I noticed Kiera holding her breath, noticed her parents clenching their hands together, but I instantly felt relaxed. I’d already seen Griffin’s truest, deepest desire—it had been written all over his face. I already knew what his decision would be, and I was smiling long before he finally said it. “Can we name her after my grandma?”

Anna started sobbing, and I saw the relief on her face as she hugged him. She wanted this baby too. She’d just been too scared, too worried, to admit it. But now, God, I’d never seen them look so happy. Evan and Matt glanced back at me, also smiling, also looking relieved. And excited. I was too, but as happy as I was about this, I still couldn’t believe that Griffin was going to be the first one of us to have a child. Maybe it really shouldn’t surprise me though. He was the most reckless one of us. He was going to need our help through this.

Matt confirmed that for me when I heard him lean down and tell Rachel, “One of us should probably tell her that Grandma’s name was Myrtle.”

Yes, he might be a good father, but Griffin was going to need a shit-ton of help to be a good parent. God help us all.

Chapter 36

MOVING FORWARD

I laughed at Matt’s comment and Griffin’s name choice. Evan twisted around to look at me. Shaking his head, he said, “Griffin is seriously going to be a dad? That’s one of the signs of the apocalypse, right?”

Jenny, beside him, laughed, and I nodded in agreement. “Yep. Our fate has been sealed.”

Evan laughed as I glanced at Anna and Griffin kissing. They seemed blissful, and I really hoped it lasted. But I had to wonder what this meant for them as a couple. Were they together now?

Returning my eyes to Evan, I said, “You know Griffin raising a child means we’ll all be raising a child, right? We might need to intervene on occasion.”

Evan nodded as he looked over at Anna and Griffin. “Yeah…we’ll have Matt draw up a schedule, so one of us can always be within earshot.”

I laughed at his comment. “That’s an excellent plan.”

Matt and Rachel had moved over to congratulate Anna and Griffin. Evan clapped my shoulder, then he and Jenny moved over with them. I could feel someone staring at me, and my eyes drifted over to Kiera. The look on her face was…odd. She was pale, her eyes were wide open, and her jaw was dropped in stunned surprise. My brow furrowed as I studied her expression. Why did she look like she’d just seen a ghost?