Lily Gold

Everyone you love will hurt you, in some way. Most of them, I hope, will do it by accident. Some of them will do it on purpose. Don’t let them win by letting it harden you. Stay trusting. And hopeful. Fall in love again, and again, and again. It’ll be okay. I promise

“I’m not a baby.” I try to wriggle out of his grip.

He just laughs and kisses the top of my head, unlocking his front door and bundling me inside.

We love you,” he says, pulling back to look me in the eyes. “I love you. We’re not going anywhere without you.”

We love you,” he says, pulling back to look me in the eyes. “I love you. We’re not going anywhere without you.”

“Baby. None of us want to leave you. I can’t even imagine a life without you.”

. “I love you,” I say. It’s the first time I’ve said those words in years. “All of you. I love you.”

“We love you too, Bethie.”

You’re our family now,” he murmurs, and my heart just about breaks. “You belong with us.”

Three boyfriends, shut-down ovaries, and a secret doorstep baby are hardly what I envisioned when I used to imagine my future family. But right now, they’re more than enough.

So much more.

We don’t have to love anybody who doesn’t love us back.

“Happy Mother’s day,” he says with a small smile, and I pull his lips down to mine.