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Of course there weren’t.
Amy and Vanessa were out on a double date tonight with their husbands, and her mom knew she was at a work event and would be home a little late.
And that was about the extent of her life.
Bella stepped away from Blake and joined Leilani. “Thanks again for an excellent job today. I hope we aren’t keeping you from someone special tonight.”
Leilani smiled. “No. I’m single.” And living with my mother. “Congratulations on the wedding, by the way. I haven’t seen you since. Did you have a nice day?”
She’d snuck a glance at the wedding photos on Jacob’s Instagram, but wasn’t about to confess to that.
“It was magical. Huge, but magical.” Bella glowed, shooting a glance over to her husband. “We’ll go on our honeymoon after the baby is born. Plus, both of us have too much going on in our business lives.”
Leilani took a glass of champagne from the server, thanking him.
“That makes sense. Both of my girlfriends are married. One with a baby on the way. Only one of them had their honeymoon directly after. It’s a thing nowadays.”
Other than that, Leilani had nothing to contribute to the conversation because she was pretty sure Bella would also be bored hearing about how she once dated Kenneth and how he’d been more interested in his spreadsheets than her clit.
Probably.
“It is. Why go just because it's tradition if the timing is disruptive?” Bella shrugged. “Fun fact: I read that honeymoons originated in medieval times. Couples would drink mead made from honey for thirty days after the wedding to bring good luck and fertility. Well”—she rubbed her small tummy—“we nailed that one already.”
Leilani chuckled.
“Are you excited about becoming a mom?”
“Scared, but yes. My mom died a few years ago, so I’m a little emotional about it, to be honest. Oh God, listen to me. You don’t need to hear this.”
Without realizing what she was doing, Leilani reached out and touched her forearm. “I do. My...my mom is...she’s...”
Bella softened and moved closer. “Is she dead?”
Tears filled her eyes. “No. Not yet. But she’s dying.”
Before she knew it, Bella’s arms were wrapped around her, and a tear leaked from one eye. She felt like an idiot, but despite the timing, it was like she needed to talk to someone.
Someone who wasn’t her friends that were wrapped up in their lives and seemed to think she would always just be happy Lani and be fine.
She wasn’t fine.
She was also scared.
“What have you done to my PA?” Blake asked, snapping them out of their hug. “Do not break her. I can’t run the place without her.”
Leilani straightened and laughed, wiping her eyes. “I’m fine.”
See...I’m fine.
It was an automatic response people gave, so they weren’t a burden.
“I wasn’t breaking her. I was hugging her.” Bella nudged him. “Sweetie, let’s have lunch next week and talk without these big men around.”
“I’d love that.” She said, ignoring the fact that Bella was her boss’s wife and that might not be appropriate.
Blake didn’t seem to mind. He smiled at her with kindness in his eyes, and she had to stop herself from hugging him next.
Please don’t.
