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Chapter 1
Ava
“Ugh. Good morning Rosy,” I groan, waddling into the clothing store I own with my sisters-in-law.
“Good morning Ava. How are you feeling this morning?” Rosy asks me.
“Pregnant,” I answer, rubbing my six-month pregnant belly.
“Baby still moving all night?”
“Yes. He is definitely a he. I mean, no girl is going to be moving like this. Right?” I hope not. See, three years ago, I met the love of my life, practically fell into bed with him immediately, married him two seconds later, and found out we were pregnant two seconds after that. We ended up having twins. A boy and a girl. Abby and Ezra. The lights of my life. However, I quickly learned that where little girls are gentle and soft, little boys are rough, loud, and sooo freaking busy. Ezra is a none stop jungle monkey. If it weren’t for my mother-in-law and the part-time nanny we hired, I would be losing my mind all day, especially with a one-year-old at home as well. Baby Eli. He is so much his father. At one, I can see the seriousness of his gaze as he analyzes everything around him, staring at all of us like he is not sure he is a part of this family. That little boy scares me.
“Have you talked to Migan? She has a new design she wants to show us to see if it fits with our seasonal inventory,” Rosy says as she folds the shipment that needs to go to Britain. We started this clothing store two and a half years ago because we all needed something to do since our husbands worked and took care of us, but none of us felt right sitting around. Plus, we all love clothes and fashion, and we wanted to give independent designers a chance to get their name out there. We never in a million years expected it to take off as it has. We have had to hire three more employees just to help with the number of orders and shipping that comes in. We had a visit from a diplomat last year, who was in town for a business meeting. He brought his wife with him, and her dress got ruined the night before the bis charity event, and she came to the store looking for something. We had just gotten a set of evening gowns from several of our designers, and she went nuts. She bought every one of them and told everyone back home. Since then, we have been overwhelmed but happy.
“I haven’t. You know she is a perfectionist. She will get back to us when she is ready.”
“That’s true.”
“So, Rosy, how is Max doing with the request you made of him?” I ask her, not sure she wants to talk about it.
“The same. He is not budging, and I don’t know what else to do.” She shrugs her shoulders. It breaks my heart that the sadness coming from her is so palpable, I can feel it in my heart. I am about to hug her when the front of the store door opens.
“Good morning, ladies,” Kennedy says, walking in.
“Good morning,” Rosy and I say at the same time.
“Is everything ok? I feel like I walked in on something heavy.” I love her. She is the intuitive one out of all of us. This girl has some uncanny ability to feel things for people in a deep way. I look at Rose. This is her issue, not mine.
“Oh, nothing. Just talking about the same old issue with Max,” she says, hanging her head. God, I could kill him.
“Stubborn just like his brothers. Maybe Sterling should talk to him.”
“I mean, it couldn’t hurt, but you guys know Max. Once he gets something in his head, he never changes his mind.” We both nod our heads, knowing she is right. Looking at my watch, I wonder where my sister is. It’s not like Penny to be late and not call.
“Opph.” Kennedy leans over and holds her stomach.
“Baby kicking?” I ask her as I rub her stomach. She is six weeks behind me.
“Yep. This one is going to be a linebacker.” She giggles. I note that Rose is not looking at us, and I can't help but feel guilty for being so happy.
“I hope you ladies know how lucky you are,” she says. Her parting words before she leaves to go to the post office. The thing is, I know how lucky I am, and as crazy as my home is with three kids running around and a sexy always hot for me husband, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 2
Hamm
When I walk in the door from work, the first thing I notice after taking my snow-covered boots off at the door is how quiet the house is. It's way too quiet. The second thing I notice is the air is heavy with apples and cinnamon, Ava's go-to December scent. With four days to Christmas, I know the scent is going to get more and more prominent.
