“You guys better hurry,” JJ says. “You’re getting pretty old.”

“JJ,” Creed scolds. “That’s not a nice thing to say to the elderly.”

“Otter just turned forty!” Bear says.

JJ shrugs. “I was talking about you.”

Bear glares at his godson. “I don’t want kids anymore.”

“Kids?” Otter says, going a bit pale. “As in plural?”

“Well, yeah,” Bear says with a drunken grin. “Isn’t having kids like Pringles and tattoos? Can’t have just one?”

“Yes, Bear,” Anna says. “Having children is just like having potato chips and tattoos.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to open the floodgates,” he says to Otter. “Aren’t you going to be sorry when we have, like, thirty. We could adopt half from other countries and have our own mock United Nations.”

“I don’t think that’s as good of an idea as you think it is, you wino,” Otter says.

“Why don’t you just start with one?” Anna suggests.

“What’s your position on breastfeeding?” Bear asks her. “Because I read this article that says—”

“You need to stop reading articles,” I say. “Now.”

He rolls his eyes. “I just wanted her opinion on nipple sensitivity.”

“Uh, Bear?” Anna asks. “You know you can’t breastfeed, right?”

“I would have made a good mother,” Bear says sadly.

“You would have,” Otter says, kissing his cheek.

“Who’s hungry?” Alice asks. “All this baby talk has left me famished.” She begins to cut the irradiated lasagna.

“I have a question,” JJ says.

“And what’s that?” Anna asks, putting the cloth napkin in his lap.

“We’re all here, right? Our family?”

“Right.”

“And it’s pretty big news that babies are coming, right?”

“Right.”

“Then how come Dominic isn’t here? He’s part of us too. Is he working or something? I can’t wait to tell him I’m going to be a big brother.”

Silence. Except for the high-pitched buzzing in my ears.

Anna looks embarrassed. “JJ, I—”

“You guys still see him?” I ask.

The only one who’ll look at me is Creed. “Sure, Kid,” he says. “Why wouldn’t we?” There’s a bit of a challenge in his voice. “We have him over for dinner once a week. Like JJ said, he’s family.”

I swallow thickly. “That’s… nice of you.”

“People mess up, Kid,” he says. “Everyone in this room knows that. Sometimes people mess up too much and there’s no coming back from it. Other times, it’s something mishandled, but it’s in the past and needs to be forgiven. You, of all people, should know the difference between the two.”

“Creed,” Otter warns. “Not now. This isn’t—”

“No,” I interrupt. “Let him talk.”

“Creed,” Anna says, but he ignores her.

“Hasn’t this gone on long enough?” he asks.

“You don’t know everything,” I tell him. “Not about him. Not about me.”

“Don’t I? I was there when it was about Bear and Otter. I might not have seen it right at the time, but I can see it now.”

“It’s not the same. I’m not like them. This is different.”