� I mumbled. �Let�s just go.� I walked down the hall. But does it matter? I�m happier right now. I will be even more so after the divorce!