"Toby!" Tawny exclaimed as the little boy rushed into her arms. She ruffled his dark brown hair and peered into his deep blue eyes, tapping him on the nose as she held him around his waist. "How have you been, little fellow?"
"I good," Toby replied.
"That's good, sweetheart." Tawny hoisted Toby onto her waist, grunting. "You're getting so big, did you know that?"
"I a big boy."
"Yes, you are. Let's go inside and see Mommy and Daddy." Tawny pulled open the screen door that led from the fenced-in backyard to Paul and Lori's living room. Lori was in the kitchen, making dinner, and Paul was sitting in the living room, apparently constructing a toy car.
"Mommy, Daddy, Tawny here!" Tobias exclaimed as Tawny walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, hi, Tawny!" Lori turned away from the stove and Tawny's eyes widened as she saw the bump extending from her midsection.
"Oh my God, you're pregnant?" Tawny cried.
Lori smiled and rubbed her belly. "Yup, I'm due in October."
"Oh my gosh, congratulations!" Tawny held Toby with one arm and put her other arm around Lori. "That's so great for you guys."
"I know. So how has school been?" Lori put down the spoon she was stirring the spaghetti sauce with and wandered over to the kitchen table, carefully arranging the place settings.
Tawny set Toby on the floor and followed Lori. "It's been pretty good. I can't believe I've already gotten through an entire year. So how are you guys doing?"
"We're doing well," said Lori. "Oh, I just took Toby to his eighteen- month check-up yesterday and he's doing really well. Getting teeth in like crazy, talking up a storm, you know."
"Twuck!" Toby cried, toddling across the floor to dive into his father's lap and pick up the completed truck.
"So are you going to take Toby?" Paul called to Tawny.
"Take him?" Tawny asked.
"Yes, remember, we discussed this on the phone briefly," said Lori. "Toby can spend the night at your house for the weekend if you want him to. Paul and I were going to spend some alone time."
"Oh," said Tawny. "Gosh, I don't know, I haven't seen him in two months."
"He really loves you, though," said Lori. "We keep a picture of you on the shelf above his crib. He talks about you all the time."
"Ohhh." Tawny put her hand over her heart. "Well, I'd love to take him, I just don't know how to take care of a baby."
"It's okay," Lori assured her. "You'll do great. You can figure out how to change diapers, right? Toby's not quite potty trained yet."
"Okay," said Tawny.
"And he's pretty much weaned from his bottle, but he can drink about five ounces of cow's milk a day. And just let him pick off your plate, he eats almost anything. I'm sure your parents know how to take care of little ones, right?"
"I guess."
"Don't be nervous, Tawny. Your instinct will kick in." Lori packed a few toys into a bad and placed it on the floor. "You can just take those home with you and you'll do fine."
"What time does he go to bed?" Tawny asked.
"Oh, don't worry about that. He usually goes down around nine. Bad of us, I know, but he's a good sleeper," said Lori. "And if you have any questions you can call."
Paul placed Toby into his high chair and sat down at the dinner table. Lori served the spaghetti and salad and they all ate, and then Paul installed Toby's car seat into Tawny's car and she drove off to Sacramento.
"Tawny," Toby said from the backseat of Tawny's car. "We go pway?"
"Yes, we're going to play a lot," Tawny assured him. "With my friends."
"Yay!" said Toby.
As soon as Tawny got home she took Toby and his necessities inside and sat him on the kitchen counter, supporting him with one hand, as she called Tom. "I have someone here who wants to meet you," Tawny said over the phone.
"Fwiend! Fwiend!" Toby exclaimed.
"What was that?" Tom asked on the other line.
"Just come over to my house," Tawny told him. "You'll see."
Tawny walked out onto her driveway with Toby in her arms as Tom pulled into the driveway. Tom's eyes lit up as he ran toward Toby and Tawny. "Is this."
"Tobias Jenkins, meet Tom Gribalski," said Tawny, placing Toby firmly in Tom's arms. "Your father," she whispered.
"Oh, wow, you're really cute," said Tom.
"He has your nose!" said Tawny.
"Toby nosy," said Toby.
"Hey, you want to take a walk?" Tawny asked. "We haven't done that in a long time."
"Sure. Does he have a stroller or anything?" Tom asked.
"Um . well, he can walk with us," said Tawny. "He's a good walker."
Tom held Toby's left hand and Tawny held his right hand and they walked slowly down the block. When Toby got tired Tom placed him on his shoulders. By the time they got back to Tawny's house it was completely dark and Toby was shaking with cold. Tawny rushed inside the house and wrapped a blanket around Toby, cuddling him in her arms. "I'm sorry, babe. My God, what was I thinking?"
"Tawny?" Mr. Dean emerged from the den and raised his eyebrow. "Well who's this little fellow?" he cooed.
"I Toby," said Toby, his teeth chattering.
"He's cold," Mr. Dean observed.
"I know, I'm stupid," said Tawny.
"No you're not," Tom told her. "I'll make him some hot cocoa."
"Wait, can he have that?" Tawny asked.
"Sure," said Tom. "Everyone loves hot cocoa, prepared Mother's way."
Tawny laughed.
Mr. and Mrs. Dean couldn't stop playing with Toby that night, even after Tom had gone home and Tawny was sitting in the living room trying to read a book. Toby wandered over to her and collapsed in her lap.
"Toby's really tired," said Tawny. "We should go to bed now."
"All right, sweetie, good night," said Mrs. Dean.
As Tawny carried Toby up to her room, she heard her mother say, "She really is good with him."
"I know. I'm so proud of her," said Mr. Dean. "She's handled all this so well."
Tawny changed Toby into his pajamas and then threw her pillow onto the floor and crawled into bed cuddling Toby. She flicked off the light and lay in bed, listening to Toby's steady breaths and feeling his heart pounding against her arm.

