Amy rushed to answer the doorbell, not knowing who was visiting. Adam was out in the yard, cuing up the barbecue while she was washing dishes in the kitchen.
Drying her hands on a dish towel, she called to the person or persons outside. Then, when she was done, she took a quick peek through the peephole, surprise running through her.
"Shut up!" she yelled good naturedly as she yanked the door open.
"Surprise!" the two shouted in unison.
Amy stared at Jay and Stephanie as she allowed herself to hug the two in a makeshift format, with an arm around either. They were still her and Adam's best friends after all these years, and they hadn't announced their visit.
"Get on in here, you two!"
It wasn't that she never saw them anymore... But she'd been on a hiatus for the past few months, what with trying to get pregnant.
"How are you, Amy?" Stephanie asked, her blue eyes sparkling. She and Jay had wed three years earlier, and she was currently hyphenating her married name with her maiden one. She had of course taken over World Wrestling Entertainment after a lawsuit against her father, Vince McMahon. She was the Chairperson and owner of the company while Jay was second in command in spite of the fact that he was still wrestling. Her mother, Linda, still worked as C.E.O., and her older brother, Shane, was President of the WWE. Things had gotten quite busy for the Resos.
"I'm okay," the redhead said as they all sat down in the living room. "It's been a bit stressful, you know... But we're exploring further options."
Jay guessed they were going to launch into a more female-interest topic and stood up.
"I'm gonna go back out to see Adam."
"Sure," Amy said, offering him a kind smile as well as a wave.
Stephanie swatted at him playfully on the rear end as he rose. When he was gone, she rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she faced her best friend again.
"Men."
"So, what's up with you, Steph?" the redhead asked as her laughter subsided. "Aside from all the craziness that goes along with running the WWE?"
The brunette remained silent for a beat as she studied her friend's face. The last thing she wanted was to upset Amy, especially after everything she had endured - not only in the past but also in the present time, with her struggles in trying to conceive and the frustrations she suffered when it proved unsuccessful.
"Well, it's funny you should choose the word 'craziness,'" she replied with a sly half-smile. The smile faded quickly as she continued. "The truth is, I have two pieces of news for you."
"Yeah?" Amy cocked her head and folded her hands as she looked into the other woman's warm blue eyes. "Well, don't keep me in suspense! I'm guessing whatever you have to tell me, it's good news?"
"Well," Stephanie said, biting down softly on her lip, "one part is... the other is not so good." She didn't dare verbalize that it was downright bad, but at the same time, she didn't want the redhead to freak out. "Your choice, Amy - do you want the bad news first, or the good?"
The redhead thought it over for a moment. While it always seemed that bad news was picked first, she decided that good would be preferable this time. After all, it could soften the blow of the bad news.
"Give me the good news first."
"Okay." Stephanie looked down for a beat, as though trying to garner up courage. A tiny smile came to her face, but at the same time, so did a bit of uncertainty. "Well... I'm pregnant, Amy."
The redhead stared at her best friend in shock. It was as though she had heard her wrong. But another close look at her face told her she hadn't.
"Oh, my God... Steph?" She stood up to approach the brunette on the couch, gathering her in a hug.
The WWE owner gratefully accepted the embrace. She'd been so worried to tell her this news, but she was glad - and relieved - that she had, and that Amy was taking it well, considering her own situation.
"Congratulations! No wonder Jay ran out back to Adam!"
Stephanie laughed softly.
"I was so afraid you would be upset when I told you," she admitted.
"No," the redhead said, waving her off with a swat of the hand. "Of course not. So, how far along are you?"
"Just four weeks," the brunette answered. She laughed, so happy her friend was really okay about this.
They spoke about the pregnancy and the baby for a few minutes more. Then, Amy remembered there was more.
"What else did you have to tell me?"
"Oh." Stephanie's happy expression faded, and her face grew dark. She reached into her purse, pulling out a folded up piece of stationery paper. "Read this and you'll see."
Amy eyed her strangely and took the paper from her. She unfolded it and read it slowly, and her blood
seemed to suddenly run like ice through her veins. She wasn't even halfway through when her hands began to shake.
She dropped the letter and sank further into the couch, hugging herself.