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“An observation,” she said. “You haven’t been traveling as much.”
“I haven’t,” I agreed.
Weston leaned into Elise, his arm draped over her shoulders. Seeing my childhood best friend with my sister was still somewhat disconcerting. My brain often stuttered, going into overdrive to compute the two of them together. But in recent days, my feelings about their relationship were almost all positive. He was good to her, and Elise brought out the best in him.
“Is there a reason for that?” Weston asked.
I put my menu down on the table next to my fork. “A few reasons. I have the new building downtown that’s keeping my attention here.”
Luca covered his chuckle with his hand, but he didn’t do a great job of it. “How many weeks is Catherine now? Probably too far along to fly, huh?”
Thirty-seven weeks. Much too far along to fly.And my dread grew with every day that passed, knowing I’d soon have to deal with a bumbling idiot who was very much not her on a daily basis.
“Catherine’s pregnant?” Elise straightened, pinning me, followed by Weston, with a glare. “Neither of you told me. Why is that?”
Weston’s fingers curled around her bicep. “I didn’t realize it was something you’d want to know.”
I lifted a shoulder. “You’ve only met her a couple times.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “So? She’s important to you, isn’t she?”
I hesitated to agree, but she wasn’t wrong. Catherine kept me running on a daily basis, and she was so easy to be around. I spent more time with her than any of my previous assistants.
“Yes, she is,” I admitted.
“Then I want to buy her a gift.” Elise turned to Saoirse. “What are you doing after this? We need to shop for the baby.”
Saoirse rubbed her hands together. “Yes, we absolutely do. I know the cutest little shop nearby. What’s she having, Elliot? Boy or girl?”
“I have no idea.”
Saoirse’s mouth dropped then snapped shut. “Why am I not surprised you haven’t asked? If it doesn’t make money or help you conquer the world, it isn’t on your radar.”
Miles cleared his throat. “I’m sitting over here, offended I wasn’t asked to join in on the shopping trip.”
“Do you know anything about babies?” Weston asked.
Miles slung his arm over the back of his chair. “They’re small. They shit and cry like it’s their job. On occasion, they start out cute, but usually they look like little angry old men until they get older.”
Saoirse nodded along with him. “You aren’t wrong.”
“Just missing a lot of very important details,” Elise added.
Miles threw his hand up. “Come on, Lisie. Bring me shopping with you. If I’m left to my own devices after this, I’ll get into trouble. Do you really want to be responsible for that?”
Weston nodded to me. “Elliot and I are going for a hike. You and Luca should join us.”
I held my breath, hoping like hell Miles would turn him down.
“Yeah, that sounds more fun than shopping for a baby.” Miles addressed Saoirse and Elise. “Sorry, ladies. I had a better offer.”
Fuck.
At least Luca would be there as a buffer. The Aldrich brothers were known for their bickering, and I didn’t have it in me to listen to two or three hours of it.
“Catch me next time,” Luca said. “If my wife is busy, I’ll go for a ride.”
Fuck again.I guess I’d have to search deep inside the well of patience I usually reserved for the egomaniacal men I dealt with at work.
