“Where are the others?” I sniffed, looking at my favorite watch with its diamond band. It was a present from Edmund on our twenty-fifth anniversary. I blinked back memories of that day, his cheesy grin, slipping the velvet box across the table before I’d even taken a bite of my dinner. He’d always been so impatient when it came to gift-giving. He loved the thrill of seeing me open things, watching my eyes sparkle with the presents he bestowed upon me. Despite all his showiness and spoils, he was never a man who cared about buying things for himself. His favorite thing to wear was holey pajama pants and he didn’t even own any jewelry. Edmund probably would have loved Rosalee, I thought, a flicker of annoyance running down my spine as I continued to watch her struggle with the too-tight shirt.

“Georgia’s almost here. Not sure about the other two…” Bri said, face bent down over her phone, trying not to look at Rosalee’s scuffle with the shirt.

“You talked to Georgia?” Rosalee asked breathily. Now she was attempting to stretch out the tight cotton away from her bulging waistline. I’d wondered a couple of times if she could be pregnant. In my mind, I’d fantasized about the way she and Asher would break the news to me—a fancy cake with a hidden message inside or a gift that when opened would reveal the grainy ultrasound portrait of my first grandchild…

Rosalee wasn’t the daughter-in-law I’d hoped for but having a grandchild on the way… That would have changed everything. The clock was ticking; I wasn’t getting any younger and I hoped to still have some energy for a grandchild someday…

“Yeah. Georgia texted me about an hour ago. She should be here by now,” Bri said casually, eyes still glued to her phone.

My eyes wandered over Rosalee’s face, the pained expression at the mention of Georgia’s name. I’d made no secret of the fact that I thought it would be Georgia standing here—more toned and better dressed than Rosalee—serving as the bride-to-be for Asher. Asher and Georgia had been thick as thieves since grade school. Georgia’s mother and I were lifelong friends; as children, Asher and Georgia were always running together, keeping themselves entertained with pirate and war games, while Mary and I sipped gin and tonics and gossiped about the men in our lives.