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“And who's your lovely companion?” The younger of the two men asks.
“This is my girlfriend, Anna,” Nick says. “She also happens to be my associate.” Nick turns to me. “This is Simon, and that is Daniel. We all studied together many years ago.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say with a grin, shaking both their hands.
“Associate? You managed to find someone beautiful and talented to work with who is willing to put up with you at home, too?” Simon muses. “I’m jealous. But seriously, you should both consider it. There’s plenty of work for the both of you. It would challenge you, and it could really help your career take off,” he adds, addressing Nick, and then me with that last point.
I’m flattered that he thinks that and I’m about to respond when out of nowhere, a small pair of arms wrap around my waist, nearly knocking me off balance. I laugh and hug Milly back, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
“I told you the silver dress was prettier than the blue one,” she says.
“I chose it because you said it was the one,” I say, whispering in her ear.
We’d spent the day together getting ready for tonight, complete with manicures and spa treatments. I’d narrowed down my outfit to two dresses, but I couldn’t decide, so I had left it up to Milly. It had been a fun day, just the three of us. Myself, Milly and Mandy.
Speaking of Mandy.
I look up just as she and my dad walk through the door. I wave, and they walk over to us. The two men have left us alone, but in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about what they said. As much as I love my life here with Nick, there is a limit to how far I can push my career in such a small town.
“I'm glad you made it,” I say with a smile, kissing Mandy on the cheek, and then Dad.
“I wouldn't miss this for the world,” she smiles.
“I was worried the little one wasn’t going to give you a choice,” I say. “Isn’t massage a natural inducer?” I joke.
I run my hand over her growing bump and laugh. A shiver moves down my spine. I still can't believe I'm going to have a little sister in less than six weeks. She’d had a pretty smooth pregnancy to date, but just hearing her talk about the stretch marks, the morning sickness and everything else that went with being pregnant was enough to put me off having kids for life. I glance up at Nick, who smiles at me, taking my hand. Thank God, my relationship comes with an instant family.
“I’ll remember that,” Dad jokes. He rests his hand on her stomach, and I smile. “I also hear that sex is a natural inducer,” he murmurs. I groan and make a face, trying to push that mental image out of my head. Dad just laughs while Mandy flushes and hits him with her purse. “And on that note, we might go get a drink.” Dad grins.
I watch them, unable to keep the smile off my face as they move toward the bar. Things have been really good—over the last few months in particular. We’re almost back to some sort of normal, which is a place I never thought we’d get to again.
I glance around as Kayla calls my name and see her walking in with her boyfriend. At least, I think he’s her boyfriend, considering I’ve never met him. That, and he looks like someone she's supposed to be babysitting. They’ve been officially together for six months now, but because he’s away at college, he’d only been in town once, while Nick and I were away.
I walk over to her, trying to keep the smirk off my face, but it’s no use. She scowls like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. Her eyes narrow, as if she's waiting for me to say something about how young he looks, and God, do I want to.
“Good to see you,” I say, kissing her on the cheek. “How old did you say he is?” I whisper in her ear as I hug her. “Twelve?”
“Shut it. You know full well he’s nineteen,” she growls back. “And before you ask—yes, I've seen his ID.”
“Are you sure it’s real?” I whisper with a smirk on my face.
Jason looks around, oblivious to our little conversation. He seems like a lovely guy, but damn, he looks young.
“Stick it up your ass,” Kayla mutters, pulling away.
Jason raises his eyebrows at her, and she flushes. I grin because it's good to see that she’s still the queen of inappropriate comments.
Nick’s arms curl around my waist. I grin as he kisses my neck, the aroma of aftershave unmistakably his. He takes my hand and kisses it, spinning me into his arms.