"So you're liking college so far?" Ren asked Louis. They were eating lunch together in the kitchen. Ren had just returned home from summer school at Yale, and Louis had been home, working a part-time job at a grocery store, for a month.
"It's better than I thought it would be," said Louis.
"Good. See, aren't you glad you gave it a try?"
"Don't lecture me, Ren." Louis took a huge bite out of his sandwich.
Ren laughed. "Let's just enjoy our vacation, okay? And try not to fight this time like we did all last summer."
"Yeah, that was pretty funny how Mom grounded you and you were nineteen years old."
Ren rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me." She slapped the table. "Well, I should go. I have to fill out the forms for my internship with Senator Perkins."
"Good luck," Louis told her.
As Ren ran upstairs to her room the phone rang and Louis picked it up. Meredith was on the other line.
"We still on for Saturday?" she asked.
"Yeah. It's a triple date now. Twitty's bringing his new girlfriend from Long Beach."
"Wow, um, okay," said Meredith.
"Are you all right with that?" Louis asked.
"Sure, I guess."
"Good. I'll see you at the Country Cottage at seven."

Tom, Tawny, Louis, Meredith, Twitty, and Twitty's new girlfriend Dakota sat around a large table, a single candle illuminating their faces in the dark restaurant.
"So I just joined a church group and they really emphasize prayer before a meal," Meredith announced. "So you guys, I think we should totally do it."
"Yeah, sure, we should be thankful for our sustenance," Tom agreed.
"Do we have to pray to God?" Twitty asked.
"If you want to," Meredith told him. "Let's go around the table. I'll start. God, thank you for the food you give us. Amen. Louis?" She squeezed Louis' hand.
"God, um, thanks for my girlfriend and my education," Louis said.
Tawny stood up and held out her water glass. "I just want to say that I'm really thankful for being able to maintain five really important long-distance relationships. For the past year I've had a really close relationship with my parents, and Louis, and Twitty, and I talk to Tom all the time . and my son. I love you all." She smiled and sat down and kissed Tom, and the rest of the table politely applauded.

Tawny and Tom walked toward Tom's car after dinner was over. Tawny let out a breath and pulled her jacket closer around her. "That was a really nice night."
"Indeed," said Tom.
"I'm glad we could get together this summer. I mean, I know next summer you'll probably have some apprenticeship with Bill Gates or something."
"Huh. I wish," Tom laughed. "Would you like to come home with me for awhile? Mother seemed lonely tonight."
"I really can't," said Tawny. "My parents are making me help with our Fourth of July family barbecue thing tomorrow. I have to get up really early."
"Oh. Well, I'll see you later then."
"Yeah, sure. I'll call you."
They climbed into Tom's car and drove in silence. Tom pulled into Tawny's driveway and Tawny said, "You can come in for a minute."
In Tawny's room Tom paced around her desk while Tawny tried to find a CD to put in her stereo.
"Maybe this is too weird," Tom said after awhile.
"No, it's okay." Tawny sat on her bed and patted the seat beside her. "Sit down. You haven't been up to my room for months."
"Well, I thought we were trying to avoid things like that."
"No. Tom, we're nineteen. We shouldn't be afraid of intimacy anymore. Come here." Tawny kissed Tom softly on the lips. "I'm not as immature as I was a few years ago." She took off her jacket and tossed it on the floor.
"No, Tawny, we're not going to do this." Tom sat up straight and pulled away from Tawny. "Please."
"It's okay," said Tawny. "We won't do anything you don't want to do." She lay Tom down on her bed and snuggled into his arms. "Let's just lay here."
Tom stroked Tawny's hair. "Am I still your boyfriend?" he asked.
"Of course," said Tawny.
"Look, Tawny . you know, we've never said . we've never said we loved each other," Tom blurted out.
Tawny was silent for a few moments. She could feel Tom's heart beating, and she thought of Tobias. Then she thought of Louis. As she nuzzled deeper into his chest, she murmured, "Why should we have to say it out loud?"